CALMING THROUGH CHEMISTRY

You’ll find several products— feed supplements, pheromones, aromatherapies—that are formulated to help calm horses. Some, even if not officially approved by the Food and Drug Administration for medical efficacy, are supported by scientific studies. Aromatherapy with lavender oil, for example, has been shown to reduce heart rate and other physiological evidence of stress in horses.

Another product contains calming pheromones in a gel that can be applied inside a horse’s nostrils. But, says Bonnie Beaver, DVM, DACVB, DACAW, of Texas A&M University, it must be used carefully. “The company’s studies suggest that this product will decrease the time it will take the reluctant or fearful horse to load into a trailer,” she says. “It seems to work in certain situations, but not if the horse is highly aroused and very scared.”

Calming supplements may contain many different ingredients, including vitamins and minerals, as well as traditional herbal ingredients, such as chamomile, valerian root and raspberry leaf. One product contains alpha-casozepine, a protein derived from milk that is believed to calm nursing youngsters. Studies have shown that alpha-casozepine has a calming effect in several species.

Talk to your veterinarian or an equine nutritionist before starting your horse on a new product. They may be able to suggest brands or ingredients that are more likely to be helpful for your horse in one way or another. “What most people don’t realize is that there is actually a placebo effect with most calming medications, of greater than 50 percent,” says Beaver. “The horse owners think their animals are less afraid because they are using product X. They are less afraid, only because you think they are less afraid. It’s your perception. You want the horse to be better, so you think he is: You are just certain that he is less reactive than he was before.”