I take it on and off for chronic cystitis caused by the AI condition I have. It works. I think. Finding the brand that works best for your (or your horse’s) body can take trial and error. No clue on the dosage for the average horse. You’d assume more than that for a person. But it could be one of those things where differences in metabolic rate would mean the horse should take less. I use Medterra’s 500mg CBD oil. The suggested dosage is 1ml. One issue - it hits me harder than Benadryl. I’ve never smoked marijuana but a friend who does says that drowsiness is a common side effect with it.
OK—I have been thinking about trying this for one of my horses and finally did. She has trigeminal neuralgia (headshaking) and it’s pretty mild when she is at rest. However, exercise can really increase her headshaking and make her very anxious. It always seems worst in February - April and she can be so reactive and anxious during rides that it’s not fun, and bordering on dangerous. She is the same way on the lunge. Thankfully, it does seem to mellow out in the summer/fall and I can ride her then. She has been really bad the past few weeks—explosive and unpredictable under saddle and on the lunge line. My trainer told me to stop riding her a few weeks ago because she thought it wasn’t safe.
We have some CBD oil we bought for one of our cats who has anxiety. I decided “what the heck—might as well give it a try on my horse!” Keep in mind, I have tried ALL of the various headshaking treatments—both pharma products (cypro and carbamezapine) Supplements (magnesium, melatonin,spirulina) and nose nets, various bridles, removing the noseband, electroacupuncture procedure, etc.
Gave her about 8 drops of CBD Oil formulated for dogs/cats on a horse cookie last night. I worked her about 1.5 hours later. It did not stop the headshaking completely—however the anxiety and tension about working, was gone. She was not at all spooky or reactive—yet nicely forward and relaxed. No bolting, bucking, or snorting with our tail in the air. The most relaxed she has been in a month! Tried it again today. Again—not one spook or overly dramatic reaction to sounds or other distractions (i.e. things that were typically sending her into orbit the last few weeks) .
I know it was only 2 data points so it may have been an anomaly. But it was a pretty dramatic difference in her behavior. I’m definitely going to keep experimenting with it. All I know is if I can find some way to give her relief from this awful condition—I will try it.
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On March 12 I received the four pound sack of Neurogan and started feeding it to Louie and Vinnie. In my post up-thread I originally planned to feed it only to Vinnie but when I read some of the rave reviews about its pain relieving properties I decided I should try it on Louie, too.
I’m reporting back to let you all know that I starting feeding it to both my horses a little over two weeks ago. My eldest TB gelding Louie will be 30 years old in a few weeks. He has normal wear and tear from being a show horse for many years. Louie was on a gram of bute daily for the past few months for his aches and pains and he was 100% sound on that one gram.
Just to see if there was any difference in Louie I took him off the one gram of bute on March 18th. On Sunday March 23rd I rode him at trot and canter around the bridle trails in Chatsworth. He felt amazing. Yesterday afternoon, I put him in the round pen and had him trot around for a few minutes. He was so sound that won’t be giving him bute again (unless he needs it for a fever or something).
My younger TB gelding Vinnie age 13 who is coming back from some major hoof issues and was laid up for over a year (farrier f-ery) also seems more mellow, less spooky and not as reactive. Of course that could be since he is once again being handled everyday.
Libby
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This discussion is timely. I put my teenage, anxiety-ridden horse on Neurogan about three weeks ago. I’m amazed at the change in his behavior. He is the neighborhood “watch horse” and goes crazy when anything new is introduced or there is some type of abnormal activity taking place. He has been very mellow and has totally relaxed about three new cows showing up at the neighbor’s this week. In the past, any new animal in the area would drive him insane for at least a week or two if not more.
Under saddle, he is quiet and not spooky. I’m a total skeptic when it comes to products that have not been thoroughly researched. However, I have no other explanation for his change in behavior. He has always been extremely spooky, reactive, and very herd-bound. He will fence walk all day when his brain checks out.
The absolute proof will be if I see a change in my young mare’s behavior. She is terrified of the cows and is acting like a maniac. I don’t think she has ever seen a cow before. She shares her tiny pasture with deer (including a rutting buck last fall!) and that is never a problem. I hope she figures out cows are just fat, lazy deer.
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I put a nervous mare on CBD pellets last year and I didn’t notice a difference. Tried her on magnesium too and again, noticed no difference. Started riding her every.single.day. Totally different horse. Just looks happier in general. Would have much rather kept her on 4 days a week and a supplement, but evidently this is what she needs.
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I have a horse who is is nervous when hauling alone. Fine with another horse, loads fine but if hauled alone will work in to a sweaty tizzy. I wonder if a form of CBD would help or is it more for general anxiety, not a specific situation?
When I arrive, unload and walk him around a bit he is perfectly fine.
If anyone has had success for a similar use, I would love to hear more info.
Does anyone know which brand and form (oil vs pellets) are most cost effective?
Piggybacking off @Goforward 's question:
Quite a few people have been recommending CBD for my perpetually NQR TB mare. She’s 25, an anxious spaz, always been a poor/inconsistent eater despite being treated for both kinds of ulcers too many times, is developing some arthritis, etc.
I tried CBD oil for myself for back pain, but it just made me nauseous. Might be the brand/formulation-- I got it from a local natural foods store who tends to be pretty reputable, but who knows.
What do folks recommend for brand/form for horses? Should I try my human stuff on her first? (I’ll run out fast, not sure if it will be enough to get an idea if it works?)
I was actually thinking of trying theirs to compare. I have had my horse on pellets from this place https://www.evspharm.com/horseproducts and have for sure seen a difference. However, now that it is in his system the test will be when I trailer him which I plan to do next week to see if it helps ease his anxiety.
Product may be fine, but I can’t see myself ordering from an outfit that can’t even spell the names of conditions they claim to treat effectively.
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that’s interesting because I did use this on two Colics in the past. The horse was a surgical candidate the small intestine was distended with multiple loops but the prognoses thought to be less than 30 percent with surgery. The horse was brought home against medical they did not think the horse world survive the trailer ride home. He was unloaded given cannabis oil and he go cannabis oil and he just got better. When I told the vet that he survived they said that they thought his chances were 1 and 100,000 but he had beaten those odds they were very happy that he was alive. That was two years ago.
Bumping up to see if there are any updates for those who have tried this on their anxious/spooky horses? If it is working can you share the specific brand you tried? Thanks!
I give it to a 140 pound Boerboel/Ridgeback for seizure control. Hubby and I both take it for knee and muscle pain. 40 years of galloping horses and hard use takes its toll . It seems to help us all!
I’ve had my 21 YO Morgan mare on the Plantacea pellets for several weeks. I started at one scoop, and have gone up to two (100mg CBD). I’m giving it just with her morning feed.
It’s not easy to figure out whether it’s the CBD, but she seems happier out on the trail. She is a little herdbound and anxious, and has always been a bit slow moving out (to the point of sometimes turning her head back toward wherever we came from…while continuing to walk forward). She very very occasionally will just stop for a few seconds. Eventually she “commits” to the ride and these behaviors disappear. She speeds up a bit when headed back. Our trail rides are mostly alone and mostly walking. She obviously has her opinions about this but is exceptionally polite about expressing them.
So … two weeks ago, after one week on 2 scoops in the morning only, I trailered her to a nearby state park and we had a great ride. She was not as slow heading away and “committed” to the ride quickly. But … the best thing was going back to the trailer … she did not want to go back! I gave her a choice, and she picked the access road that she’d previously been nervous about, instead of going to the trailer. When we approached the trailer again, she didn’t want to stop, so I took her up a little side trail, and she was not happy when we reached the road and I turned her around. Once I dismounted and led her to the trailer, she was fine with the ride being over. She is still alert (her job in life is “watching for bears”) but not so looky.
Unfortunately, it’s been raining a lot since then, and the trails are really too muddy for riding. Is her improvement from the CBD? I really don’t know.
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I realize this is a thread from last year but I wanted to weigh in: I started using CBD oil isolate for myself, just general inflammation all over which began after a concussion last year and it has helped so much! I began giving it to my Arabian who had terrible pain from knee calcification, even on Previcoxx. I think the key to remember is finding the appropriate dosage for the animal AND condition. She has started to show improvement at 100mg per day and that will probably need to increase for real positive changes. Yes it will probably be more expensive than the previcoxx in the long run but it seems to actually help with no negative side effects.
My update: I switched to the Neurogan pellets about a week ago because Plantacea is SO expensive. My mare’s behavior has regressed a bit – though it may be something other than the CBD.
– She is overly anxious to get off the trailer again, and has the wide-leg stance in the trailer that indicates she is very anxious.
– She is not as eager to head out on a trail ride.
– She seems more distracted on the trail.
I’m going to give the Neurogan another week and then probably try Plantacea again. I do have room in my budget for it.
USEF has added CBD to forbidden substance list
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I use these for my spooky snowflake and the results are nothing short of amazing! https://www.innovetpet.com/collections/cbd-oil-bundles-for-horses/products/equine-horse-hemp-pellets the small bag lasts a month for a 16.3hh TB
Steelerino, how much to you give your horse daily? I’m trying to find something more cost-effective than the Planatcea by Kham. It’s turning out to be pretty pricey b/c I’m using it for my horse’s pain, so it is taking 150mg daily to help him. One 2 pound bag is lasting only one month. Thanks for any info.
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