Can Buck Off Help My Ex-Racehorse?

Yes — BUCK OFF can be a really useful option for an ex-racehorse that is tense, sharp, spooky or over-reactive.

But being an ex-racehorse doesn't automatically mean your horse needs a calmer.

The important thing is looking at the individual horse and understanding what they're struggling with.

Why can ex-racehorses be reactive?

Moving from racing into a new career can be a huge change.

A racehorse has been accustomed to a very particular routine, environment, feeding programme and style of exercise. Their new life may ask them to cope with completely different things — more turnout, different feeding, hacking, schooling, standing at mounting blocks, working alone and being ridden in a completely different way.

They're not necessarily being “naughty”. They may simply be learning how to deal with an entirely new set of expectations.

Some adapt incredibly quickly.

Others can become tense, sharp or easily overwhelmed while they're making that transition.

Where can BUCK OFF help?

BUCK OFF can be particularly useful if your ex-racehorse:

• Becomes tense very easily
• Is constantly looking at their surroundings
• Spooks or over-reacts to unexpected things
• Goes from 0–100 very quickly
• Struggles to come back down after something has frightened them
• Finds new environments overwhelming
• Becomes much more reactive when ridden
• Struggles to concentrate because they're on high alert

Horses are flight animals, so reacting to something frightening is completely normal.

We're not trying to remove that instinct.

The problem is when a horse's response is much bigger than it needs to be, or they remain in that heightened state long after the original trigger has disappeared.

That's where BUCK OFF is designed to provide support.

Will BUCK OFF make my ex-racehorse quiet?

That's not the aim.

Ex-racehorses can be incredibly athletic, intelligent and responsive horses, and we don't want to take those qualities away.

BUCK OFF isn't a sedative.

Instead, the aim is to help an over-reactive horse deal with situations in a calmer, more proportionate way.

We don't want your horse to stop noticing things.

We want them to be better able to cope with what they notice.

BUCK OFF isn't a replacement for retraining

This is particularly important with ex-racehorses.

A supplement can't teach a horse their new job.

Time, appropriate retraining, turnout, suitable feeding, a consistent routine and giving the horse confidence in what you're asking are all important parts of the transition.

It's also worth investigating pain or discomfort if you're experiencing significant behaviour, particularly if it appears suddenly.

BUCK OFF can sit alongside that process by supporting the horse that is finding the mental side of the transition difficult.

Does BUCK OFF need to be fed every day?

Yes.

BUCK OFF isn't an instant calmer that you give immediately before you ride. I

t typically takes around 7 days to start working and should be fed consistently.

That can actually make it particularly suitable during the retraining period, because you're providing ongoing support while your horse learns to cope with their new environment and new job.

Give them time to become a riding horse

An ex-racehorse isn't a finished riding horse who happens to have previously raced.

They're transitioning from one career into another, and some horses find that change mentally easier than others.

If your ex-racehorse is naturally relaxed and coping beautifully, there's no reason to give them a calmer simply because they're an ex-racehorse.

But if they're tense, sharp, spooky or struggling to come out of that heightened state, BUCK OFF may be a really useful addition to good management and thoughtful retraining.