In the fast-paced world of reining, intense maneuvers and precise patterns test the mettle of both horse and rider. Optimal performance requires physical fitness and mental preparation on the part of both.  To excel in this demanding sport, reining horses and those in other athletic disciplines, require top-notch conditioning, training, and care.

To this end, nutritional supplementation plays an important role in supporting horses’ physical and mental well-being, while enhancing their overall performance. In recent years, two supplements, in particular, have gained popularity among performance horse owners and trainers: calming paste and electrolyte paste.

Calming Paste

Calming paste, as the name suggests, helps calm horses and reduce anxiety, improving their mental stability and overall performance. This supplement is ideal for horses that exhibit signs of nervousness or anxiousness, such as pacing, sweating excessively, or biting at their sides or surroundings. Calming paste is particularly useful for horses in high-pressure situations such as shows or competitions where nerves can negatively impact their performance.

According to NRHA Corporate Partner Tenda Horse Products, which produces B-Calm, the key benefits of calming paste include:

• Reducing anxiety and nervousness: Calming paste containing magnesium and L-tryptophan has a soothing effect on horses’ nervous systems. These ingredients help regulate neurotransmitters, promoting a sense of calm and relaxation.
• Facilitating training and learning: By reducing anxiety and promoting relaxation, calming paste enhances the horse’s receptiveness to training. A calmer state enables them to process new information more effectively, resulting in quicker and more efficient learning.
• Enhancing focus and concentration: A relaxed horse is more likely to maintain focus during training or competition. Calming paste helps reduce distraction and allows the horse to concentrate on the task at hand, resulting in improved performance.
• Alleviating stress-related behavior: Horses under stress may exhibit behavior like pawing, weaving, or spooking. Calming paste helps minimize these behaviors, creating a more peaceful environment for training and competition.

Key nutrients in B-Calm include L-tryptophan, magnesium, melatonin, and thiamine. Each function complementarily to promote calming and relaxation in horses. L-tryptophan is a naturally occurring amino acid found in many protein sources. It is essential for the production of serotonin, a hormone that regulates mood, appetite, and sleep. Serotonin is often depleted in horses experiencing stress or anxiety, resulting in unnatural behavior. L-tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin and can help restore its levels in stressed horses, promoting calm behavior.

Magnesium plays a critical role in regulating neurotransmitters in the brain that impact stress response, and blocks the release of cortisol, a hormone excreted with elevated stress. Magnesium also helps prevent excess calcium, which can lead to muscle contraction and excitability.

Melatonin, a hormone more commonly associated with inducing sleep in humans, supports the production and maintenance of serotonin in horses, which has a positive effect on them in stressful situations.

Thiamine is a B-vitamin that promotes energy production and nerve function in horses. It can help reduce anxiety by supporting proper brain function and preventing lactic acid buildup in muscles. Arginine, an amino acid, aids relaxation by promoting blood flow, and helps regulate blood pressure, contributing to a sense of calm.

Electrolyte Paste

In addition to calming paste, electrolyte paste is an essential supplement for athletic performance horses. When horses engage in intense physical activity, their bodies lose a tremendous amount of fluid and essential minerals in sweat and urine. This can cause dehydration and electrolyte deficiencies, which can negatively impact a horse’s performance and well-being.

Electrolyte paste helps replenish these fluids and minerals quickly, ensuring optimal performance during intense physical activity. This supplement is especially useful when given to horses before, during, and after a workout or competition.

Key benefits of electrolyte paste include:

• Supporting hydration: Adequate hydration is essential for optimal performance and overall well-being. Electrolyte paste encourages water consumption by triggering the horse’s thirst response. When horses drink more, it helps prevent dehydration and promotes efficient cooling of the body during exercise.
• Preventing muscle cramps and fatigue: Electrolyte imbalances can lead to muscle cramps and fatigue in horses. Replenishing electrolytes helps prevent these issues, allowing muscles to function optimally and reducing the risk of performance-limiting cramps.
• Enhancing Endurance and Recovery: Electrolyte paste contributes to improved endurance by ensuring that the horse’s electrolyte levels remain within the optimal range during prolonged physical exertion. Additionally, after a demanding workout or competition, electrolyte paste supports the recovery process by aiding in the restoration of electrolyte balance and hydration.

Tenda Horse Products Electrolyte Paste contains a blend of nutrients that work together to achieve these benefits. Sodium and chloride are two key electrolytes lost in horses’ sweat and urine, so replenishing them is essential. Sodium is critical for nerve and muscle function, and for maintaining proper fluid balance in the body. Chloride plays a vital role in maintaining a horse’s acid-base balance, regulating fluid movement in and out of cells, and transmitting nerve impulses.

Potassium is another crucial electrolyte that helps regulate muscle function. A deficiency can lead to muscle weakness, fatigue, and exercise intolerance when deficient. Calcium also plays an essential role in maintaining muscle health. Calcium impacts nerve impulse transmission, muscle contraction, and muscle relaxation. Supplemental calcium amino acid chelate, another ingredient in Tenda Electrolyte Paste impacts muscle relaxation and improves endurance and recovery.

Magnesium is also a critical electrolyte that must be replenished. Horses require it for optimal muscle function and nerve transmission. Magnesium impacts energy metabolism, enzyme activity, and muscle tissue recovery following exercise. It also supports athletic performance by promoting  enhanced oxygen delivery to muscles.

Supplementation is an essential component of care for athletic performance horses. Calming paste and electrolyte paste can provide significant benefits to horses and improve their overall performance.

This article was written for and appears in the September edition of NRHA Reiner magazine