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Post by Energy boost on Jul 9, 2017 12:03:57 GMT
Does anyone have any suggestions to boost a stallions energy? Goes very flat at shows and really loses his sparkle. Thanks in advance.
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kaya
Junior Member
Posts: 121
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Post by kaya on Jul 9, 2017 14:34:47 GMT
Topspec Turbo flakes. Ring their helpline, they are brilliant & not at all pushy.
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Post by flee on Jul 9, 2017 16:49:57 GMT
In my experience a horse that generally has plenty of energy and 'sparkle' at home but is 'flat' at shows , may be showing signs of stress or nerves . People recognise an overexcited or 'fizzy' horse as exhibiting a degree of stage fright but a flat or withdrawn horse may also be trying to deal with the same feelings . The recognised reactions to fear or potential danger are actually Flight , Fight and FREEZE . If a horse ( or person ) doesn't feel that either of the first two actions is an option then they will have a tendency to 'freeze' , and in horses this can manifest itself as a range of behaviours from the extreme ( rearing,planting ) to the much less obvious ie' not as forward going as usual , feeling 'wooden' , dropping behind the leg/hand or appearing uncharacteristically dull and withdrawn in certain situations .Please note - I'm not taking about inherently lazy horses here but altered behaviour ! We had a Highland who I cursed frequently for being fab at home but " a lazy s*d " at shows . High energy feed didn't make a jot of difference and nor did reducing his working in time . In fact the 'Eurika' moment came on the day when I decided to 'work in ' by taking him directly off the lorry and walk/trot him to the ring in the hope that he'd be on his toes for the class ( in hand class I hasten to add ). As we arrived at the ring he literally ground to a halt and , as I turned to chivvy him along , I was shocked to see that his whole body had slumped and his eyes had literally rolled to the back of his skull . The poor lad was in a state of high anxiety and dealing with it ( or not ) the only way he felt open to him - to 'freeze' or 'shutdown' . Perverse though it may seem , I would first try him with a calmer ( yep - you read that right !) and plenty of time to absorb the show atmosphere and settle , before I altered what would appear to be a satisfactory feeding regime ( ie - he has plenty of energy at home ).This is what worked for us anyway ( our Highland had a very successful carreer both ridden and in hand ) and , if it doesn't work , you've only wasted a bit of time and the price of a calmer !
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Post by sjw87 on Jul 9, 2017 17:04:00 GMT
Very, very good advice from Flee. Also remember that travelling can take a lot out of them, combined with often not eating and drinking well whilst out. Sometimes getting to a show early to give them time to relax, munch hay and drink (find a way of getting liquid into them; sloppy feed if necessary) can often work wonders.
Sent from my SM-A300FU using proboards
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Post by Energy boost on Jul 9, 2017 20:01:55 GMT
Thanks for your advice Flee, he really does love the go round but just his individual show that lets him down so not sure if its entirely the same situation but worth a shot. He already has ad lib hay whilst travelling as well as grazing for hours (and I mean hours!) before his classes, and sometimes sloppy feed too. If anyone has a miracle answer please send it my way!
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kayjayem
Happy to help....a lot
Posts: 10,046
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Post by kayjayem on Jul 9, 2017 22:52:58 GMT
I would be tempted to put him on electrolytes too, Traveling and hot weather can take it;s toll, Electrolytes are cheap to feed and may just be the answer but if not worst case scenario he pees them out and no harm done
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Post by gillwales on Jul 10, 2017 21:13:30 GMT
I would work on his fitness levels
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Post by forester on Jul 11, 2017 0:04:20 GMT
I have the same problem as you highland stallion goes amazing at home but at a show he is 50/50 (ridden) never had issues with inhand And mine get electrolytes 24/7
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Post by chloesmum on Jul 11, 2017 7:46:07 GMT
Our old boy Jacob has always behaved like that! He loves his outings and loves the go round and still at 19 can outpace everything else in the ring, he is such a showman. However (apart from RWHS this year!!!! when he was stood for hours next to an inseason mare) he would then come out to do his show and go 'No thank you I think I have impressed enough!'. Sorry to say that nothing has ever changed that - fitness; electoryltes; going first/last - he just loves the go round but not the individual show part. Except as I said this year in the Seniors at RWHS when although he had stood in line for over 1 hour he positively bounced round the ring tigger style as so excited with his new girlfriend next to him!!! and then disgraced himself in the final line up! Enough said but I guess we still love him! Good luck but I sometimes think this is stallions for you!
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Post by waspblue on Jul 12, 2017 0:25:07 GMT
In my experience a horse that generally has plenty of energy and 'sparkle' at home but is 'flat' at shows , may be showing signs of stress or nerves . People recognise an overexcited or 'fizzy' horse as exhibiting a degree of stage fright but a flat or withdrawn horse may also be trying to deal with the same feelings . The recognised reactions to fear or potential danger are actually Flight , Fight and FREEZE . If a horse ( or person ) doesn't feel that either of the first two actions is an option then they will have a tendency to 'freeze' , and in horses this can manifest itself as a range of behaviours from the extreme ( rearing,planting ) to the much less obvious ie' not as forward going as usual , feeling 'wooden' , dropping behind the leg/hand or appearing uncharacteristically dull and withdrawn in certain situations .Please note - I'm not taking about inherently lazy horses here but altered behaviour ! We had a Highland who I cursed frequently for being fab at home but " a lazy s*d " at shows . High energy feed didn't make a jot of difference and nor did reducing his working in time . In fact the 'Eurika' moment came on the day when I decided to 'work in ' by taking him directly off the lorry and walk/trot him to the ring in the hope that he'd be on his toes for the class ( in hand class I hasten to add ). As we arrived at the ring he literally ground to a halt and , as I turned to chivvy him along , I was shocked to see that his whole body had slumped and his eyes had literally rolled to the back of his skull . The poor lad was in a state of high anxiety and dealing with it ( or not ) the only way he felt open to him - to 'freeze' or 'shutdown' . Perverse though it may seem , I would first try him with a calmer ( yep - you read that right !) and plenty of time to absorb the show atmosphere and settle , before I altered what would appear to be a satisfactory feeding regime ( ie - he has plenty of energy at home ).This is what worked for us anyway ( our Highland had a very successful carreer both ridden and in hand ) and , if it doesn't work , you've only wasted a bit of time and the price of a calmer ! Excellent advice, my friend had a dressage horse who was just the same, so we did lots of research into this 'freezing' behaviour and discovered that it is called 'Tonic Immobility', this came from a book called 'Understanding Nervousness in Horse and Rider' which is a very good and enlightening read if dealing with this type of issue.
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Post by flee on Jul 13, 2017 8:11:25 GMT
I wonder if , for some horses , the go around is a bit like a person being a dancer in the chorus line or a voice in the choir - not only is there safety in numbers but the experience can be quite exhilarating . But then having to step away from the group and perform a solo - well that's a different matter altogether !!
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Post by chloesmum on Jul 13, 2017 8:46:39 GMT
What a lovely analogy Flee. However in the case of Jacob I think it is not safety in numbers more the ' I want to show off to you all' small man syndrome on the go round and 'I am not just over it all and far too lazy' in the individual show, he frequently falls asleep in line (unless of course a girlie is near by!)
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Jul 13, 2017 11:03:57 GMT
My first D stallion was inherently lazy anyway, could be kept going long enough to win lots of classes but went to sleep in the Chs, we never did qualify him for Olympia which required being Ch on the day then. Nothing worked on him, he was just like that. They are all individuals, sometimes there is a solution for one, sometimes not and you just have to live with it.
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Post by Energy boost on Aug 5, 2017 17:58:49 GMT
Huge thanks to you horse gossipers. He's now on topspec turbo and after two weeks the difference in him is just what we needed. He now has just the right amount of oomph for a go round AND a show. Thank you thank you thank you. Just wish we'd found it sooner!!!
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kaya
Junior Member
Posts: 121
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Post by kaya on Aug 5, 2017 19:57:29 GMT
It's brilliant stuff. The difference in my horse is amazing, he has energy, but is not silly with it.
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Post by hack on Aug 6, 2017 12:55:07 GMT
Huge thanks to you horse gossipers. He's now on topspec turbo and after two weeks the difference in him is just what we needed. He now has just the right amount of oomph for a go round AND a show. Thank you thank you thank you. Just wish we'd found it sooner!!! Out of interest, how much Turbo are you feeding? And daily or just before a show?
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