Choosing a Calmer for your horse
Stressful situations can arise in horse’s lives despite your best management. From vet visits to fireworks, horses can sometimes need a bit of extra help to keep them settled and calm. Luckily for horse carers, there are a multitude of different calmers available. When choosing a calmer for your horse the come in 3 forms ranging from powders to pastes with a variety of different ingredients, there are many options to choose from.
Table of contents
Choosing a Calmer for your horse Helping You To Choose A Calmer For Your Horse I think my horse needs a calmer, what do I do? Magnesium in horse calmers – what do I need to know when I Choose A Calmer For Your Horse? Consider Nettex Calmer Maintenance Powder When You Are Choosing A Calmer For Your Horse Should I consider good gut health when I choose a help my horse’s calmness? Pick A Calmer For Your Horse From Our Range How should I feed my horse’s calmer? How do I compare calmers? Summary Of Title Pick A Calmer For Your Horse Frequently Asked Questions On - Choose A Calmer For Your Horse You Might Also Like These Articles Related to Calmer For Your Horse
Helping You To Choose A Calmer For Your Horse
Horses are all individuals, and it is important to remember this when choosing a calmer. A product which works for one horse, may not work for another. And indeed, the conditions for when a calmer may be required can vary vastly between horses. Travelling, moving yards, fireworks, competing… the list goes on for potential stress inducing events that your horse might f ind stressful and challenging.
The purpose of a calmer for your horse is to reduce stress and anxiety in your horse, which not only helps both their and your safety, but also allows your horse to process their surroundings and learn, resulting in longer term positive behaviour. Nutritional support for balanced behaviour can help remove the challenges of handling a nervous or excited horse, as well as reducing the risk of stress induced injuries for your horse such as gastric ulcers.
I think my horse needs a calmer, what do I do?
First things first, be organised. Keep a diary for approximately two weeks before you start using a calmer. This gives you a baseline of behaviour for you to refer to and compare. Be clear on the undesirable behaviour you are trying to reduce, so you can monitor the calmer’s effectiveness.
Magnesium in horse calmers – what do I need to know when I Choose A Calmer For Your Horse?
Chances are, if you’ve been looking at horse calmers, you have seen the ingredient magnesium. Magnesium is involved in the transmission of nerve impulses and is a vital element of the horse’s diet. However, a magnesium-based calmer will only work if your horse is deficient in magnesium. If they are not magnesium deficient and their diet contains adequate levels of magnesium, adding a calmer with more will only result in your horse urinating it out – and that can make for some expensive horse wee!
For your horse to absorb magnesium through their diet or via a supplement, the magnesium must be highly bioavailable - this means, easily absorbed. Magnesium can come in several different forms, so when choosing a magnesium-based calmer be sure to carefully read the ingredient list. The most bioavailable forms of magnesium are Magnesium Aspartate Hydrochloride and Chelated Magnesium. Magnesium based calmers certainly have their place, and can be very useful. However, if you have tried using a magnesium based calmer previously and it has not worked, it may be because the levels of magnesium were not high enough, it was not a readily bioavailable form, or your horse is not magnesium deficient.
Consider Nettex Calmer Maintenance Powder When You Are Choosing A Calmer For Your Horse
Nettex Calmer Maintenance Powder delivers high levels of Chelated Magnesium. This is readily absorbed through the intestine to maintain magnesium levels, giving long-lasting effectiveness. Nettex Calmer Maintenance Powder encourages wellbeing and concentration and can be fed to horses or ponies to help reduce stress related symptoms such as nervousness, excitability, apprehension and irritability. Nettex Calmer Maintenance Powder can also be used alongside Nettex Calmer Syringe Paste boost when a top up may be required.
Should I consider good gut health when you choose a calmer For Your Horse
There are a variety of non magnesium-based calmers on the market, including products which contain ingredients such as tryptophan and valerian. There is also exciting new research which show the link between the gut microbiome and mental state. When choosing a calmer for your horse, there has been much work in the last decade looking into the gut microbiome in humans and its many positive effects on the body and brain. This work is now being replicated in horses, and there are studies showing how positively influencing the gut microbiome supports calmness and wellbeing.
A calmer for your horse can included ingredients that have a prebiotic like functionality, such as wheatgerm extract, can support good gut health and good microbiome health which then supports mental calmness. This is found in e-calm, where published studies demonstrated eCalm significantly decreased behaviour such as kicking, nervousness, tenseness and excitability.
Pick A Calmer For Your Horse From Our Range
How should I feed my horse’s calmer?
Calming supplements can vary greatly, not only in their ingredients but in their presentation and speed of action. You can choose for a daily calmer, or a fast acting single use calmer. Daily horse calmers are added to the horse’s feed, typically as powders or liquid. The calmer has a cumulative effect and can take 2-3 weeks for the benefits to be seen, although some work much quicker than that. If you want to use a calmer for a specific occasion such as fireworks night, it is important to factor in this time to ensure the calmer is working to its potential for the situation you need it for.
Alternatively, calmers can also be given as fast acting gels or pastes which are administered via a syringe into the horse’s mouth. Using a paste which contains highly bioavailable Magnesium Aspartate Hydrochloride, such as Nettex Calmer Syringe Paste Boost, can give quick calming support when needed. This is handy for horses who don’t require daily calmers but benefit from their actions in stressful occasions, such as bonfire night, clipping, travelling, vet and farrier.
How do I compare calmers?, when choosing a Calmer For Your Horse
With a variety of different ingredients and feed rates to look into when considering a calmer for your horse it can seem confusing to compare one product to another. As previously mentioned, horses are all individuals – a magnesium-based calmer could work wonderfully for one horse, whereas another could benefit from the actions of wheatgerm extract. Once you have decided on the type of calmer your horse needs, the next task is to decipher the label! In order for a calmer to be beneficial it must be fed at an adequate feed rate. For example, depending on the levels of ingredients in the product, one calmer may deliver the required feed rate in 25g whereas another may need 75g to provide the same levels. Not only can a high daily feed rate indicate a low level of active ingredient, but these products can work out to be more expensive. Even though the price of the tub may be lower, if you need to feed more each day, it won’t last as long and work out being more expensive per day. It can be useful to remember this when comparing different brands.
Different Ingredients In A Calmer For Your Horse
- Magnesium One of the most common ingredients; helps relax muscles and nerves, and supports calmness. A deficiency can cause nervousness or twitching.
- Calcium Works with magnesium to regulate muscle and nerve function.
- Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) Supports the nervous system and helps reduce irritability or tension.
- Tryptophan An amino acid that is a precursor to serotonin (“the feel-good hormone”) — promotes relaxation and reduces stress.
- Taurine Another amino acid that supports calm behavior and nerve health.
- Vitamin B6 Helps the body use tryptophan efficiently; supports brain function.
- Niacin (Vitamin B3) Helps energy metabolism and nervous system stability.Inositol Supports neurotransmitter balance and can help with mood regulation.
- Zinc & Selenium Trace minerals that support overall nervous system and muscle health.
🌿 Herbal Ingredients In A Calmer For Your Horse
- Chamomile Known for its soothing and anti-anxiety effects.
- Valerian Root Natural sedative; helps calm excitable horses (note: banned in competition under FEI rules).
- Passionflower Supports relaxation and helps reduce restlessness.
- Hops Mild sedative effect; often combined with valerian.
- Lemon Balm Calming herb that helps reduce nervousness.
⚠️ Competition Considerations When Choosing A Calmer For Your Horse
If you compete under FEI or racing regulations, note that some ingredients (especially valerian, kava, or tryptophan) can cause positive drug tests.
Always check the label for “ competition safe ” or FEI compliant approval.
Pick A Calmer For Your Horse
Frequently Asked Questions On - Choose A Calmer For Your Horse
Gilly Davidson
Gilly has run Barnstaple Equestrian Supplies since 2015. Over this time Gilly has built up a wide range of knowledge across many equestrian products.
