How Is Buck Off Different From Other Horse Calmers?

BUCK OFF is quite different from a traditional horse calmer — and that's because it didn't actually start life as one.

The idea behind BUCK OFF came from one of our human formulations, originally developed for another company to support people experiencing anxiety and depression.

We then took that approach and adapted it specifically for horses.

That starting point shaped what we wanted BUCK OFF to do.

We weren't looking for something that would sedate a horse, make them sleepy or simply suppress their energy.

We wanted to help an over-reactive horse deal with the world around them in a calmer way.

Horses are designed to react

Horses are flight animals.

If something frightens them, their natural instinct is to get away from it. That's an important survival mechanism and certainly isn't something we want to remove.

The problem comes when that response is bigger, faster or lasts longer than the situation warrants.

Some horses can notice something potentially frightening, assess it and move on.

Others can become stuck in that heightened state. One spook leads to another. They remain tense and vigilant, continue looking for the next threat and find it increasingly difficult to concentrate on their rider.

That's the type of horse we had in mind when developing BUCK OFF.

We don't want them to stop noticing things.

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

Why isn't BUCK OFF a traditional magnesium calmer?

A large number of traditional horse calmers are based predominantly around magnesium.

Magnesium is an essential mineral and a horse that is deficient in it needs that deficiency addressed. But we don't formulate BUCK OFF around the assumption that a spooky or reactive horse must need additional magnesium.

If the horse is already receiving sufficient magnesium from their diet, simply supplying more isn't necessarily addressing what's causing their over-reactivity.

BUCK OFF therefore takes a very different approach.

Rather than trying to correct a presumed magnesium deficiency, its formulation is designed to nutritionally support a calmer, more balanced response to stressful or stimulating situations.

BUCK OFF isn't designed to sedate your horse

This is probably the most important difference to understand.

We don't want a horse on BUCK OFF to feel sleepy, flat or less athletic.

We still want the competition horse to have energy. We still want the sharp horse to have personality. We still want them responsive to the rider.

What we're trying to change is how they deal with situations that they find difficult.

Imagine two horses both hear a sudden noise.

Both horses notice it.

But rather than immediately escalating into a huge flight response and remaining tense afterwards, we're looking for the BUCK OFF horse to be better able to process what happened, recover and get on with what they were doing.

That's a very different goal from simply making a horse quieter.

What kind of horse is BUCK OFF designed for?

BUCK OFF can be particularly useful for horses that:

✓ Are naturally sharp, spooky or sensitive
✓ Become mentally tense very easily
✓ Go from 0–100 extremely quickly
✓ Over-react to relatively small things
✓ Struggle to recover after they've been frightened
✓ Remain on high alert once something has worried them
✓ Find new or busy environments overwhelming
✓ Become much more reactive when ridden
✓ Struggle to concentrate because they're constantly monitoring their surroundings

These horses don't necessarily need less energy.

They need help managing their response to what's happening around them.

What if I've already tried another calmer?

If you've previously tried a traditional magnesium-based calmer and didn't see the result you wanted, that doesn't necessarily tell you how your horse will respond to BUCK OFF.

They're not simply different brands of the same thing.

BUCK OFF was developed from a very different starting point and with a different objective.

It also isn't an instant calmer. BUCK OFF typically takes around 7 days to start working and should be fed consistently rather than given immediately before a stressful event.

What should I look for when BUCK OFF starts working?

Don't necessarily look for a quieter horse.

Look for a horse that's coping better.

Perhaps they still notice the tractor coming past the arena, but the reaction isn't as dramatic.

Perhaps they spook but come back to you much more quickly.

Perhaps they can enter a busy competition environment without becoming increasingly overwhelmed.

Or perhaps they simply feel less tense and more able to concentrate.

Those are the changes we're interested in.

BUCK OFF isn't about removing the flight instinct

Your horse is still a horse.

They're still going to notice things, and they're still capable of being frightened.

We're not trying to remove an instinct that's fundamental to who they are.

We're trying to support the horse that spends too much time in that heightened, reactive state, helping them deal with situations in a calmer and more proportionate way.

That's what makes BUCK OFF different from a traditional horse calmer.