Valerian or other calming supplements

I tried valerian capsules on an anxious horse and didn’t notice a difference. I still have two bottles (one opened, one not) that I would be happy to give away if someone wants them.

I agree that it is possible the supplement your filly is on may still be lacking is sufficient amounts of B1 and magnesium.
There is a very good supplement called “Ex Stress” that worked wonders for an anxious gelding I had once. It’s a combination of B1 and magnesium.

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I’ve tried a Magnesium supplement on my anxious gelding with no significant effect, now I’m going to try a Valerian and Magnesium one (which also contains chamomille lavender and a B complex), finger crossed :crossed_fingers:

I had one mare (homebred with no excuses for having a melt down over anything)…we ended up using Trazadone from the vet. Worked amazingly well for her anxiety. She would have explosions over the fact that you changed the style of boot she wore. She was sweet and we tried to find a medical cause for her issues, but never did come up with anything (and we looked and did a ton of diagnostics).

One vet suggested Trazadone and it was a wonder drug for her. Ace didn’t work so well (you had to give her a lot and she could still react, plus didn’t feel safe). With the Trazadone, she just felt less anxious and stressed. I made the most progress with her at that point…then made the decision to retire her from riding. She is now a embryo transfer recip mare (don’t want to pass on her DNA! LOL) at one of the vet hospitals. It was the softest and least stressful landing I could give her. She happily lives in the herd of mares on acres of grass now. I had wished I had used that drug earlier…by the time we tried it, I think she was just to the point of too much mental anxiety to be able to be a show horse.

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MagRestore and Quiessence have worked well for my anxious and IR mare. The added chromium is supposed to be good for IR horses. I am actually using a half-dose of each right now, because of how the barn feeds supplements, so she gets some at each meal. She gets Quiessence with her breakfast as part of her SmartPak, and one scoop of MagRestore in her dinner supps container. (She’s also on generic benadryl for allergies right now, and it’s making her a bit sleepy, so I am going to drop the MagRestore.)

She also gets about 1/4 cup of raspberry leaves in the evening. I have no idea if they do anything, but they are tasty and help cover up the taste of other things. And they are cheap, if bought as bulk raspberry tea.

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No valerian in Smartcalm Ultra, just FYI.

Yes you are right. I mis recalled. Thanks for pointing that out for posterity

I would also suggest MagRestore. The owners are great to work with for answering questions. There is a questionnaire on the website to evaluate your horse. You can order a trial size (45 servings) for $21.99 for the powder or $28.99 for the pellets. I suggest the pellets. You feed so little. I saw a drastic difference in 3 days. And I had tried other magnesium supplements including the SmartCalm Ultra.

DePaolo Tranquility was a lifesaver for me when I was doing the under saddle rehab on my mare before she was cleared for turnout. However, two other people at my barn tried it without much luck. FWIW, I don’t think either of them followed the full loading dose protocol, and both used it on geldings. My mare on the other hand, was nearly impervious to Reserpine. She was also one who could be trucking along apparently calm, and then a small noise or movement would unhinge her.