If d the likes peppermints you should try some peppermint flavored Tums…work well, taste good (to them at least :lol:), and you aren’t feeding them too much sugar (if you give obscene amounts of treats like I do 
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[QUOTE=woodhillsmanhattan;7621210]
If d the likes peppermints you should try some peppermint flavored Tums…work well, taste good (to them at least :lol:), and you aren’t feeding them too much sugar (if you give obscene amounts of treats like I do )[/QUOTE]
I like the Tums suggestion - my husband HATES mint so we have only the berry flavored ones around. But I think the treats I use aren’t that high in sugar - I’ll have to check. I don’t think I give obscene amounts of treats, but it’s a good point.
“What DID work, and continues to work, is consistent handling, keeping my energy levels low around him, giving him the time he needed to get to know me, and treats.”
Thanks for the update and congrats on your very lucky horse!!
He is lucky to have an owner who actually takes time to train and handle as opposed to drugging and trying “magic” concoctions…
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[QUOTE=J-Lu;7044106]
Hi, the raspberry leaves are purported to work on mares because they contain or have a compound analogous to oxytocin, a female hormone that induces uterine contractions. It’s purported to “stabilize” mare hormonal fluctuations and anecdotal evidence suggest it “stabilizes” geldings as well (lessens the male-ish behavior). Some supplements contain Magnesium and raspberry leaves, but the leaves themselves aren’t very high in Mg. The mechanism of action of Mg isn’t to clear, but it is believed to “stabilize” neural activity to muscles. The mechanism of action isn’t well studied, but then no one has really studied it. Anectodal evidence suggests it may work for Mg-deficient horses. It is believed that 60% of horses have ulcers, and the best approach to this is to have the condition confirmed by nasogastric endoscopy and treatment with Omeprazole, with follow-up treatment and antibiotics if the ulcers don’t respond to Omeprazole. I can say my horse has been scoped and treated with Omeprazole, which helped a lot, but he’s still highly reactive. I’m trying Magnesium (currently human stuff scaled up to horse level and ground into his beet pulp)…and then raspberry leaves that I purchased at my local coop for $2.50 for a huge amount. I’ve spoken to this horse’s breeder (they’re a big warmblood breeding farm) and am also trying Tums 30 min prior to riding. This horse’s diet is really good but he’s a very reactive fellow. I’m willing to check out alternative paths to his success. Good luck![/QUOTE]
Oxytocin is unlikely to be the active constituent here, as it is a peptide hormone which is degraded in the GI tract. As well, raspberry leaf has historically been used extensively in pregnant women, where oxytocin would be contraindicated.
