Q&A: Coping with an anxious traveller

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You are here: Home / Articles / Horse care

Tim Couzens MRCVS

10 November, 2000

Q: My seven-year-old, 16.1hh Thoroughbred gelding hates travelling. As soon as we put his travel boots and tail bandage on, he seems to know what's coming next and starts to get anxious.

While he is waiting in the stable he sweats, puts his ears back and sometimes starts shaking. After a lot of coaxing he loads and is then quieter when he is in the lorry. Once we arrive at our destination, he soon settles down and concentrates on the job in hand - usually showjumping.

On the return journey he doesn't get so woundup and will wait calmly while we boot him up ready to travel.

Why does he get so anxious in the mornings? Are there any alternative therapies, such as homoeopathy or aromatherapy we could use to help him relax?

A: This type of problem is quite common and many other horses seem to suffer similar symptoms.

The signs are very much like those you might experience yourself before taking an exam or driving test. In psychological terms, your horse is experiencing anticipatory anxiety before having to perform a task which is essentially stressful. Having completed the event, the period of worry is over, which is why there are few symptoms on the return journey.

The symptoms you would associate with fear or stress include obvious sweating and trembling and other more subtle signs, like an increase in respiratory and pulse rates as well as dilated pupils and more frequent passing of dung.

All these signs appear some time in advance of an anticipated event but normally disappear completely by the time they have to perform.

In this case, your gelding knows what is going to happen as soon as you start getting ready to travel by putting on his boots and tail bandage. Oddly, most horses that display this type of behaviour often perform very well at events, which may be to do with the surge of adrenaline which they experience during the time anxiety has built up earlier in the day.

Homoeopathy

Homoeopathic remedies have a good reputation for helping with anticipatory anxiety. The most important to consider include:

Lycopodium (Club moss): suits lean, intelligent animals that show anxiety before an event, including some bowel symptoms such as excessive flatulence. Animals of this nature will normally perform very well during events.

Argentum nitricum (Silver nitrate): suits animals which demonstrate anxiety symptoms such as frequent passing of dung or loose dung, and restlessness with a desire to escape if possible. Frequent passing of urine can also be a symptom to look out for.

Dys Co (Potentised bowel bacteria, a bowel nosode): this unusual remedy is often used for treating anticipatory anxiety symptoms in people. Horses which will respond to this remedy are usually lean and very active, suspicious of strangers and tend to hate enclosed spaces.

Gelsemium (Yellow jasmine): trembling is the key indicator to using this homoeopathic remedy. Another guiding symptom is that the animal is often rooted to the spot with fear and will not move without a lot of encouragement.

You should always try to choose the remedy which most closely matches your horse's character and dose with the 30c potency three times daily, starting the day before an event.

One other remedy which is worth considering is Aconite (Monkshood. This is a calming remedy for outright acute fear which becomes apparent just before the horse is loaded. The ideal potency to use is 1M and you should administer a single dose.Complementary therapies have a lot to offer. It's worth consulting a behaviourist if you find the problem gets out of hand.

If a horse is seriously distressed you may have to consider that he will never be suitable to travel.

Flower remedies

Bach flowerremedies can also be very useful. The best ones to include in a mix are:

Aspen for treating general apprehension

Mimulus for specific fears

Agrimony for anxiety

Larch for a lack of confidence

Rock rose and cherry plum for fear and panic.

Mix no more than five remedies together and dose using five or six drops each time, given every three or four hours, starting the day before an event.

Aromatherapy

You could also consider aromatherapy as an option but you must remember that essential oils are very potent and need to be used correctly to avoid damage. Consult an aromatherapist if you are unsure.

The best oil to consider using is Frankincense, which is excellent at helping with fear problems. Sandlewood and Jasmine are good, too, as they are known for inducing relaxation and Clary sage is useful for treating panic.

Herbal remedies

Herbal remedies are of limited use as they take some time to achieve their maximum effect. Because of this, they are best suited to generally anxious horses, rather than those suffering specific periods of anxiety. Useful herbs include skullcap and valerian as well as red poppy and vervain.