Took my guy for a school at another facility and his rider put Vicks in his nose before putting him in the cross ties to tack him up. He doesn’t have “issues” with other horses per se when he travels (he’s wound tight about his mares at home, though), except for the usual young horse ooogling everyone, so it was hard to tell if the Vicks made a difference. Two mares were 10 and 20 feet of in front of him in the crossties and he exhibited no stalliony behavior at all, but he hasn’t been off the farm in ages, so I have no way of knowing whether that was because of the Vicks or because he hasn’t changed much when it comes to strange horses in new places. Still, it was the first I’d seen someone use Vicks outside of shipping stallions.
Please don’t use vicks - it can seriously damage their nasal passages - it is now recommended not to use vicks with children because it can damage lungs even if just applied to the chest and that it should never be applied near the nose.
Use essence of lavendar - it has the added benefit of having a coming affect on the stallion. And they don’t dislike it like vicks.
I mix it with a little bit of olive oil.
I have known some trainers to use Vicks at shows on stallions ~ to keep their mind on their ring performance and not be looking/smelling for mares - also one trainer slathers it on driving bits then coats with sugar — for breathing issues .***Should be noted this guy also feeds freshcut alfalfa hot out of the field!
[QUOTE=Zu Zu;4874970]
- also one trainer slathers it on driving bits then coats with sugar — for breathing issues .[/QUOTE]:eek::eek:
Geez, no joke! I looked it up and found this warning: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28628924.
Thanks!
Now, where do I get that lavender oil? A bath shop?
Nevermind! I found some on eBay. Thans again!
:yes::yes: I agree.
If he was completely fine with the other mares in front of him, I would simply try him without anything next time and see how it goes. If he was a polite gentleman while two mares were crosstied in front of him, I think it was good manners that did the trick…not the Vicks! 
You’re probably right…
But Lavender sounds great! I love the smell and reading about all the stuff it might be good for made me just want to try it on a few things–one of which may as well be Kevvie! 
[QUOTE=Zu Zu;4874970]
I have known some trainers to use Vicks at shows on stallions ~ to keep their mind on their ring performance and not be looking/smelling for mares - also one trainer slathers it on driving bits then coats with sugar — for breathing issues .***Should be noted this guy also feeds freshcut alfalfa hot out of the field! [/QUOTE]
up there with stinging nettles up the nose…
health food stores and some drug stores carry it.
I really surprised the lady at the health food store when I told her what I was using it for.
Lavender is a USEF prohibited substance, so skip it when he is ready for rated shows.
And actually, any substance that has been given to a horse to alter mood or behavior is considered a banned substance, whether it is on the banned substance list or not!
I think giving Vicks is something that was commonly done 20 years ago, but rarely done now. I remember hearing about stallions having Vicks on their nose all the time as a kid…I just think back then, they didn’t give the stallions enough credit. :no: Most can be taught to have extremely lovely manners, no matter how many mares they breed each year!
[QUOTE=Daventry;4876160]
And actually, any substance that has been given to a horse to alter mood or behavior is considered a banned substance, whether it is on the banned substance list or not!
I think giving Vicks is something that was commonly done 20 years ago, but rarely done now. I remember hearing about stallions having Vicks on their nose all the time as a kid…I just think back then, they didn’t give the stallions enough credit. :no: Most can be taught to have extremely lovely manners, no matter how many mares they breed each year![/QUOTE]
I remember hearing stories of showing horses on the line where conversations went something like this:
Judge: Is that vicks I smell?
Handlers: sniffle I have a little cold…
