I am looking for a legal calming supplement that works!
Any suggestions?
I believe it is actually illegal to give any substance that alters performance, so there is pretty much no such thing as a legal calming supplement.
There are supplements that may not test, but they aren’t legal.
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I know someone who swears by vitamin B’s & Magnesium supplements
Sweat, and correct riding - though they may not count as supplements. 
But seriously - something like magnesium only works if a horse is Mg deficient and gets hyper in response to the discomfort. For other horses, fixing their Mg deficiency for the sake of the horse’s wellbeing can result in the horse learning how much easier it is to buck without that muscle tension… Not that I know this from experience or anything…
My gelding has many reasons in his past he goes bonkers when we go out in public, and the continued correct riding with him allowing him to go up and open and forward over time is continuing to get him mentally calmer and less prone to explosiveness in trigger situations, but there is no legal calmer I could give him for his issues, and just time and correct work is very slowly helping him improve.
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Is Mare Magic legal? I just started my mare on it as she tends to get “combative” and spooky when she is about to come into heat in during the winter months and early spring. For whatever reason in the summer she cycles just fine. I knew of a few geldings that were on the stuff too.
mare Magic is Raspberry leaf. Raspberry leaf is not specifically listed in the forbidden substances but not knowing what it metabolizes down too is problematic. One of its metabolites may be forbidden
but any “calming substance” breaks the spirit of the law.
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Its kind of related to the subject, so does anyone know how much time you should stop using “illegal” substances in order for them to clear their system?
I am sort of old fashioned.
Does your feed have corn in it? Lots of old time regular horse owners way back before cars took over believed that corn made their horses “hot”. If they wanted a calmer horse, they stopped feeding corn (maize.)
I never had any problems with corn but I owned horse breeds that the pre-automobile horse users did not tend to have back then (Arabs, Anglo-Arab, Paso Fino.) However I fed straight grains–whole or crimped oats, corn, and the non-grain alfalfa pellets. When the horses got too snorty in the springtime I cut out the corn. You can’t do that with the prepared sweet feeds and pellets.
I had luck with performance equine MagRestore, a very absorbable magnesium. Do a search here and on ToB for huge thread about it.
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I have had positive results with Magnesium 5,000.
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[QUOTE=taharah;7910147]
Its kind of related to the subject, so does anyone know how much time you should stop using “illegal” substances in order for them to clear their system?[/QUOTE]
It depends upon the " illegal substance".
Honestly, if you have to use illegal substances to train and compete, then your horse needs a different job.
If you are referring to drugs used for legitimate veterinary purposes, and you are bringing a horse back from an injury or illness, then speak with your veterinarian (who no doubt is the one administering or supervising the administration of the drug).
IF you use a vet that is experienced in treating performance horses then he/she will know the time that it takes for a drug to clear the horses system as far as testing is concerned. 
If you use an inexperienced vet, then ask them to consult with a colleague that is knowledgeable.
Quiessence definitely works, and its a magnesium supplement. Fabulous, and it is a calming agent.
Used it on a really nervous mare of mine, and it calmed her down good enough.
In hunterland, the Perfect Prep products are quite popular. And I have seen them have an effect. No illegal substances.
[QUOTE=taharah;7910147]
Its kind of related to the subject, so does anyone know how much time you should stop using “illegal” substances in order for them to clear their system?[/QUOTE]
Just about any answer you get to this question will be bad.
I don’t know what you mean by putting the word, illegal, in quotes. Any substance that is used to alter performance is illegal. That’s whether it tests or not.
That being said, I’ll assume you don’t care about breaking the rule in that respect but rather mean to specify drugs that will show up in a urine or blood test.
In general, illegal levels of substances are considered in terms of “circulating blood levels” of it-- in other words, the concentration of the substance in the blood. These numbers are specified. But at what time after ingestion any given animal will reach those levels varies a bit.
And that’s why you really, really need to do better than asking technical questions about how to intelligently cheat on the interwebz.
[QUOTE=taharah;7910147]
Its kind of related to the subject, so does anyone know how much time you should stop using “illegal” substances in order for them to clear their system?[/QUOTE]
Depends on what “illegal” substance you are asking about. I understand if you are asking because of a legitimate reason (e.g., my horse is on medication that is illegal for me to compete them while they are on it, how long do I have to wait after they finish the medication before it is legal for me to show them; I did not know this substance was illegal because of all the new drug restrictions from the USEF this year, how long do I have to wait until I can show the horse?)
BUT if you are asking to cheat the system, you will eventually get caught.
Just a rant/lament.
I left HunterWorld because I decided I could not and would not compete with folks who had created an impossibly high standard for horses: They want spectacular athletes who get the job done while mentally being mellow slacker/roll-with-the-punches types.
Don’t get me wrong: There are horses out there with that combination of extraordinary mind and body. But they are are rare and expensive. And I can always find a horse with a great mind but some physical limits that I’ll really enjoy riding and training. But I don’t enjoy competing with that horse since I walk in with a handicap. I can make a horse with a so-so mind better…. but maybe never so good that he jumps hard but lopes along and never moves an ear.
A hunter pro-turned-dressagist friend of mine made the same move 15 years ahead of me and, when I was buying my first dressage horse project, she told me to buy the mind, as I would in HunterWorld. That’s because she said that relaxation seems to be all in judging now. And the horse who is obedient and correct (and a pretty mover which helps), but seems tense will run into a wall in his scores. And sooner or later, someone who couldn’t afford the combination of great mind, great body and time/great training would need some “help” getting to that relaxed, good performing horse.
In other words, DressageLand is going the way of HunterWorld. My pro predicted the entry of drugging into DressageWorld. This is the first time I can recall a thread like this in this forum. I didn’t think my pro friend would be right so soon.
[QUOTE=mvp;7910872]
That’s because she said that relaxation seems to be all in judging now. And the horse who is obedient and correct (and a pretty mover which helps), but seems tense will run into a wall in his scores.[/QUOTE]
You (and your friend) are absolutely correct. It used to be a horse could act like a horse and still get a decent score. Judges now expect a lackadaisical attitude with a great movement, and you better have it at Intro. Anything else and you’ll find yourself way down at the bottom when they post the scores.
[QUOTE=TBROCKS;7910892]
You (and your friend) are absolutely correct. It used to be a horse could act like a horse and still get a decent score. Judges now expect a lackadaisical attitude with a great movement, and you better have it at Intro. Anything else and you’ll find yourself way down at the bottom when they post the scores.[/QUOTE]
It’s this kind of statement that deters me from showing. I’ve got a nice enough horse, and we work hard at it, but I just don’t see us being able to compete with the big boys.
Magnesium is not illegal and can benefit your horse is other ways from a nutritional and training perspective. If your horse is tying up or has sore muscles that don’t seem to repair themselves, MagRestore is great! I think it helps horses feel better because their muscles and bodies feel better and as a result their mind becomes relaxed.
Anybody who has worked with a personal trainer knows that on day 2 your muscles hurt more than day 1. Your trainer (if they are good) will tell you what foods to eat and what foods to avoid to help your muscles repair. I don’t see giving your horse magnesium any differently.
UlcerGuard is accepted by all. I don’t know of too many people that don’t give their horses UlcerGuard when going to a 3+ day show that requires 5+ hours of driving. Many horses will pace their stalls, become spooky, and perform poorly if you don’t give them something to calm their stomachs and prevent ulcers. Why the holier than thou attitudes toward magnesium, I don’t know.
