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Thanks for posting, Deanna.  I'm sure glad none of poor horse's problems 
got either of the two of you hurt!
Laney

Deanna German wrote:
> Hi all -
>
> A little while back, I asked for some input on the feed-through fly
> eliminating supplement called Equitrol. (Active ingredient is Rabon.) I am
> here to report my personal experience.
>
> Starting in late-May I was having some behavioral problems with my horse to
> the point that I was dreading riding. My mare has always been an *exciting*
> horse to ride, being highly reactive and with a big motor, but the Equitrol
> put her over the edge. Before Equitrol, I could deal with her "lane shift"
> spooks and "tap on the brakes" spooks at any gait. When she was overly
> excited, like before the start of a ride or when a horse was leaving her, I
> could always get her calmed down with some focused riding. (Those dressage
> lessons helped!)
>
> A month after being put on Equitrol, she was nearly uncontrollable at a
> local fun show where stepped on my foot and broke a toe. (This from a horse
> with normally excellent ground manners -- she ground ties and I can normally
> crawl around under her anytime.) When mounted, she threatened to buck and
> rear. I just couldn't get her calmed down.
>
> A month and a half after being put on Equitrol, she was spooking violently
> and unpredictably at leaf flutters and small critter sounds (things she'd
> never spooked at before). I couldn't trot and certainly couldn't canter.
> She'd spook violently at a walk. She developed cutting horse moves. She'd
> stop dead and back up 10 paces. She do the stop, drop (splay footed spook
> that left my butt up out of the saddle), spin and run spook. I was coming
> off with great regularity or doing some pretty athletic things to stay in
> the saddle.
>
> 2 months after being put on Equitrol, I did a 25 mile ride -- she's normally
> all business at rides, very forward, very enjoyable to ride. This one was
> just a progression of the troubles I'd been having in conditioning rides.
> She was overly excited, spooky, revving very high and I just couldn't get
> her calmed and moving forward. She beat the snot outta me for 25 miles. This
> was a 9YO horse with a combined 700+ miles, endurance, LD and CTR most of
> them uneventful.
>
> It occured to me that one big change was the addition of Equitrol to her
> feed this year. I did some internet research. Heightened startle response.
> Panic attacks. Extreme lethargy. (At times, my horse would seem very sleepy,
> then suddenly "wake up" and spook violently.)
>
> I immediately took her off the Equitrol. Two weeks later, we were back to
> lane shift spooks. Four weeks later, I was trotting and cantering
> confidently again. It's getting better by the week.
>
> Farnam says that Equitrol (Rabon) is safe when fed as directed. They have
> some pretty specific directions regarding feeding by weight which I know
> were not adhered to at my boarding barn. (I seriously doubt that anyone but
> the most anal measurer could adhere to their dosing guidlines.) I know my
> mare was getting too much. (She's one of the smallest horses in the barn at
> 900 lbs.) Rabon is an ingredient in many fly-blocks too.
>
> The take home message is that flies are annoying, but for some horses at
> least, Equitrol (Rabon) is far worse.
>
> I hope that this post saves someone from the experience that I had.
>
> Regards,
>
> Deanna
>
>
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