Can Buck Off Help a Horse That Gets Stressed Travelling?

Yes — if your horse becomes tense, anxious or over-reactive when travelling, Buck Off may be a really useful option.

Some horses walk onto a horsebox or trailer, travel quietly and arrive at the other end completely relaxed.

For others, travelling can be a much bigger event.

They may become anxious as soon as they realise they're going somewhere, struggle to load, call or become unsettled during the journey, arrive tense and sweaty, or take a long time to settle once they reach their destination.

If that sounds familiar, Buck Off may help.

Why do some horses find travelling so stressful?

Travelling asks a lot of a horse.

They're being confined in a moving vehicle, balancing throughout the journey and dealing with noises, movement and changes in their environment. They may also be leaving familiar horses behind and arriving somewhere they've never been before.

For a naturally sensitive or reactive horse, that's a lot to process.

And because horses are flight animals, when they feel threatened or uncertain their natural response is to prepare to get away.

The problem with an over-reactive horse is that they can enter that heightened state very quickly — and then struggle to come back out of it.

How could Buck Off help?

Buck Off is designed to support horses that are tense, stressed, sharp or over-reactive.

It isn't a sedative, so we're not trying to make your horse sleepy for the journey.

Instead, the aim is to help them deal with a stressful situation in a calmer, more proportionate way.

For a stressy traveller, that might mean they're less tense before travelling, cope better during the journey or arrive at their destination in a better mental state.

It can also be particularly useful for horses travelling to competitions, where you don't just need them to cope with the journey — you need them to arrive able to settle, concentrate and perform.

What if my horse won't load?

Buck Off may provide additional support if tension and anxiety are contributing to the problem, but it isn't a replacement for appropriate loading training.

If your horse has had a frightening experience travelling or simply hasn't learned to load confidently, they may need time and patient retraining.

Likewise, make sure the horsebox or trailer is safe, comfortable and appropriate for your horse.

Buck Off can support the anxious or over-reactive horse while you're working on those things, rather than replacing them.

Can I just give Buck Off before travelling?

No.

Buck Off isn't a sedative. It typically takes around 7 days to start working, so giving it for the first time on the morning you're travelling isn't likely to give you the result you're looking for.

If you know you have a journey coming up, start Buck Off at least a week beforehand.

If your horse travels regularly, competes frequently or is generally tense and reactive in other situations too, we'd be more inclined to keep them on Buck Off consistently.

What should I look for?

We're not necessarily looking for a horse that suddenly loves travelling.

We're looking for a horse that copes with it better.

Perhaps they load without becoming quite so tense. Maybe they travel more settled, arrive less wound up or recover more quickly once they reach their destination.

That's what we're trying to achieve with Buck Off.

We don't want to sedate the horse for the journey. We want to help them deal with the journey in a calmer way.