I searched the forums (albeit rather lightly), and didn’t see this exact question addressed.
If I want to give my horse Rescue Remedy (slight calming at shows, etc.), can I give the human kind or do I need to buy the specific pet kind?
As long as you believe it will work, you can use whatever kind you want. 
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Wow. Brilliant marketing. Since performance anxiety is usually rider induced, anything that creates a placebo effect on the rider is bound to work.
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It’s not exactly performance anxiety for me or her…anytime the she sees a trailer she quivers whether or not I’m around. So…I’m gonna give a shot and see what happens on a few jaunts to friends’ farms over the winter. Figured it certainly couldn’t hurt…
Anyone have any useful info on ingredients that may be in the human version that maresy shouldn’t have? I haven’t found any useful info on that yet…
And, delta…the ever-present voice of science…thanks! 
I’m not exactly the “magical thinking” type…just going off anecdotal evidence (which I know doesn’t meet your stringent standards). Again, figured it couldn’t hurt to play around with on brief trailer trips this winter before show season starts back up in the spring…
My guess is that if you do a good number of pleasant, brief trailer trips this winter you will have a calmer and happier mare in the spring regardless of whatever nostrums you spritz on her. Just be sure to give credit where credit is due . . . good horsemanship, patience, repetition, and giving the mare a chance to adapt rather than homeopathic nonsense.
I think there is only one kind…4 drops for horse and 4 drops for you.
And while I had non in nearly a decade, I am a believer. It was amazing how as soon as the stuff hit the spot under my tongue the worst of the anxiety was - poof - gone.
I have heard most people just using the RR and Bach remedies that are made for people. Good way to give the dose is on a sugar cube or treat.
For trailer anxiety I have had great luck with Quietex powder, the paste never helped. I don’t think you can use it if you are showing though. My mare used to breakout in a sweat whenever she trailered anywhere,that was the only stuff that helped keep her relaxed, after a couple non stressful trailer rides she was a lot better about going places.
http://www.smartpakequine.com/quietex-powder-156p.aspx?cm_vc=Search
I was in ‘shock’ once, just before a Thanksgiving Dinner - a supposedly nice dog I was patting turned on me and drew a lot of blood - a few drops of this RR and I was instantly calmed and had appetite for the meal, so count me in as a skeptic that had a turn around. So I don’t think it is nonsense…while admitting it may not work in all instances.
Is it " legal" to use on a horse you are showing? Just wondering.
There is nothing in these products that would test or be measurable by any scientific instrument, so . . . as legal as distilled water. :lol:
I had a root canal on Monday and was scared WITLESS, a scenario not helped one iota by monstrous doses of novocaine with epinephrine. In spite of nitrous and the fact that the endodontist was extremely skilled and I had NOT ONE BIT of pain, the shakes, tears, and barely-controlled hysterics did not stop until he said “I’m done drilling”, at which point . . . voila’ . . . all my anxiety instantly disappeared, too.
Power of suggestion. I’m a believer.
Friends who are highly educated and level-headed started using it on their cats on the twelve-hour trips to their vacation home, and swear they see dramatic results every time. Cats aren’t easily influenced by the placebo effect on their owners, especially when they are in cages in the back seat of the car. It’s hardly “scientific proof,” but enough to make me keep an open mind.
To the OP: I don’t think there’s any difference between the human and pet kind, but I haven’t used it on horses (or cats or dogs for that matter) - yet.
I’ve also used it on my cats (out of curiosity). They did seem calmer the few times that I used it (they don’t leave the house very often at all), but who knows. Maybe me rubbing their ears was the calming influence. :lol:
I didn’t know there were two versions–maybe the animal one doesn’t include alcohol?
I swear by the stuff and have used it many times successfully. The most recent was when my horse was wearing a pair of Davis soaking boots on his front feet and something scared him. He broke the breakaway crossties and sped off down the barn aisle, splashing in his boots. I grabbed him, brought him back, gave myself and him 4 drops. That was difficult as my hands were shaking so much. In less than a minute we were both calm.
It doesn’t seem as if such a small amount of liquid could test.
To all you naysayers, these ‘woohoo’ flower remedies and homeopathy do work.
To all you naysayers, these ‘woohoo’ flower remedies and homeopathy do work.
:rolleyes: :lol:
Dang, REALLY? Lord, I am just shocked. Stunned. Are you sure? Really really sure? Works independently of the placebo effect and the effect of other interventions? (such as ignoring or extinction of undesirable behavior through repetition, the power of suggestion in the dentist’s office, tincture of time, and just plain magical thinking–all represented very nicely in this short thread) Because every available bit of evidence indicates quite the opposite. Not to mention that it (the principle of homeopathy) violates every principle of chemistry, science and the natural world. Of course, there’s always the supernatural . . . can’t comment on that because I don’t include that in the discussion.
Evidence, please. The good kind.
[QUOTE=pony baloney;5919070]
To all you naysayers, these ‘woohoo’ flower remedies do work.[/QUOTE]
Rescue remedy is the ONLY homeopathy I’ve ever found to work. I use it a lot with abuse recovery for animals. My preferred one to use is actually the sleep remedy spray for ease in administration. Start with 2-4 sprays on the gums, or spray a cookie if you have a tough customer. You’ll notice a difference within 3 minutes. If the horse is still “up” re-administer. I have had a few that it just didn’t work on. One of the big keys to it helping is to administer it BEFORE an anxiety situation, so before your horse sees the trailer, let the rescue remedy kick in.
You are more than welcome to PM me if you have questions.
Thanks for all the feedback, everyone! Petstorejunkie, I’ll definitely PM you if I have further questions.
One of the best articles on the topic, going into enormous detail. Worth the read, especially this bit:
Enlarging a collection of terminally-flawed trivia does not somehow strengthen its scientific significance.
http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2007/09/the-pseudoscience-behind-homeopathy.ars/4
Sweets gets Bi-Com treatments and the machine comes up with a flower essence recipe that the vet mixes up fresh each visit. I put a dropper full in a tiny syringe and then squirt the syringe in her mouth 2x a day. I increase it to 3 or 4 syringes full in stressful situations.
Regardless of what people think - I don’t really give a rat’s patoot. It does seem to work. Every time she gets a new treatment, the formulation in her bottle changes.
Given that I trim horses and go around to lots of different barns, I have met many people who say that this vet can fix problems that other vets just can’t. Whatever that machine does and the flower essenses, it gives lots of horses a new take on life.
The machine had identified major red flags in her digestive system and the treatment delivered for the first couple of months was focused on that. The day we left the clinic after the first treatment, she was ravenously devouring hay in the trailer on the way home. Just ripping it out of the bag like she was famished. That horse has never touched more than a single bite of hay in the trailer. I have cameras so I can watch her. My Dad was with me, and he kept commenting on how much she was eating on the way home. From that fist visit her chronic diarehea totally cleared up and she has not had it since.
So I really have no clue how a placebo effect on “me” could cause the horse to devour hay in the trailer all the way home (1 hour 15 min drive), and cease to have chronic diarehea?
I did start her on Smart Calm Ultra plus extra magnesium, but that was AFTER that first Bi-Com visit by a few weeks. So I was definitely noticing no diarehea, and better eating before I started her on the other supplement. I now continue to use the Smart Calm with the flower essenses, and overall she just seems to be a happier, more laid back horse.
In the past I had relied on Omeprazole to keep her gutt happy but in all honestly, it just was not working anymore. She was continuining to get ramped up and hard to control even while on a full dose of Gastrogard daily. I had to do something else.
So in our case, the Bi-Com treatments, flower essenses, and Smart Calm Ultra are a really great program for this horse. She still doesn’t want to eat on endurance rides so until I can figure out how to fix that, she’s just going to do some slow 25 mile rides. The vet thinks that it will come but will take time. Given how much improvement I’ve seen at home, I am willing to stay the course and keep working on it. This horse used to stomp 50% of her hay into the shavings and poop all over it. For the last few months she has been eating most everything I give her, and not destroying her stall anymore.
The Bach RR is similar, but the formula is always the same. This vet changes the formula every visit based on the feedback the machine gives. But when I run out of $$$$ and my husband is about to kill me over the cost of the Bi-Com treatments, I will switch to buying the Bach formula because I suspect it works just as well.
So basically you’re saying the 100 other treatments you’ve tried on this horse, raved about at the time, and sworn by as terrifically superior are no match for the LATEST one? And that even though it costs a fortune, “seems to work”, and you’re pretty sure the generic version is just as good, you are happy to keep paying for it?
Sounds good. Carry on. The economy thanks you.
Yeah you know it really sucks to live with a nervous horse that has gutt and digestive system issues that flare up. It’s depressing to see 7 horses in the barn devouring their dinner and her standing there staring out into the aisle with no intrest. Even when she’s on full tubes of Gastrogard daily. GG has definitely helped her, and when she had full blown ulcers it turned her around night and day. But for a long term maintenance situation, it’s not been cutting it. So yes I have had to try other supplements to manage her stomach.
Pardon me for trying to share what has helped her with others who experience similar issues. Her nervousness is something I have to manage, and I was very happy to see a significant improvement in her after the first Bi-Com treatment and flower essence therapy session. Will it work forever? Who knows. Maybe so, maybe not. But for now all is going well so I’d rather not change anything until I need to.
For supposedly being a full time cardiologist, you sure have an awfully lot of time to sit on the internet and complain about what everybody else does with their horses. Just sayin’…
