Excitable, hot, or “fizzy” horses can be challenging and sometimes dangerous to ride or handle. While calming supplements are commonly marketed as a solution, the real key to managing nervous behaviour in horses often lies in diet, exercise, and stable management.
What Makes a Horse Hot or Fizzy?
Many horses display signs of nervousness, reactivity, or overstimulation due to a mix of dietary, environmental, and training factors.
Here are the most common causes:
1. High-NSC Diets (Sugar and Starch)
Feeds high in non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) including cereal grains, molasses, and lush pastures are well known to cause fizzy or excitable behaviour in many horses.
NSC = sugar + starch. These carbs break down into glucose, spike insulin, and provide fast-release energy that can fuel erratic behaviour.
2. Overfeeding and Underworking
When horses are fed energy-rich diets but are not exercised accordingly, excess energy builds up. This is a major contributor to hot behaviour especially in stabled or paddocked horses with restricted movement.
3. Inadequate Exercise and Confinement
Horses are naturally active and social. Extended periods in small yards or stables can lead to frustration, boredom, and the development of unwanted behaviours like reactivity, pacing, or aggression.
4. Stressful Environments and Poor Training
Horses exposed to unpredictable routines, poor handling, or fear-based training may become anxious and overreactive. Stress hormones like cortisol amplify this behaviour.
Are Calmative Supplements Effective?
There are many supplements that claim to calm excitable horses. Most contain tryptophan, an amino acid believed to promote relaxation.
However:
Relying solely on calmatives without addressing the root causes is often ineffective and sometimes counterproductive.
How to Feed Excitable Horses: Diet and Management Tips
- Feed to Match the Horse’s Workload
Never feed more energy than your horse can burn through regular exercise. This is the foundation of a balanced temperament.
- Choose Low-NSC, High-Fat Feeds
Avoid grain-based and molasses-rich feeds. Instead, select low NSC (<12%), high-energy feeds derived from oil and fibre. A great example is CoolStance®, which delivers energy from coconut oil and digestible fibre, without the sugar spike.
- Avoid PUFA-Rich Vegetable Oils
Polyunsaturated oils (e.g., soybean, corn, sunflower) are high in omega-6 fatty acids, which can promote inflammation and contribute to metabolic stress. Prefer saturated oils like coconut oil, which are more stable and metabolically neutral.
- Remove Grain from the Diet
Cutting out all cereal grains is often the most effective step in reducing hot behaviour. Replace with fibre and oil-based energy sources.
- Feed Medium-Quality Grass Hay
Avoid hay with visible seed heads, it’s often higher in NSC. Choose hay that’s leafy, mature, and free from mould or dust. Provide free access to clean water and supplement with minerals as required.
- Include supplements such as Placid Rein®, Placid Rein Plus®, or Equlibrium® B1 Coolmix
Management Tips for Reducing Fizzy Behaviour
- Increase turnout time – Horses benefit from movement, social interaction, and grazing.
- Use low-stress, consistent training methods – Build trust and predictability.
- Desensitise gradually – Allow your horse to calmly adapt to new situations.
- Monitor behaviour patterns – Record feed changes and exercise routines to identify triggers.
Calmness starts from the inside out. A calm diet, steady routine, and thoughtful training go further than any supplement.
Stance Supplements
Summary: Calm Behaviour Begins with the Right Feed
If you’re dealing with a hot or fizzy horse, don’t reach for a supplement as your first step. Instead:
- Remove grain and high-sugar feeds
- Choose low-NSC, high-oil, high-fibre feeds
- Feed to the horse’s exercise level
- Prioritise good turnout, gentle handling, and predictable routines
CoolStance and similar low-NSC feeds provide cool, calm energy that supports mental focus and metabolic balance, without compromising performance.
