My husband and I are planning on taking advantage of the horse trails by our farm once the weather gets a bit nicer here. We have one horse who has never been out on a trail (used to be a lesson horse, only ridden in an arena) and one who’s been on trails a couple times but it’s been several years. They’re both pretty well behaved generally— when they’re scared of something they tend to raise heads, flare nostrils, widen eyes etc but no real worrisome behavior. However, with both of them being new to trails I’m wondering if anyone has successfully tried any anti anxiety supplements or similar products that may help? Or any other general advice? My ideal situation would be to go on a small group ride with a seasoned trail horse or two leading, but we’re new to the area and don’t know anyone yet so looking for other tips. Thank you!!
I would not try to manage this with supplements, but with experience. No way would I just take them out and hope for the best. Where do you currently ride (at home I assume?) I would just start taking them a little bit farther than you have before. E.g. cool them out after an arena ride by walking around your pasture. Then when that becomes normal, go through a gate and walk on a little further, etc. And keep extending that until it’s fairly normal for them.
My horses don’t trail ride. I am 100% positive that an attempt to just ride off into the sunset from my farm would cause them to dump me and gallop home. But in the past I have used the pasture to do warmups, cool downs, and some different types of riding. It would be an easy step to just extend a little at a time. Especially with two together.
Ditto what S1969 said. It is not the horse(s) that need calming supplements ——-
Good advice, we do ride at home and have been taking them around the property— around the pastures, through the trees, up the driveway to the road, etc. which they handle well (otherwise I wouldn’t even think of taking them offsite). I just thought for the first time, an extra support like a supplement/paste might help. Not to rely solely on.
Never tried it for trail riding specifically but my mare gets bad anxiety at shows, and I swear by Perfect Prep EQ products. I forget the name of their paste but it does a great job.
Nope. If both are nervous one of you can get off and lead. I spent half my mares first year solo trail riding leading her when she’d get scared. Now she’s a pro.
It sounds like both of your horses are solid citizens and would probably transition to trail riding just fine. I think the idea to gradually extend your distance a little at a time is a good one.
Well, you could always think positive. If you and spouse are relaxed, it may be that your horses pick up on this and, as it sounds like they are indeed solid citizens, they might be perfectly delighted to be on the trail. My theory is that horses have certain things that they’re afraid of on the trail that you wouldn’t expect, and then they do not care about things you think they would care about. First horse was deathly afraid of purple chrysanthemums. Not yellow, not red; just the purple ones. And then there was the horror when a field that had only one kind of wildflower the week before, now had different flowers as the predominant flora. A shetland pony pulling a cart pretty much took 5 years off her life. However, school buses, fire engines with sirens and lights and firemen hanging off the back, noisy clattering landscaping trucks, deer, pheasants, bees, snakes, abandoned cars, motorbikes, dogs, mountainbikes, strollers, tricycles, joggers, people with fishing poles, and garden gnomes placed along the trail – all fine.
Current horse feels that the trail is too stupid a use of his time for him to spook at anything. He just wants to know what the plan is so he can prove that he knows more than I do about everything.
Have a wonderful time! Trail riding is such a great way to get to know, and enjoy, your horse.
I just want to draw attention to this for a minute. Dismounting a spooky or nervous horse can backfire. It can depend on the horse, and you probably know yours well enough.
I dismounted my young gelding on the trail once when he was spooking and being nervous about proceeding. My phone had fallen from my pocket so I decided to get off, retrieve said phone, and lead horse until he calmed. He lost his ever loving mind when I began to dismount. When I landed on the ground he attempted to take off. Then refused to let me back on him he was so scared. I gave him a day then got on him again and he was still odd about mounting and dismounting for a few days. It seemed like it shattered his confidence in me.
I’ve since dismounted on the trails and he’s been skeptical, but ok. When he has an issue, it’s really best to stay on him and work it out. If your horse and you are confident and ok with you dismounting during a stressful situation, and you feel things are better worked from the ground, then go ahead.
I think my geldings reaction is not so common and he’s a little odd anyway, but it just made me think.
You can always handwalk your horse on the trails to get a feel for it. Eventually you’ll get bored or tried of walking and want to ride :winkgrin:
Between me and my friends we have started many horses on their first trail ride, and we swear by giving them a 1/4 cc of ace the first time, usually IV about an hour+ (IM/orally, a bit longer out) before tacking up. It doesn’t knock them out or challenge their balance in any way, it just gives them a moment to say “Oh, hey, this might be OK” and take that deep breath we all want for their first experiences. And it really only takes a 1/4cc. What I’m looking for is for it to be mostly /completely worn off about an hour into our ride (usually we are out there at least 2-3 hours), I just want the first 30 minutes to give them that chance to relax, take it all in, learn to trust the other horse and enjoy the experience.
That said, we are experienced riders, both in the arena and outside. Our young horses are well trained and prepared for their first experience out on our Appalachian foothill trails and we always bring the newb out with trusted trail horses. This is just one more step to set us all up for success. So far I’ve never had one need it the second time and most of them would be fine the first time, but I’ve definitely seen some benefit from getting the edge off … and NOT getting in that cycle of building on multiple anxieties, especially in a busy parking area when tacking up before heading off on a trail.
I’m seeing a lot of opposition to using products. Obviously if I just gave them a paste and assumed everything would be fine that wouldn’t be good, but I’m planning on slowly introducing them to trails, hand walking if needed, etc. I’m an experienced rider & not just flying blind into this.
Is there some issue with using anti anxiety products on top of this?
You have gotten a couple of product suggestions - are they not what you were looking for?
There are many horsepeople who are fundamentally opposed to using mood-altering substances unless in veterinary or emergency situations.
There are also many horsepeople who would not expect to be able to rely on calming products, and therefore the horse and rider must have other tools and training anyway, so why bother?
And I’m sure you already are on top of this, but if you find product(s) you want to try, either from this thread or from shopping around, definitely don’t try them for the first time when you go out on the trail!
Yes, I should clarify— I’ve gotten a couple of great suggestions but a majority of people opposed to the idea. I was just curious why, as I’ve never used anything like this before. Side effects? Adverse reactions? Obviously if there’s a good reason to be opposed I’d want to know.
and yes, great advice! Planning on trying it out first for sure if I do end up purchasing something 
For medical tranquilizers, there is a (small-ish) chance of side effects. You can google that, or search the forums, for discussions regarding using drugs for the purpose you’re describing. It’s usually a much more contentious topic than supplements.
For supplements, my impression is that the greatest risk is that you waste your hard earned cash on products that don’t do anything but make you feel better! Or that you rely on a product in lieu of proper training (sounds like you’re not planning to do this). Those who show cannot use many products on the market because they’ll test.
A lot of folks use magnesium in high doses. (I believe but am not positive that it’s the active ingredient in perfect prep). Perhaps others can chime in on whether it’s possible to overdose on it, or otherwise cause health issues. I’m not aware of any myself.
I think the main thing about a tranquilizer is that unless you know how it will affect your horse, it might be either no help at all, or a disaster. If you have previously used Ace on your horse in other stressful situations, it might be ok to try it again. But horses can blow through Ace pretty easily as well.
I find it hard to believe that an OTC supplement will make any significant difference for a one time, first event like a trail ride. If you know, for example, how a horse acts at a horse show and give a daily calming supplement during the show (or possibly leading up to and through the show) - you might see a difference.
It’s one thing for a horse to be in a familiar environment and experience something new (e.g. experienced at horse shows but then horse sees a pair of minis driving a cart). Or, for the environment to be familiar but stressful. But the same horse in an unfamiliar setting (wooded trail, for example) and then sees a new stimuli (deer bounds across the trail), might blow their mind, and an OTC supplement won’t make a difference.
I know you will be shocked to hear this, but the internet is full of people who make assumptions (and I’m not gonna lie, many times these assumptions are not wrong, but a few innocent victims get swept up in them as well), and common assumption associated with using an anti-anxiety paste is that there could be holes in your horsemanship skills or your horse’s training that lead you to asking these questions and would subsequently cause you to get hurt in spite of that tube of wonder paste.
My personal feeling is they don’t work that well for just taking the edge off and they certainly don’t work well enough to really change behavior enough to save your but if things go sideways. That’s pretty much why I stick with a tiny dose of almost worn off ace. It is also not going to save my butt if things go sideways (that’s training, my riding skills and no small amount of luck) but it will take maybe 10% of the edge off if the environment cooperates (deer do not bolt on the trailhead above us, turkeys are not flushed out under the nose, some other horse and rider loses control on the trail).
(ETA - I also wouldn’t be giving ace for a trail ride if I didn’t already know how an individual responded… I had a 17’3 TB years ago and the first time I gave him ace was after a layup and I had to ride him down the road… 1/2 cc because he was a good dude, I kid you not I got off and walked him after it kicked in, and I was worried about him tripping and falling over - the bigger they are the cheaper they are to get drunk!)
Well, my advice is that if you want to use tranquilizer, use tranquilizer (Ace, acepromazine, atravet), not a “supplement”. It is possible that a horse will “blow through Ace”, but it is still more dependable than something that is a “supplement”. It is always a good idea to know exactly how any horse responds to Ace, before depending on it for safety- some horses are “cheap drunks”, others are very resistant. You have to try it out to find out how your horse/s react to it, and adjust the dose to suit. And yes, the Ace will actually be for YOU, not so much for the horse, even though the horse gets the dose. A rider who is more confident than you are may well be fine going without it entirely. That’s OK. The Ace, when working appropriately, will chemically reduce the horse’s overall stress level, akin to you having a beer. And that’s OK. As you and your horse take a few trips out onto the trails with the help of the drug, and can handle what you encounter out there successfully, you reduce the dose until it is not something you feel you need or want to do any more. That’s what confidence in yourself and your horse will get you. Don’t worry about being “judged” by those who are demanding “natural and drug free” above all else. Appropriate use of a drug can be helpful for anyone, as a crutch to get you past a trying time successfully. That’s OK. Coming home still voluntarily mounted and both in one piece is the measure of success.
Mostly, to be safe out on the trail, you have to have developed a good relationship with your horse/s, where your horse listens to you, depends on you to keep him feeling safe, and believes you when you tell him that something is OK, and goes forward from your leg, is comfortable and confident and responsive to your cues. If you haven’t GOT that with your horse/s to an acceptable level, then taking them out into the wild unknown probably isn’t the best idea, even with “calming” help.
Can you find another local rider with a nice horse for company, with experience on your local trails to go with you for the first few trips? That might be helpful to you as well. Happy trails!
Reading the title of this thread, my first question was going to be, “for horse or rider?” :lol:
My biggest opposition to anxiety supplements is that I haven’t found most of them to work, and those that do work (i.e. prescription pharmaceuticals) carry a bit of a risk for horse & rider. There’s nothing wrong with using them, but they’ll likely do nothing. And I wouldn’t want to turn to ace for the first time on a trail ride off the farm; I’d definitely want to get an idea how the horses respond to it first.
If you’re worried, your horses are likely going to be worried. I’m the poster child for this.
If you can’t find that seasoned trail riding group you’re seeking, I think the next best thing would be to trailer them somewhere with a trail that’s known to be an easy ride. No scary bridges, no questionable water crossing, no dicey terrain. Somewhere you can a complete an easy loop and call it a day. It will likely do wonders for everyone’s confidence, especially yours.
If you’re nervous, I think getting them off the farm is better than trying to work on it at riding around the fields and pastures at home. I say this because home comes with the temptation of bolting back to the barn when things get too scary, which isn’t good for anyone’s confidence.
I’m with DMK and NancyM: a little Ace can be a good thing, for both horse and rider. I’m an old lady with one quiet mare and one hot mare. I always ride out the hot mare with 1/2 to 1-1/2 cc’s of Ace in her. Not so much for her nerves as for mine, as well as my health and safety. It slows her down just enough that I can manage her reactions better. I have done my own research on Ace, as well as talking to my vet (who is a Hunt Master and has dealt with lots and lots of hot horses over the years.) Everything agrees that it is safe to use, even long-term. Yes, you do have to experiment a bit to find the dose that works best for your horse and situation. But don’t be afraid of it and don’t let others bully you out of using it if it works well for you.
star
Ditto.
Even more better you find a riding buddy(ies) with a couple seasoned horses and ride with them for the first few outs. Make “herd mentality” work for you, not against you.
G.
