Horse Calming & Anxiety

This collection brings together six horse calming supplements from Kelato, Stance Equitec and BetaVet Natural Solutions. They are aimed at horses that get wound up in situations a rider can see coming: float travel, competition days, farrier and dental visits, clipping, box rest, or a return to work after a spell. These are nutritional supplements fed to the horse, not sedatives, and none of them replaces training, turnout or veterinary attention.

Powder or paste, and when you feed it

The practical choice is usually about timing rather than ingredients. A powder such as Kelato BetaCALM Powder is measured into the feed, which suits a horse you want to steady across a run of days: an event week, a spell of confinement, the first weeks back in work. A paste such as Kelato BetaCALM Paste comes in a syringe you can carry in the float and give closer to the moment, which suits a one-off, such as a clip, a long haul or a first outing off the property. Plenty of people use both, the powder through the lead-up and the paste on the day. The remaining products in the range, Stance Equitec Placid Rein and Placid Rein Plus and BetaVet Natural Solutions Steady Steed, each list their own form and feeding directions on the product page, so check those before you plan a lead-in time.

Mares, and working out what you are actually treating

Not every unsettled horse has the same problem. Kelato BetaMARE is aimed specifically at mares whose behaviour shifts with their cycle, which is a different situation from a young horse that has simply never been away from home. Before reaching for any supplement it is worth ruling out the ordinary causes of a change in temperament, including pain, gastric discomfort, teeth, a poorly fitting saddle, too much energy in the hard feed and too little turnout. A supplement can support a horse through a stressor you already understand; it will not resolve a physical problem, and a sudden or out-of-character change deserves a vet's opinion first. Competitors should also check the current swab and prohibited-substance rules with their discipline's governing body before feeding anything new in the run-up to an event, since the rules differ between codes and change from season to season.

Brands in this collection

Kelato accounts for three of them: BetaCALM in both powder and paste, plus BetaMARE for mares. Stance Equitec covers Placid Rein and Placid Rein Plus, and BetaVet Natural Solutions the Horse Steady Steed calming aid.

• All horse supplies
• Horse joint supplements
• Horse grooming
• Horse hoof care
• Horse wormers
• Kelato range