Hi there, I am hoping that someone out there will have some suggestions for me, I am desperate!!

I have a 9 year old, DWB xTrak/thbd mare. She is beautifully put together, and outstanding mover and has a lovely jump. However; (insert BUT here) I have owned her for 4 years and I cannot keep her at a consistent training level. She will school beautifully one day, quiet as ever, jump anything in front of her, hack on loose rein, etc. A week later you could come out, and it is like you have a different horse on your hands. Every jump in the ring scares her, she stops, she bolts off at sudden noises, she is just a totally different animal.

She is an extremely easy keeper. I have had her at the same facility for 4 years an has a tendency to get too fat just on the round bale and one hand-ful of Beet-bulp. She isn't difficult to handle on the ground in most situations. She does have a tendency to get very tight muscles, but doesn't or hasn't tied up ever.

For the past three year spring/summers I have put her on Progesterone injections 10CC's every five days. Which seem to help level her somewhat, but it seems the period about 14-10 days prior and up to her heat is when she is at the worst and in *scared tense* mode. Or at least from charting her cycle, that seems to be the pattern. When she is actually in heat and just after her heats, she seems to be the best.

I am looking for suggestions for supplements, would a b-complex help any? anything else anyone could recommend? I have tried her on 'Herbs for Horses' Fiesty Mare product, with no change.

I have had her ultrasounded, there are no ovarian cysts, I haven't had her thyroid checked, which is a possibility?

I am desperate to have her compete at the level she is capable as no doubt she is an extremely athletic animal, but with her training patterns it is hard to predict what horse you are going to get and when. :(

thank you for reading and hopefully someone will have some suggestions.

Where are you from? Orangeville, Ontario Canada

How did you locate this forum? search on the internet

i just wanted to add, that the mare is getting worked regularly, 4-6 days a week, by professionals, usually hacked out at least one of those days

Where are you from? Orangeville, Ontario Canada

How did you locate this forum? search on the internet

Hi Jennifer,

Thank you for writing about your mare -- she sounds lovely.

There may be a very easy fix for her nutritionally since she is likely not getting enough magnesium, to both calm her nervous system and muscle response, as well as to reduce her tendency toward storing body fat.

Are you allowing her to have access toward hay 24/7? Owners of "easy keepers" tend to reduce the amount of hay given for fear that their horse will gain too much weight. And, this can actually cause more fat storage because of the stress involved. Horses need to have the ability to graze at all times -- that is the way they are built. Since their stomach secrete acid continuously, they need to chew in order to produce saliva and hence, neutralize stomach acid. If they cannot do this, they are in physial discomfort (ever have heartburn?) and their level of cortisol (stress hormone) is increased. The result? More insulin resistance, and hence, more fat storage. And, the more fat storage, the more insulin resistance. So, it is a vicious cycle.

So bottom line -- grazing continually where she will reach her ability to self-regulate her intake. And, add a good vitamin/mineral supplement that also contains the B vitamins. I recommend Glanzen Complete, which is a fabulous product for many issues. Added to that, enough magnesium to address her health issues desribed earlier -- take a look at Quiessence.

I have several clients in Canada who obtain these products from me, but if you can find something similar locally, that would save you the shipping costs from the U.S. But, please consider adding these nutrients to her diet.

All the best,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO

Dr, Getty,

I want to thank you so much for taking the time to respond. Really!!!I just went to the Quiessense weblink, and the description sounds just like my mare. She does tend to get cresty (some people think she looks like a stallion when she gets a little too fat) She also has terrible memory retention. I had one trainer say that was her most difficult obstacle with her, that she could never pick up where she left off with her from one day to the next.

The barn where she is kept usually always has hay in front of her in a round bale, but they just moved her last week because she was starting to get too fat again, even though she is getting worked 4-6 days a week. She will soon be out on grass pasture, but I will have her moved back to the round bale based on your suggestions.

My only question is, is it possible to give too much of one vitamin? Some of the same vitamins can be found in both of these products you mentioned, I have also been looking at a Gluco.HCL + vit supplement (CT Equine Support, www.sciencepure.com) which has all the B's and Mag too, but in not so concentrated doses. If I combined products, can I O.D. her on any one or more vitamins..?

thanks you so much again. I am not sure any of my local shops are selling Quiessense, but it can be shipped to Canada you say?

Hi Jennifer,

I am absolutely delighted to help and I'm so pleased that you're making adjustments that will improve her overall performance and most important, her mental disposition.

Memory can be helped with B vitamins since they are involved in nerve function. So, to answer your question, the components of Quiessence are fine with most vitamin/mineral supplements. True, Quiessence has some of the B vitamins, but not enough to be of any concern with adding Glanzen Complete, which has a hefty dose of the B vitamins (which is what you're wanting to give her).

And, if a vitamin/mineral supplement that you're considering has magnesium, it is likely very little, since most supplements are generalized and only offer a small amount of this mineral. What you want to give her is 5,000 mg of magnesium per 250 lbs of body weight.

I can certainly ship most items that are on my website, to Canada, and do so on a regular basis for several Canadian clients.

If your vitamin/mineral supplement is comparable in B vitamin content to Glanzen Complete, that is wonderful! So, let me know if I can assist you. As far as specifics are concerned involving shipping, please contact me directly at DrGetty@GettyEquineNutrition.biz.

Best regards,

Dr. Getty

Where are you from? Bayfield, CO