Can I Use Buck Off Just for Competitions?

Yes — but BUCK OFF needs to be started before the competition rather than simply given on competition day.

BUCK OFF isn't a sedative. It works through consistent feeding and typically takes around 7 days to start working.

So, if your horse is generally relaxed at home but becomes sharper, tense or over-reactive at competitions, you can use BUCK OFF specifically to support them during the competition period — we'd just recommend starting it at least a week beforehand.

Why is my horse more reactive at competitions?

Even very sensible horses can feel completely different away from home.

Travelling, unfamiliar surroundings, busy warm-up arenas, other horses, tannoys, crowds and simply a change in routine can all increase excitement and tension.

Some horses cope with this easily. Others become much more reactive — they may spook, lose concentration, become difficult to ride or feel as though they're constantly anticipating what's going to happen next.

If this sounds like your horse, BUCK OFF may help.

Will BUCK OFF make my horse sleepy?

No. That's not what BUCK OFF is designed to do.

The aim isn't to remove your horse's energy or performance. It's to support a calmer response in horses that tend to become overly reactive, helping them stay more able to concentrate and process what's happening around them.

For a competition horse, that's an important distinction: we still want the energy — we just want the horse to be able to use it.

When should I start BUCK OFF before a competition?

We recommend allowing at least 7 days for BUCK OFF to start working.

Don't wait until the morning of your competition and expect an immediate calming effect.

If you compete regularly, it may be easier and more appropriate to keep your horse on BUCK OFF consistently rather than repeatedly stopping and restarting it.

If you only compete occasionally and your horse is genuinely settled at all other times, you can introduce BUCK OFF ahead of the competition period and continue feeding it throughout.

What if my horse is sharp at home too?

If competition environments simply make an already sharp or reactive horse even sharper, we'd be more inclined to recommend feeding BUCK OFF consistently.

Think about where else you see the behaviour.

Are they spooky hacking? Easily distracted schooling? Tense in new places? Reactive to noises or movement? Difficult for the farrier or vet?

If so, the competition may simply be the place where their underlying reactivity becomes most obvious.

In that situation, BUCK OFF may be more useful as part of their everyday routine rather than something you only introduce for competitions.

The goal isn't to make your competition horse quieter. It's to help them stay calmer, more focused and better able to use the energy they already have.