Calming a Hot Horse
If your horse can’t have lots of turnout, longeing can be an alternate way to work off extra energy safely. Photo by Ryszard Filipowicz/Shutterstock
Has there been a change in your normally quiet horse? Is he more often hot than not lately? While every healthy, happy horse has frisky moments, a horse that’s always hyper probably needs some changes in his life. Get to the bottom of why your horse is acting this way with these tips on how to calm a hot horse.
Diet and Exercise
It’s cute and endearing when your horse nickers for his bucket of grain or pellets. But if you’re feeding your horse more calories than he actually needs, you could be causing him harm.
Certain types of grain may give your horse too much extra energy. Photo by Miranda Ayers/Shutterstock
Horses that are overfed can become dangerously overweight, and that can lead to health problems. They can also become extremely high-spirited. That’s because certain types of feed, especially grains (like oats and corn) and sweetened mixed feeds produce energy. When that energy isn’t used through exercise, it gets stored or bottled up in the horse’s body. Eventually the horse can’t control the urge to play and kick up his heels.
Some feed supplements claim that they can help calm a hyper horse. You, your trainer and veterinarian can decide if a specific supplement is worth trying on your horse. Read the ingredients carefully. Not all are legal in competition. Also keep in mind that no supplement will magically train your horse. That takes time, professional input and patience.
Even when your horse is getting the right feed, he needs the correct amount of exercise. A hyper horse usually benefits from several hours a day in a large paddock or pasture. As he moves around, he unwinds and works off excess energy.
Another option is to longe or