Anyone buy into the "Moody Mare", "Relax Her", flower essence type of products?

[flshgordon]

I have a just turned 6yo mare and this is the first spring I have really noticed her being in season....big time! Last month, it happened the week I took her to a clinic with Jane Savoie, there was a super gorgeous stallion there and I swear she fell head-over-hoof in love....and proceeded to be a maniac our whole time there (except while I was riding her). I'm just wondering do any of these products actually work? The drops/supplements/etc. I'm not so much a big believer in those, but she has that 'forlorn staring out her stall window looking for a date' sense about her again this month and I'm wondering if she just spent the first 5+ years of her life in hibernation.

Anyone have experience with these type products?

thanks!

[Renn/aissance]

Mare Magic, which is raspberry leaf, really is magic for quite a few mares I know. :)

[Simbalism]

When my mare was showing, she was on Regumate per trainer's direction. When I stopped showing and started doing more pleasure riding, I felt the Regumate was a little pricey and wasn't really deleting her negative behavior(spooky/witchy). I tried Moody Mare and had good luck with it for her. Now I just buy bulk herbs and mix my own version. I can rarely tell when my mare is in season. So yes, I buy into it.

[LoriO]

Here is a recent thread on that

http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=199501

and if you do a search there are many older threads on it too.

[manyspots]

My gelding is currently on Mare Magic. Has been for almost a month and he is a different animal. He is just KINDER to his pasture pal and not quite as spooky and looky as before. He was gelding properly, but had a tendency to show stallion like demonstative behavior. He would drop down a lot and bully his pasture pal. This really has made a tremendous impact on that behavior.

Also, I keep Equilite Mellow Out and Crisease, the liquid flower essences on hand. They are my savior when my gelding is nervous or flightly and starts pacing non stop. I have seen a difference when I treat him and leave him in the paddock. Almost exactly 35 minutes later, he is quieter. I know some people say they do not work, but I have had success in low key environments.

[Auventera Two]

Raspberry leaf really works. Give about 1/4 cup a day. Just buy it in bulk online. It's cheap and lasts forever. DON'T buy the "Mare Magic" from the tack stores for $57!! You can get it for 1/10th the price through herbal stores.

[suz]

well maybe i'm not feeding it correctly, or maybe my mare would be an even bigger jerk without it, but she was just a witch to my other mare yesterday.
they've both been getting a handful once a day for well over a month and yet last night she was chasing, biting and kicking until i seperated the two of them. even then she kept charging the fence with her ears pinned and mouth open. she's always been rude to this mare, but they've lived with just each other for a while now and are usually ok together. i keep wondering what was said to piss her off so much!

[flshgordon]

Also, I keep Equilite Mellow Out and Crisease, the liquid flower essences on hand. They are my savior when my gelding is nervous or flightly and starts pacing non stop. I have seen a difference when I treat him and leave him in the paddock. Almost exactly 35 minutes later, he is quieter. I know some people say they do not work, but I have had success in low key environments.

This is how the question came up....trainer handed me an Equilite product called "Equi Essence Settle-In" but when I looked on their site it said it was to reduce stress during trailering. I wanted to use it to settle her during intense training/at shows, etc but didn't know which one to use. Their site showed several others that seemed to be more appropriate but I have no experience with anything like that.

And the mare magic I looked at before.....I guess that is just a sidebar consideration, but I didn't find it to be all that expensive, it's only $10.50/month from Smartpak. Is it really that much cheaper elsewhere?

I'm really not interested in Regu-Mate unless she becomes unmanageable, which she is not. Just looking for a little more focus

[Melyni]

These products aren't all the same y'know! There is quite a difference between them, esp the flower essences vs the raspberry leaf products.

I make several calmatives and we quite a lot of testing on them before we decide to market them.

Not all calmatives work on all horses, some work better on some and some on others. You need to test them on your horse and see which one works best for you.
Yours
MW

[twohotponies]

I have tried the Relax Her herbal supplement and I had a hard time getting her to eat it. It smells really, really strong. I finally had to mix it with maple syrup, it was messy and didn't have much effect. I use Mare Magic now and then. I found that it starts to lessen in effectiveness after a while so I have to stop giving it and wait a little bit and start it again.

[Mariequi]

twohot, thanks for that tip. I just started the Mare Magic last weekend. She sure eats it up. The first day I gave it in a mash, but not after that and she gobbles it up. It looks fluffy and pleasant and not as strong smelling as the Moody Mare. My mare is round and fluffy herself and doesn't need sweet feed or a dressing added. I'm double-dosing first. Some say quick results, some months, some none. If none, I'll try something else. She's never witchy to other horses, just has sensitive sides when groomed/ridden when she's in her cycle. The raspberry leaves are supposed to aide in the uterine schtuff!

[Cherry]

You might do better just using a supplement called Equinime--it contains calcium, magnesium, B-vitamins and certain amino acids all meant to chill out a horse. You could just use a calcium/magnesium product too but the B-vitamins and amino acids could only enhance the effect of the cal/mag. ;) These are things that a young horse needs anyway.

I'm not sure that the raspberry leaves and other things you mentioned are going to have the effect you are looking for.

I used Bach's Rescue Remedy (a five flower essence) on my mare successfully but I learned through trial and error that I had to use twice the dosage that Bach's recommends for a horse (they recommend ten drops) for it to be effective. :uhoh:

If you want to use an Equilite product but aren't sure which one you need just call the 800 number for a recommendation--the gal that owns the company is easy to deal with. Melyni is also helpful if you would rather use one of her products.... :yes:

My goal was to use something that I could readily obtain so it wasn't such a hassle when I needed more. I went with the least costly products first since money was an issue also.

[deltawave]

I think I've tried all of them at one point or another, having owned virtually nothing but mares. Never noticed a bit of difference with any of them. As I've gotten to be a better rider/owner and spend more time around my horses, I notice very little to none of the behavior that, 10 years ago, would have had me running for a "calming supplement". :)

I doubt the horses have changed, but I sure have.