Best calming supplements for horses: what’s on the market?
Do you think your horse could benefit from one of the best calmers for horses? This guide looks at the best daily calming supplements and includes the manufacturers’ descriptions of their products and RRPs so that you can compare your options. Horse calmers are specially formulated and contain ingredients that may help to reduce and regulate your horse’s response to stress and the related behaviours.
If you’re looking for something to take a more immediate effect for a one-off upcoming event, check out our guide to the best instant calmers, which are designed to be administered as and when required.
NB: Cost per day has been calculated using the maintenance measure for a 500kg horse in light work (where there was variation) and the RRP of the smallest available tub. Some horses will require a higher dose, which will increase the cost per daily measure, while buying a larger tub will likely decrease it – these costs per day are a guide only.
Best daily calmers for horses
TopSpec Calmer
This calmer is suitable for horses demonstrating anxious behaviour, particularly those that cannot cope with stressful situations such as showing, travelling or competing. It contains a pure protected yeast, MOS, B vitamins, magnesium, tryptophan and sepiolite clay.
Specifications
NAF Five Star Magic
A proven, award-winning formula that supports focus and trainability. This supplement contains herbs and bio-available magnesium, which are known to help reduce anxiety, support concentration and learning. Scientifically trialled and backed by peer-reviewed studies, it enhances cognitive performance without sedation. Also available in liquid form.
Specifications
Freestep Composure
This calming supplement from Freestep combines magnesium carbonate, marshmallow, slippery elm, dandelion root, agnus castus and chamomile to target the gut and to help settle excitable, sharp and forward going head strong horses. Also available in liquid form.
Specifications
Feedmark Steady-Up
This calming supplement settles nervous tension while aiding your horse’s concentration and focus, and has a soothing effect on behaviour to help reduce spookiness.
Specifications
Equine America Super So-Kalm Powder
This calmer provides three key micronutrients to help the horse to maintain a calm outlook and concentrate on his work — magnesium, calcium and vitamin B1. Also available as a syringe paste.
Specifications
Nupafeed MAH Horse Calmer
Specifications
An advanced magnesium supplement that is easy and flexible to feed and can also be used to support the metabolism, facial nerves or muscle relaxation without compromising performance. Also available as a syringe paste.
Blue Chip Super Concentrated Calming Feed Balancer
Stress can cause digestive issues, and digestive issues can cause stress – so along with all the nutrients your horse needs, this balancer contains magnesium, L-tryptophan and chamomile, which have proven calming effects.
The probiotics in the balancer restore the natural balance of the gut flora and help to maintain the natural well-being of the digestive system, allowing optimum utilisation of the carefully formulated combination of vitamins, minerals and nutrients.
Specifications
Global Herbs SuperCalm
This highly concentrated calming herbal mix helps to reduce nervousness and winter excitability. A powerful natural antioxidant, it improves focus to assist with training and performance. It is also available in liquid and syringe paste form.
Specifications
Aviform Equable
This calmer is suitable for nervous, excitable or highly strung horses as it soothes and helps promote focus for training and competing. It is formulated with pre- and probiotics and is available in a 100% compostable pouch.
Specifications
EquiNutritive No More Nerves
Specifications
This natural magnesium-free calming supplement combines seven herbs to help settle anxious, stressy horses, keeping them focused and calm, while also supporting good gut health.
Dodson & Horrell Placid
Specifications
A dried herbal blend suitable for horses and ponies prone to nervousness or excitability; including a blend of chamomile, lemon balm and vervain, which are renowned for their calming properties, while magnesium helps to support an even temperament. An ideal supplement for use when bringing a horse back into work.
Omega ZenCalm
This supplement provides nutritional support to help with anxiety, stress and excitability. It is packed with powerful herb extracts, including brewers yeast, bio-available magnesium and liquorice, along with a variety of B vitamins.
Specifications
Does my horse need a calming supplement?
Before you feed a calmer it is important to check that any change in your horse’s behaviour isn’t due to pain and discomfort. Get your horse’s teeth, back and saddle checked by a suitable, qualified professional to rule out any problems.
Changes of routine can bring new stresses with it. In these situations, calming supplements can help to “take the edge off”, leaving you with a more relaxed horse that will be safer to handle.
How to choose a calming supplement for horses
Most of the best calmers for horses are available in a powder or liquid form and they take time to build up in your horse’s system with the same overall aim of reducing acute stress and overall anxiety.
Despite lots of anecdotal evidence to support their effectiveness, there is limited scientific research into how calmers for horses and their active ingredients work. Popular ingredients include:
- magnesium, which is thought to produce an anxiety-reducing effect
- tryptophan — a building block of serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter associated with lower levels of stress
- valerian, which is thought to reduce anxiety
Consider the form the supplement takes – calming supplements can come in liquid, powder and paste forms. Your horse may have a preference to one over another, which could make all the difference as if he won’t eat it, your horse won’t receive the benefit.
Cost is another consideration – we’ve calculated the daily cost of all the horse calmers featured in this guide to help you compare them easily. To make it as comparable as possible, we’ve used the smallest tubs available, but you’re better off buying a larger volume of supplement if you can as the daily cost can become significantly lower.
If you compete with your horse then it is important you make sure any supplements you use do not contain any prohibited substances.
Types of horse calmer
Some calmers for horses are instant or fast-acting — instant calmers are often in paste-form and administered via a large syringe into the horse’s mouth — while some of the best horse calmers take time to build up in your horse’s system, and are more likely to be in powder or liquid form.
They all have the same overall aim of reducing acute stress and overall anxiety, which should allow your horse to learn better and have a lower risk of stress-related disease.
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Franchesca is Horse & Hound’s Products Editor. She produces all of our buying guides and gift guides, as well as organising product testing and bringing you news about the latest products to hit the market. If there’s a new launch, Franchesca is the first person to hear about it. She brings you the best deals and is passionate about arming Horse & Hound’s readers with honest, unbiased product reviews. Franchesca loves letting riders and horse owners know what products are coming out, how to make their lives easier and how to spend their money wisely.