Valerian for Horses: Benefits, Cautions and Competition Rules

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis) is a tall perennial with clusters of pale pink or white flowers, grown widely across Europe. The root is the part used in supplements, dried and milled, with a strong and unmistakable smell that many people find unpleasant and most horses either accept readily or refuse outright.

In horse care it is usually discussed in relation to settled behaviour, nervous tension and stressful events such as travelling, box rest, clipping, weaning or a change of yard. Because of its reputation and the competition concerns attached to it, valerian needs more careful handling than most of the herbs in our range.

The root contains valerenic acid and related compounds, which are the substances competition authorities focus on.

Valerian should not be described as a sedative, a tranquilliser, an anxiety treatment or a behavioural cure. Presenting any feed supplement that way in the UK moves it into medicine territory, and it also sets owners up for disappointment.

The honest wording is that valerian has traditional use in calm support routines, and that suitability depends heavily on the individual horse, the context and the competition rules that apply. A calm horse is usually the product of consistent handling, appropriate workload, adequate turnout, settled company, a forage-first diet and clear, fair schooling. A herb can sit alongside that. It cannot manufacture it.

Valerian is one of the most important herbs for competition owners to check, and the answer is not ambiguous.

Valerenic acid appears on the FEI Equine Prohibited Substances List, where substances affecting behaviour and the nervous system are treated seriously. Under FEI rules the Person Responsible is accountable for whatever is found in the horse’s sample, regardless of whether it came from a feed, a supplement or a well-meant yard recommendation.

In racing, the British Horseracing Authority prohibits substances acting on the nervous system on race day, and valerian is consistently named in industry guidance as a herbal product to avoid. Affiliated UK sports, including British Eventing, British Dressage and British Showjumping, follow the FEI approach for the competitions they govern, so the practical position for most competing owners is the same.

Withdrawal considerations: because there is no official published withdrawal time and detection depends on dose, duration and the individual horse, the only genuinely safe approach for a competing horse is not to feed valerian at all during the competition season. If it has been fed, do not guess at a clearance period. Speak to your vet, check the current rules with your governing body, and allow a generous margin. Contamination is also a real risk, so look for products carrying a BETA NOPS assurance and check the full ingredient list of any calming blend, since valerian sometimes appears within mixed products under names such as Valeriana officinalis.

Valerian is generally avoided in pregnant and lactating mares, and it should not be fed alongside prescribed medication without the prescribing vet knowing. Horses that are already dull, lethargic or unwell are not good candidates for a calming herb, because flatness is a sign to investigate rather than to support.

If you do use it under advice, introduce it gradually, feed one new product at a time and keep a note of what changed. Responses vary considerably between individuals, and some horses simply refuse it because of the smell. Follow the feeding rate for the specific product, as valerian concentrations differ between a milled root and a blended calmer.

A horse that is anxious, sharp or difficult is usually communicating something: discomfort, confusion, an ill-fitting saddle, dental pain, gastric discomfort, too much energy in the diet, too little turnout, inconsistent handling or genuine lack of confidence in what is being asked.

Before reaching for any calming herb, work through the practical causes. Have teeth and saddle checked, review the feed for unnecessary starch and sugar, increase turnout and forage where you can, look at whether the horse has settled company, and be honest about workload and schooling consistency. Where a vet suspects gastric discomfort, that needs proper diagnosis rather than a herb.

Herbs should never be used to silence behaviour without understanding the cause. Where an owner wants gentle botanical support alongside those changes, chamomile, lemon balm and vervain are more commonly chosen for horses in work, though competition suitability still needs checking for any product before it is fed.