Buck Off Not Working? Check These 5 Things First

If you've started your horse on Buck Off and you're not seeing the difference you expected, don't write it off just yet.

There are a few things we always check first — and one of the most common is surprisingly simple.

1. Are you splitting Buck Off between two feeds?

This is the big one.

Your horse's total daily amount of Buck Off should be split between their morning and evening feeds rather than given all at once.

So if your horse is on 30ml per day:

15ml in the morning + 15ml in the evening = 30ml per day.

If they're on 40ml:

20ml in the morning + 20ml in the evening = 40ml per day.

Why?

It really does make a difference. Giving the full daily amount in one go means your horse gets everything at once, whereas splitting it gives a more consistent intake across the day and helps you get the best possible results from Buck Off.

If your horse only has one feed a day, that’s absolutely fine — give half their daily amount in their feed and syringe the other half directly into the mouth later in the day.

For example, if your horse has 30ml per day, give 15ml in their feed and syringe the remaining 15ml later.

While giving it all at once may be more convenient, for the best results we strongly recommend splitting the daily amount into two.

Don't just get the amount right. Split it.

2. Are you feeding the right amount for YOUR horse?

There isn't one perfect Buck Off amount for every horse.

That's why we have a Starting Feeding Rate and a Secondary Feeding Rate.

We recommend beginning at the Starting Feeding Rate for your horse's size and feeding it consistently for 7 days.

If you're seeing the result you want — brilliant. Stay there.

If you feel your horse needs more support, you can then move up to the Secondary Feeding Rate.

The goal isn't to feed as much as possible. It's to find the amount that works for your individual horse.

3. Have you given it enough time?

Don't judge the entire product from one feed.

Buck Off is designed to be incorporated into your horse's routine, and consistency matters.

Feed it every day, split the daily amount between AM and PM feeds, and follow the recommended feeding instructions before deciding whether you need to adjust the amount.

Most people start to see results after 7 days but for some, it can take up to 4 weeks. This is especially more common for mares.

4. Give the bottle a proper shake

It's easily forgotten, but Buck Off should be shaken well before each use.

Buck Off is a liquid blend of botanical extracts, so make shaking the bottle part of your normal feeding routine before measuring each amount.

Tiny habit. Worth doing.

5. Look at the horse, not just the supplement

Buck Off is there to support your horse — it isn't there to disguise a problem.

If your horse has suddenly become unusually reactive, anxious, spooky or difficult, think about what else may have changed.

Has their turnout changed? Their workload? Their feed? Their routine? Are they getting less forage? Has the weather changed? Are they travelling or competing more? Could discomfort or pain be contributing to the behaviour?

Good management and supplementation should work alongside each other.

And if there's a sudden or significant behavioural change that could be related to pain or illness, that's one for your vet rather than the feed room.

The Buck Off checklist

Before deciding Buck Off isn't working, check:

✓ You're feeding the correct daily amount for your horse's size.
✓ You're splitting that amount between morning and evening feeds.
✓ You're feeding it consistently every day.
✓ You've followed the Starting Feeding Rate for 7 days before deciding whether more support is needed.
✓ You're shaking the bottle before use.
✓ You've considered whether anything else in your horse's management, environment or health has changed.

Still not getting what you hoped for?

Talk to us.

Tell us your horse's size, how much Buck Off you're feeding, how you're splitting it, how long they've been on it and what behaviour you're hoping to improve.

We'll help you work through it.

Buck Off is a complementary feeding stuff for horses, ponies and donkeys and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition or disease.