02/11/2024
Calming products. The horse industry is FULL of them.
There’s no shortage of supplements, pastes and equipment, such as titanium face masks, ear plugs or sound reducing bonnets that promise to lower anxiety.
Posts seeking for suggestions for the miracle supplement that can cure a stressy horse’s behaviour are a dime a dozen in Facebook groups.
People are perpetually seeking solutions that they can purchase in a store to solve their horses’ stress problems.
And yet… not enough are questioning why horses are so chronically stressed that calming products are such a commonly sought out thing.
Why are so many horses stressed to the point where they NEED calming solutions?
Why is stress so accepted and normalized that people think the ideal solution can be purchased in a store?
These are the questions we need to be asking.
Calming products are not inherently bad but they are often a bandaid solution to a much larger problem.
No amount of calming paste can overcome the stress caused by lack of turnout and species appropriate care.
No calming product on the market can make up for horses who are rushed into the show ring, ill prepared and overwhelmed.
None of these calming solutions can make up for training that is stressful and does not promote relaxation.
A calming product cannot overcome stress behaviour caused by underlying pain.
The fact of the matter is this:
The real solution to chronically stressed horses is often found in the management of them.
This isn’t the answer most people want as it isn’t as easy as buying something off the shelf and often involves direct action on the part of the human and, in many cases, sacrifice.
But, it’s the truth.
Stress is present for a reason.
Instead of asking what you can buy to solve it, first question why it exists in the first place.
