Cheater! :lol:
The product is an appeasement pheromone analog; I found one paper where it outperformed placebo in a controlled study (salivary cortisol, heart rate, etc) when horses were exposed to a stressful event (walked through a fringed curtain).
While it is not a REPLACEMENT for desensitization (I’ve trotted over/past so many flowers/painted boxes/severed heads I no longer bat an eye)* and counter-conditioning (I was led over the severed heads and got a peppermint each time), it could be a useful ADJUNCT to DS/CC**.
For example, a study of puppies found that animals given an appeasement pheromone collar had better retention and fewer stress markers in a puppy kindergarten class vs placebo collar, and I have used both dog and cat pheromone products in conjunction with behavioral modification to help manage behavior problems in patients. Based on that, I don’t think it is unreasonable to incorporate Equine Appeasement Pheromone into a planned and thoughtful exposure to the weirdest jump fillers you can think of, but I would not use any product as a replacement for proper desensitization.
*No, not advocating drilling/flooding, just frequent, short, low-key exposure
**As opposed to acepromazine, which can increase sensitivity to stimuli but slows down response, so patient is more stressed, but can’t do much about it and therefore is antithetical to CC/DS and why we DO NOT give ace for fireworks/thunderstorm anxiety, thank you very much! We have actual anxiolytics at our disposal.
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An intelligent, reasonable, relevant post. 😉
I’m a dog trainer and my own dog has situational anxiety; I have used this (and recommended it to students with anxious dogs) since it could be helpful in stressful situations. It is NOT a “drug.”
I have also used it with my mare when trailering because she finds riding in the trailer a bit stressful; I figure it couldn’t hurt and why not try to make her more comfortable? I think the effects are pretty slight, and OF COURSE you need to patiently, systematically and thoughtfully train and desensitize all horses - that’s a given.
Best of luck OP! There are some good suggestions on this thread (I do most of these things myself, and have worked with a lot of greenies along with teaching many students with a variety of horses over many years), so they are tried and true methods. Try to ignore the judgment, and use all the tools at your disposal that are humane, reasonable and proven to effective. ALWAYS prioritize good horsemanship!
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