While our online store will always be open, the hardworking team here at Hippo HQ will be taking a well-earned summer break from Thursday 19th December.
While our online store will always be open, the hardworking team here at Hippo HQ will be taking a well-earned summer break from Thursday 19th December.
Competition Safe Remedies for you and your Horse
by Fiona Lane July 04, 2024
Need a calming remedy for your horse but not sure which one to try? Here's a complete guide to our range of calming remedies for horses.
If your horse could be referred to as skittish, is easily spooked or particularly unsettled in certain situations to the point where they could injure themselves or other horses or people around them, then it’s likely they would benefit from some form of calming supplement.
There are lots of reasons the cause a horse to be anxious or stressed. Some are emotional, some physical, some cause an instant response while others are the result of buildup over time, and all have a different level of severity and intensity. It is these variables – and more – that determine which active ingredients will deliver the quickest and most effective results. For example, the ingredients we use for situations that require instant relief are quite different from those we use to prevent a build up of stress over time.
Each remedy is professionally formulated to provide support during a very specific situation, which is why there are twelve remedies in our range. While they all have quite different uses, they can be used together - customers often use Chilled Out Horse as a general calming supplement, then add Spook Buster when the horse needs to settle and focus – such as during a show or going for a hack.
Scroll down to find a calming remedy (or two 😉) that's right for your horse!
Just like humans, horses can also have generalised, low-level anxiety or nervousness in everyday situations, or have days when their mood is low. Our best-selling Chilled Out Horse remedy is a feel-good remedy that can be used long-term for ongoing support where your horse needs calming without sedation. Like most of our remedies, Chilled Out Horse can be added to the water trough, making it both easy and affordable to dose one horse, or your whole herd!
Trembling, hypervigilance, vocalising, sweating and diarrhoea are some of the adrenaline-fuelled behaviours horses can experience in times of severe stress or panic – such as during storms, vet interventions, shoeing or clipping or the sudden presence of unfamiliar objects. Spook Buster is the ideal remedy to use when panic or severe stress kicks in. It can only be given when symptoms are present, so you’ll need to be there to administer the doses, but it is fast-acting with effects that last up to two hours.
We often recommend using this remedy in combination with Chilled Out Horse.
This remedy supports horses that experience severe panic caused by situations that you can’t predict – such as thunderstorms or fireworks – or those you can’t always be present for. It works quickly to support horses experiencing severe panic or stress due to loud bangs or flashes of light. Fireworks Angel Equine can be dosed via the water trough so it gives your horse a fresh dose of remedy every time it takes a drink. We like to think of it as a way to take care of your horse when you can’t be there.
If your horse is fine at home, but gets easily overwhelmed in unfamiliar surroundings where there are loudspeakers, flapping flags and lots of people and other horses, then Show Calm is for them. It’s like Chilled Out Horse but with additional active ingredients to provide additional support. It can be dosed via the water trough (or bucket) or directly onto the tongue, gums or lips using our handy 90ml pump bottle. And like all of our remedies, it’s not swab-able so is competition and racing safe.
If your horse has a more severe emotional response than normal to being loaded or unloaded from the float, or while being transported, then give Easy Traveller – Equine a try. We recommend starting doses a few days before you need to travel – but keeping this remedy on hand in case they need rapid relief from acute symptoms along the way.
Some horses experience an emotional response to being left alone or left behind, with symptoms often starting as soon as they see other horses being tacked up for a ride. For these situations, we recommend our Separation Anxiety – Equine. This remedy can be dosed regularly as a preventative, or used to calm your horse once symptoms start.
Being cooped up and inactive, or being separated from the herd while rehabilitating from an illness or injury can be both mentally and emotionally stressful for a horse. Our Rehab Calm is professionally formulated to support horses through this difficult time by soothing anxiety and agitation.
It's unclear exactly what causes head shaking, but what we do know is that this anxiety-driven behaviour is often worse in the spring, and is accompanied by sporadic sneezing, sensitivity to light and tenderness in the forelock or sinuses. We recommend using our Head Shaking Plus remedy alongside dietary management and veterinary supervision.
Grazing on pasture that has excessive potassium levels combined with low levels of magnesium and calcium can result in some horses exhibiting spooky, nervous, unpredictable or aggressive behaviour. Our Grass Crazies – Equine remedy offers support for horses while they are under veterinary supervision, dietary management and supplementation.
Breeding season can also cause changes in behaviour including aggression, lethargy, lack of concentration or increased sensitivity to being groomed. Our Mares Plus remedy provides ongoing support for horses that are in season and experiencing these hormonally driven mood changes.
Some mares struggle to show maternal instincts or connection with their newborn foal which can result in them avoiding nursing or being aggressively protective. Mothering Plus - Equine is professionally formulated to assist mares during this time.
Our Oversexed Horse remedy is formulated to assist colts, rigs, stallions or mares exhibiting troublesome hypersexual behaviour. It can be used in acute situations, or for periods of 2-3 weeks, but isn’t intended for long term use.
Horses aren’t the only ones that get nervous – so we’ve got a range of natural remedies to settle rider's nerves too!
We’re proud of our range of remedies which are the result of decades of research to ensure you have the perfect remedy to bring calm to any situation – and not just for horses! We also make calming remedies for people and cats, dogs and other pets too!
General Disclaimer
Always follow dosing instructions. Our remedies are formulated to support the natural immune system of horses, pets, and livestock. We do not claim to treat, medicate or cure any health conditions. If you are worried an animal may be in pain or suffering please contact your veterinarian.
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