The Art of Natural Dressage

I have put Laska on a "calming" herbal supplement since Saturday because I'm interested to see if his "hot" feeling stays or goes away. Then I will know if he's anxious or just a bouncy fellah!

I would appreciate comments on the supplement I chose and whether or not these herbs are good. It was the only herbal solution I could find - everything else had chemicals in!





In term of feeding, he gets 0.75kg of the feed shown below 3 x a day - it is a 10% forage mix designed for ponies., He gets free-choice hay 24/7 and I cut Napier grass for them every 2nd or 3rd day and they eat until they've had enough.

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Glen Grobler

Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled. Anon

Is this something you will be using daily?
I would never use anything on my horse that was not show legal, even if it is a herb- as this is almost doping. Vervain is a very powerful herb with drug like properties and a few dangerous side effects- added blood pressure, nerve damage, spine pain, insomnia, heartburn, gas/acid overload, spasms, paralysis, stomach pain, ulcers, parasite vulnerability, immune suppression and convulsions. Not to mention over 300 sub species that could all be labeled as vervain herb so you never really know what plant/root/seed/stalk you are feeding.

There is a reason it is not show legal and it would not help long term if your horse is hot as it is not fixing an imbalance, only sedating. I would caution feeding this longer that 15 days given the increased gas/stomach complications in equines (it's used to help human digestion but can cause issues in horses). I'd rather have a spunky horse than a dopey/sleepy horse any day!

magnesium can be used as a calmer. It is a main ingredient in lots of store bought calming products.....not very expensive either and is just fed in the horses food.

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I'm not planning on any kind of permanent use of this - I'm just trying to evaluate a few things.

I was planning on feeding it for a week or so, and trying to evaluate if his "hot" energy feeling is anxiety or pain or if he's just naturally hyperactive or whatever. I have noticed that he projects a calmer feeling when he's engaged and actively focussed on me which makes me think he has some chronic anxiety or stress to go with his spunkyness.

I also don't want a doped horse, but this guy's a bit of a mystery. I have already seen and felt a difference in the amount of "edginess" he has after 2 days of feeding this stuff. He appears more able to concentrate? Sort-of? Like the apparent miracle that Ritalin can sometimes achieve for some children? Even though I dislike the general widespread use of Ritalin, I have to concede that there are some cases that it has been positive!

The only alternative I can get acess to is a manufactured chemical "anxiety treatment" which is meant for chronic use.

I don't like what you're telling me about this vervain herb, though! I don't know anything about it, or about Hops flowers or Valerian root - that's why I asked!

I'll immediately reduce it to one dose a day, and see what happens. I'm trying to gather information by using this for a short while - I believe that "cure" requires education in his mind, which I can undertake if I can identify what's needed.

I'm in the process of arranging Equine Orthopaedic testing for him, but the nearest centre is 250 km away, so I have to make travel (and sleep-over) arrangements for him. It's not going to happen as fast as I would like!

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Glen Grobler



Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled. Anon

Claire, his "normal" food does have added magnesium (and zinc) from a hoof supplement I use!

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Glen Grobler



Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled. Anon

I have located another herbal "calming" supplement - is this better than the one with vervain in?

"Contains:
S-hydroxytryptophan (S-HTP, an amino acid which acts as an anti-depressant ... 10 g/kg
thiamine (a B vitamen which has been found to have a calming effect in horses) ... 10 g/kg
chamomile ... 24 g/kg
Magnesium ... 10 g/kg
Calcium ... 6.4 g/kg
Herb blend ... 10 g/kg

There is no information given on what the "herb blend" is. Fed at "recommended dosage" 500g will last one month per horse.

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Glen Grobler



Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled. Anon