CHALLENGE: Excitable ponies (Pony Club)

Given the busy life of children with school and extracurricular activities, ponies may only be ridden intermittently, for example just at weekends. Some ponies may be fresh or excitable when ridden infrequently and it is helpful to be able to reduce excitement.

RECOMMENDATION: SUPER CALM PASTE

SUPER CALM PASTE contains magnesium and tryptophan which may help to calm excitable ponies. Tryptophan crosses from the blood into the
brain where it is converted to serotonin. Serotonin has an anti-anxiety effect. The effect of tryptophan on ponies is variable between ponies but in some animals, a single dose was shown to reduce increases in heart rate and cortisol (the stress hormone) following a startle. During muscle contraction and nerve stimulus and excitation calcium enters the nerve and muscle cells, magnesium then pushes the calcium out of the cell and the muscle relaxes and the nerve impulse subsides. If there is insufficient magnesium, nerves may remain in their excited state. Horses supplemented with magnesium showed a trended towards decreased responsiveness to a moving object.