Calm Down!!
We all know that the way we feel can transmit itself to our animals, and if that animal is already a bundle of nerves it doesn’t help if we’re feeling distinctly breezy about the feet as well. We need to be confident and relaxed in order to bring out the best in a horse that’s about to compete, or to calm the nerves of a pony that’s freaking out over loading. Yep, confident and relaxed… no worries… Actually it’s quite hard to relax on demand!
Several things may help the human involved.
- Avoid caffeine – even a morning cup of coffee can jangle a sensitive nervous system for the rest of the day
- Eat regularly – it’s no good forgetting to eat because your body keeps going by producing adrenalin, which increases nervousness!
- Drink plenty of water – symptoms of dehydration are very similar to the initial symptoms of panic attacks, so avoid them by keeping still water handy at all times
Flower Essences are a great help in these situations, with ranges available for both humans and horses! Flower Essences work on balancing emotions rather than having a direct effect on physical symptoms. So by calming nervous anxiety they can reduce the physical symptoms of nerves that we unwittingly pass on to our horses (and other animals).
Flower Essences work quickly and are easy to use because they have no contraindications and no side effects. They are safe for anyone in need of stress relief and can be taken long or short term, depending on the nature of the problem being tackled.
Let’s take a common example: -
You are due to compete at a Show, but your horse hates loading. With this in mind, you are not looking forward to the day and get steadily tenser. After a struggle that leaves you with sore toes and a wrenched shoulder, you get to the Show and realise that you’ve forgotten the whole dressage test and can’t quieten your horse as he dances around…
The alternative scenario is that you take Relaxation Essence and maybe Confidence Essence prior to the Show, and you give your horse Emergency Essence for a few days leading up to the Show. You are quite likely to avoid any hassle loading, arrive with your nerves steady and have an enjoyable day.
I have a young mare backed late last year. I had problems in loading her for the few shows we have attended and her initial behaviour when reaching the show ground was very nervy.
We have taken part in one show since using Emergency Essence for my mare, and she loaded both ways with no problems and was calm when unloaded.
The horse show was tacked onto a larger show that included a fair ground, steam traction engines, music, motorcycles and lots of other new smells and sounds. We had no major problems. She was shown in hand and the ring was close to a quad bike circuit, but after the initial shock and a little dancing around she settled very quickly.
Alison Cullen is an education manager for the leading herbal remedies company A.Vogel. She has worked in the health industry since 1987. Alison lectures & trains on health issues, and is often to be found quoted in health magazines.
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