Behavior modification by nutrition 


There are many reasons and causes for misbehavior in horses, but they usually can be put into one of three categories -

Poor or insufficient training or riding.

Inappropriate management methods, such as too little or no turnout.

Inappropriate feeding regimes.

For the purposes of this article, we will assume that the horse has been properly trained, is being ridden or handled by someone of suitable skill, and that the horse is getting sufficient turnout and free time where he can just be a horse. Before you do any nutritional modifications it is important that you look into these factors.

So we will concentrate on the nutritional aspects of modifying behavior. Most high-energy misbehavior is due to too much grain, in any of its many forms. So check that the horse is not getting too much sugar or starch in the diet. Over use of sweet feeds and other molasses coated feeds is a big part of the problem. Horses are fiber fermenters and should be fed lots of long fiber, such as hay, and not nearly so much grain and sweet feed as many of them get. If the horse is getting more than 30% of his diet as grain or sweet feed then you could well be feeding to much starch and sugar. The only horses that need a lot of grain are high performance horses such as racehorses and 3 day eventers who expend a lot of energy every day. And a degree of misbehavior is usually accepted in these horses as a result of this high powered feeding!

Once you have addressed the issue of too much grain, but still you have a few behavioral problems, then you can look into supplementing with the various herbal and other dietary methods of behavior modification. These various herbals and other substances differ in their ability to modify behavior, and it is a good idea to do a little research first to make sure that A) the substance is appropriate and B) it is legal in the competitions in which you plan to participate.

For horses that are spooky and nervous in general, and particularly so away from home, there a few things you can use. Magnesium in one of its various forms is a very useful general relaxant and despooker. One of the primary symptoms of Mg deficiency is nervousness and tension, so if that fits your horse, try and see if a little added Mg will help him relax and restore his normal mental state. Mg is most easily fed as the supplement Quiessence, where the salts and the chelate are mixed into a pellet and made palatable. You can feed Mg as the salt Mg Oxide, but as a fine white powder it is not very palatable to horses. If you want to use it, mix it with water or applesauce to make it stick to the feed, and to render it more palatable.

Certain amino-acids have long been associated with relaxing and calming animals (and humans) in stressful situations. Probably the most famous of these is the amino acid Tryptophan. While in general it is hard to find now, L-Tryptophan will help relax a tense horse. There are several others amino acids that are used from time to time, L-Theanine, and L-Arginine amongst them. Examples of products that use amino acids are Equinamity™ from Foxden Equine and Composure™ from Vetri-Science.

There are a number of herbs that have relaxing and calming properties. It is important to understand that plants are very potent sources of drugs, and substances with drug-like properties. Since most of the modern drugs used have at some point in time been derived from plant sources, the plant versions of the substances can cause a horse to "fail a drug test". The substance can be detected in the animal's urine and blood just like the artificially produced substance can. So, be careful if you use the herb or plant-based calmatives, as they can be detected. The best known plant for inducing relaxation is the herb Valerian. The active ingredient in Valerian is the same as the drug Valium and yes, a horse given Valerian will test positive for Valium. It is a useful herb to use at home or with horses that are not competing, but it is a banned substance, so do not use it at shows. Herbs like Hops, Chamomile and Betony are all reputed to have calming properties as well. Whether they can be detected in the urine is questionable, but if you use them be aware of the possibility in competition horses.

There are some herbs that are effective in helping mares with the anxiety and stress of their heat cycles. Much like PMS in women, mares can get cranky and sore at certain times in their heat cycle. You can use Raspberry leaves, Hops, Chasteberry, Soy, Black Cohosh, Evening Primrose and other herbs to help the mare cope during the bad part of her cycles. Products that offer herbal help to mares include Mare Magic, Moody Mare, and Mare-Aleve - all of these products contain herbs in various combinations designed to help the cycling mare.

B vitamins have long been reputed to help horses be calmer. As with many of the other substances, there is no real scientific evidence, but there is anecdotal evidence for them.

Thiamine is probably the best known, and Pantothenic Acid has a less good reputation. Also B6 has a reputation and some evidence for helping horses who get seizures.

So, before you resort to using specific calming supplements, address the issues of training, rider skill, management and overfeeding first, then when you have done that, and still have a problem, it is time to look for more help.

Wishing all my readers a Happy New Year.

Yours
Melyni
www.FoxdenEquine.com

All pictures are from Knabstruppers4usa.com

Dr. Melyni Worth Ph.D. - 2007 (c)

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