I have a very high-spirited VDL bred gelding who is very fresh and yes we are working with a top professional). I am not a timid rider by any means, I can ride him, but his high-spiritedness makes him difficult to ride well. Discipline does not seem to affect him, it’s not really a matter of getting a cowboy type or tougher rider to get on him. He is always going to come out in high spirits. He spooks/spins hard and out of nowhere when he is fresh but is bold as anything to the jumps when he settles down (i.e. he is not legitimately afraid, just freshness-spooking). He is young and extremely playful. I free lunge him occasionally if I think he is going to be extra wild, but I can’t go lunging the poor horse every day before I ride him, I will break him down, which I don’t want to do. I was thinking of trying him on a CBD supplement, has anyone here had experience with that? I know it is not horse show legal BUT we don’t have a show scheduled for some time so I’d like to try it and see the difference. Also he gets eight hours of turnout a day and minimal grain/high non-sugar beet pulp and hay. In other words, I am managing the high spirits to the utmost and trainer is a top trainer that has received tons of accolades/awards. Any ideas?
The official word is that CBD manages pain but is not psychoactive. If this is true then it would not act as a tranquilizer for your horse
However I don’t believe CBD is always 100% non psychoactive. So in that case, yes it might act as mild tranquilizer which is what you want. However if you are looking for a tranq to ride your horse there are other options out there with more more precise dosage guidelines and known active ingredients.
I haven’t taken CBD but I have used medical marijuana oil briefly. Two drops instead of one and you are away with the fairies. I didn’t have a problem with that 
but I sure don’t want to ride a horse that has decided all sounds have visible shapes and he needs to flake out in front of the stereo playing prog rock until his head stops spinning.
hahaha, yes understood, I don’t want to put him in even higher-spirits. I guess I was always told CBD helps with relaxation and anxiety. So I am curious if anyone here has specifically used it on their horses. Always happy to hear someones favorite supplement too. We’ve used Positude and Calmikaze lately.
If it helps with anxiety then it has a tranquilizing effect at some level.
I feel like CBD advocates want to have it both ways.
CBD relieves anxiety and relaxes you. But CBD has no effect on the brain and has no active cannabis compounds.
These statements cannot both be true. That’s why I am suspicious of the claims for CBD. Also there is no standardized production or guaranteed per cent of ingredients and it all comes from small producers, so brands and batches might be very different.
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At least in humans, CBD should not have any behavior/psychological effects. THC is the component in marijuana that affects mood.
In that case CBD cannot relax or reduce anxiety.
hmm okay that all makes sense. Thanks for the responses. Anyone with a genius idea as to how to chill out my horse without running into the ground or heavily medicating him I am all ears.
24/7 turnout in a big field with a herd?
CBD is not tested nor regulated - especially in animals - and I firmly firmly firmly stand by the fact that it should not be used on them until it is.
We can do whatever we want to our bodies, but risking them with the batch changes and inability of knowing what’s in certain doses isn’t fair.
I don’t think it should be allowed to be given to animals, but that’s just me.
Also USEF banned canaboids like you said so you can’t show on it when all that starts up again.
I would try a regulated calming supplements.
Also, have you pinpointed when/where he spooks? Is it right when work starts or is he super excited to trot?
I’ve found with horses like that that lunging in the beginning can help. It isn’t a forever fix, but putting side reins on before you get on and establishing ‘Hey there, this is work time, we can play later’ for a few weeks then getting on really helps them figure out a correct mindset. Then you slowly lunge them less and less until you can just get on. Plus it’s always a reset button if you need it!
At least that’s what works for my OTTB’s.
Also, lots of work at the walk. Getting his mind on work, using lateral movements and negative reinforcement (taking away the pressure when he gives) is a great way for horses to really start learning what you want. Give high praise when he stretches into the contact and relaxes down, then be done for the day! Small victories to be won, but they build upon one another as you continue on. This sort of thing really worked with the jumper I retrained recently. If she gets flighty and strong we go back and do things at the walk until she relaxes. Same from canter to trot. It helps a lot for her!
I see VDL’s that are like this (in my very small sample size), they seem to have a good bit of oomph to their lives!
I am at 10 weeks post dual stifle arthroscopic surgery with my TB-QH athletic young mare, two weeks of stall rest and hand walking, then small corral and hand walking, large circle longing, 6 months to full work I put her on SmartCalm Ultra supplement, basically lots of Magnesium, plus Insitol, and Tryptophan. Had to use Ace for the stall rest/hand walking segment, but the calming supplement is being enough for small turnout and walking around the arena and longing. No effects that I would be afraid to ride one with, just mellow and not bucking, not sure about serious jumping.
I also had the dirty spooker - prop, drop, spin and bolt, ultra smart egomaniac gelding. I bred and raised him, so no excuses, had to deal with him. I longed him every single day before riding, better to risk his soundness than mine.
What is the definition of a “regulated supplement”?
Whatever chemical help you choose, it won’t fix the source of this type behavior, only dull it. It needs to be schooled out not just covered up.
You cant fix everything. Sometimes its just their basic nature but the dirty spooking is not just freshness. IMO and IME, its learned bad, evasive behavior, not youthful exuberance. And it works.
Get that you have a trainer but is trainer the primary rider or do you take a weekly lesson and handle the all the riding? Does horse do the same thing with trainer? How many times a week total is horse ridden by you or trainer? Might just be he needs more serious work more days of the week then he currently
Know these following options are not what you want to hear but…
Maybe you need to put the horse in full training with trainer only riding and just take a lesson a week after trainer warms him up? He may be a Pro ride.
Maybe, for whatever reason, he would do better in a different barn environment with a different turn out situation and schedule? Maybe he’d do better for somebody else? Sometimes its just a mismatch, nobody’s fault but just never going to make either horse or owner happy.
Maybe, for whatever reason, he and you, would do better with another trainer? Not all trainers cluck with all horses or even want to work with a horse unless its in full time training or even at all. Trainers resume sounds good but that doesn’t mean its a good fit for you and your needs.
Think about it. Something needs to change.
More hacking out in every kind of environment until the horse has seen it all.
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Yes, that’s my understanding. CBD helps with pain and inflammation. I believe it is CBD that can also control seizures. There is currently one FDA approved prescription medication for epilepsy that is made with CBD. I suddenly cannot remember the name.
THC is the component that is being looked at for treating mental health issues and mood concerns.
People who use medical marijuana can get combinations of CBD and THC depending on their needs. However, there are no regulated “formulas” or “recipes” for these combinations and the illnesses/disabilities they are intended to benefit.
Needless to say, things are still pretty loosey goosey when it comes to the use of mmj with humans. The research is rapidly evolving though. I can’t imagine there is much more research with it regarding horses though.
I think we also don’t know the withdrawal time (since dosing is even all over the place) so even if no showing will happen for a while, it’s one of those things that would make me worry about future testing.
Ear plugs might help get his focus a little better. Easy enough to try. I also agree with lots of walk work, get him out of the arena if you can, but you might need to ride out some of the silly first at a more forward gait.
Magnesium could help potentially. I also like the T.H.E. Equine Edge calming cookies or powder. Not so much calming IMO but seems to help these ones that most likely just need more focus.
How old is he? Young or is he old enough he should be a little less baby brain by now? I think there’s also a lot of groundwork you can do in between your rides that is hard mental work but very easy physical work.
https://www.innovetpet.com/collections/cbd-horses/products/cbd-pellets-horses
I swear by this stuff for my spooky guy it’s a game changer! In about 2 days after I administer it I can literally see the calm come over him. He is afraid of life and this keeps him sane without making him sluggish. No other supplement has worked for him like that product. The 1lb bag lasts 3 days and he gets 8 grams 2 x a day (I use a food scale)
You say he’s young. Some horses mature faster than others. I would be willing to bet this is probably a phase. Eventually, he probably will calm down and figure it out, but it might take a while.
Poor word choice on my part.
I meant something with FDA approved ingredients for horses that is readily sold and been tested in some form. Something that will also not have the ability to test. CBD is just very unproven/regulated so that’s why I used that word.
For the most part, nothing marketed as a “supplement” has been approved by FDA. Rather it is mainly a question of being a low-priority enforcement issue, with the major response from FDA coming only if there are multiple reports that suggest harm and/or adulteration, or, more commonly, if label claims to mitigate or cure disease are made (because that makes them unapproved drugs.)
There is no testing program for supplements.
