Anyone avoid working their mares when they are in season?

Wagtail

Wagtail

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It's become apparent I have a very hormonal little mare. Everything was going well until she came into season for the first time this year and then all hell broke loose. I had been teaching her to lunge in preparation for long reining. I don't want to do more than a couple of minutes on each rein due to her age, but need to introduce her to the commands, to moving away from me and to some of the equipment before adding a second rein. All was going well, far better in fact than I would normally expect to start with, and she seemed to have got the hang of lungeing a couple of circles in walk and in trot. Then bang! Around 7 days ago she turned wild; rearing, boxing, trying to tank off towards the gelding in the sand turnout, and generally exhausting me and hurting my already poorly arms and shoulders. I realised she was in season as she was 'winking' every time she came near the gelding, but I persevered. This continued into this week, with yesterday resulting in me feeling utterly useless and considering sending her away, even though I have broken in four horses in the past, I was beginning to feel she might be too much for me. Thankfully, I decided to try again today, and she was good as gold. I only did a couple of circuits each way and praised her, then finished. So I can only think her behaviour was linked to her being in season.

I have been lucky with mares so far, although I've mainly owned geldings, I've loaned two mares and my horse of a lifetime was a mare. None of them acted any differently when in season. Also, the livery mares I have worked have all been fine, though one is incredibly flirty. But it seems I may have a very mareish mare with this one. I am hoping it is just because it's her first season of the year, but if she's going to be like this every time, I would seriously consider not working her in season, at least until she's broken in, as I don't want to risk her learning any bad lessons. Any one else avoid working their mares during their seasons? Is it a silly thing to even consider? I know that eventually she will need to learn to just get on with it, but I'm thinking that during this crucial early training, it might be best to avoid it.
 
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Am owned by a mare, she is a real Mary Poppins (practically perfect in everyway!!! lol)

I read somewhere once the first and last season's are always "stronger" - not sure that's the right word, but I think mare's feel them more ? Mines just had her first season of the year, she gets flirty, moody and more sensitive (don't we all?!!)

We had some success with NAF OeStress last few years and have just put her back on it this week, but its like anything, works for some and not others.

And no, not that we really do anything other than hacking/schooling, I just keep riding.
 
Donnie Darco said:
Am owned by a mare, she is a real Mary Poppins (practically perfect in everyway!!! lol)

I read somewhere once the first and last season's are always "stronger" - not sure that's the right word, but I think mare's feel them more ? Mines just had her first season of the year, she gets flirty, moody and more sensitive (don't we all?!!)

We had some success with NAF OeStress last few years and have just put her back on it this week, but its like anything, works for some and not others.

And no, not that we really do anything other than hacking/schooling, I just keep riding.
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Thanks. I might see how she is the next time and if she's just as bad, I'll look into getting her some NAF OeStress. I wouldn't even consider not working a mare once she's broken in, but I was thinking it might be best whilst I'm breaking her.
 
My mare was HORRIBLE last October time. We introduced a gelding (normally lives with another mare) and she didn't want to get caught, was mareish when she was ridden. Then the winter properly kicked in and she's been lovely, completely different horse. I phoned up the vet not so long ago about putting her on regumate and he said that a lot of mares, especially thoroughbreds, have a long/very hormonal first and last season where their hormones are adjusting. To overcome this, he recommended possibly putting her on regumate for 10 days when her cycle begins in spring and then again for 10 days in the late autumn so this whirlwind of hormones doesn't happen. So I'm going to play it by ear and see how she is before committing to that. Fingers crossed she's not as bad as she was, as she was a completely different horse.

Hopefully I got all my facts right there. Memory of a goldfish.
 
The first season of the year is always the worst.

Try her on NAF Oestress or Agnus Castus. They helped my girl through her dodgy seasons last year. She hasn't had her first yet but the chestnut one has so waiting to see if at 21 her cycles have finally slowed down!!

Last summer her seasons started getting longer, her more tense and more aggressive. Vet came for routine work and came with a ten day trial of regumate. Didn't end up needing it, think the threat of medicating her scared her out of them :D
 
Yes, I do, but sometimes I think I am doing it to prove something because it is fun for no one; not me, not the horse. My sweet, laidback, easy to ride and hack out mare becomes a raging, spooky, herd sour maniac. Luckily, it is only the first season or two in the spring, and the last in the fall.

However, as per recommendations of a friend, I have put her on Tiger Lily, a homeopathic thing, and while I am somewhat dubious of homeopathy, I have found it has made a huge difference. She gets a dose just as she is coming into season and for a couple days after. It seems to stop the season and she doesn't get that horrible personality transplant. Amazing. It sounds crazy but it works. And it is less of a hassle and way less money than Regumate.
 
She's young Wagtail...her first few years of coming into seasons will be akin to hormone filled teenagers...it's all a bit new and weird but after a while, it settles down. I'm sure she's just overwhelmed with the hormones and that as soon as she's been through it a few more times and got used to it, her behaviour will level out as well.

If it's your little mare, YAY!!! Must be lovely to be bringing her into education, she's a real little stunner xxx
 
_GG_ said:
She's young Wagtail...her first few years of coming into seasons will be akin to hormone filled teenagers...it's all a bit new and weird but after a while, it settles down. I'm sure she's just overwhelmed with the hormones and that as soon as she's been through it a few more times and got used to it, her behaviour will level out as well.
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LOL.... My 21-year old missed the whole bit about it leveling out.
 
kandm said:
My mare was HORRIBLE last October time. We introduced a gelding (normally lives with another mare) and she didn't want to get caught, was mareish when she was ridden. Then the winter properly kicked in and she's been lovely, completely different horse. I phoned up the vet not so long ago about putting her on regumate and he said that a lot of mares, especially thoroughbreds, have a long/very hormonal first and last season where their hormones are adjusting. To overcome this, he recommended possibly putting her on regumate for 10 days when her cycle begins in spring and then again for 10 days in the late autumn so this whirlwind of hormones doesn't happen. So I'm going to play it by ear and see how she is before committing to that. Fingers crossed she's not as bad as she was, as she was a completely different horse.

Hopefully I got all my facts right there. Memory of a goldfish.
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That's interesting. My girl is TB x WB.

JustKickOn said:
The first season of the year is always the worst.

Try her on NAF Oestress or Agnus Castus. They helped my girl through her dodgy seasons last year. She hasn't had her first yet but the chestnut one has so waiting to see if at 21 her cycles have finally slowed down!!

Last summer her seasons started getting longer, her more tense and more aggressive. Vet came for routine work and came with a ten day trial of regumate. Didn't end up needing it, think the threat of medicating her scared her out of them :D
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Thanks. I think I might get some NAF Oestrus in for next time.

Caol Ila said:
Yes, I do, but sometimes I think I am doing it to prove something because it is fun for no one; not me, not the horse. My sweet, laidback, easy to ride and hack out mare becomes a raging, spooky, herd sour maniac. Luckily, it is only the first season or two in the spring, and the last in the fall.

However, as per recommendations of a friend, I have put her on Tiger Lily, a homeopathic thing, and while I am somewhat dubious of homeopathy, I have found it has made a huge difference. She gets a dose just as she is coming into season and for a couple days after. It seems to stop the season and she doesn't get that horrible personality transplant. Amazing. It sounds crazy but it works. And it is less of a hassle and way less money than Regumate.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I am going to look into this. I hadn't heard of Tiger Lily.

_GG_ said:
She's young Wagtail...her first few years of coming into seasons will be akin to hormone filled teenagers...it's all a bit new and weird but after a while, it settles down. I'm sure she's just overwhelmed with the hormones and that as soon as she's been through it a few more times and got used to it, her behaviour will level out as well.

If it's your little mare, YAY!!! Must be lovely to be bringing her into education, she's a real little stunner xxx
Click to expand...

Thanks. Yes, that's the one. She has been the model of good behaviour in everything I do with her until last week. Then boy, was I taken by surprise. Some of the leaps she did through the air were getting on six foot high. No exaggeration. I am not planning on backing her until the summer, but I wanted to start with the ground work. To be fair though, she may be going a bit stir crazy as due to the wet weather, she's not been out in the field for a couple of weeks, just overnight in the sand turnout. So she probably needs to get out again soon. She always tears around the field like a loon when she first goes out.
 
I had to get it from Germany (my friend who recommended it is German). A homeopathic pharmacy I phoned here hadn't heard of it, either. Lilium Tigrinum is the Latin name, which may help you find it more easily (albeit on German or Dutch websites) and at least won't make the top four pages of a Google search show nothing but stuff relating to anime shows.
 
Yup. We have a mare and it's currently 'Funny February' which has happened every year since we have had her. Very trying, but I just ride her through it.
 
It regards to exercise, she is better when worked, however not ridden. When she is in season I don't ride but will lunge with loose side reins for 15 mins, walk in hand or loose school. Gives her mind something to focus on. If I ride she won't bend and is very tight through her back for a few days. Makes planning the competition calendar tricky!
 
I used to avoid working mares hard in season they are more prone to muscle stress at this time there fore we avoided heavy work sessions for a few days .
 
I don't avoid it but with my welsh cob mare it is difficult so rather then proper work we would just do gentle hacks, no way we can do anything else without a fight.
My welsh cob x clydesdale gets grunpy but she seems ok to work, heaving said that she is still very new to me so will have to see over the spring/summer time.
 
When my old mare was young she was absolutely awful every spring. At the time she had always lived in a herd too and she managed to find a gelding who thought he was a stud. I still rode her because I was young, stubborn and stupid but I'm pretty sure some of our worst times were in spring :P

This stopped when we moved her to my mom's to live with her foal and a yearling my mom had when she was about 9. When we went back to boarding years later she was never quite as stupid about being in heat again, but she would happily show for any nearby gelding.

I have never known when my young mare was in heat until afterwards because she just never acted any differently. I've been absolutely thrilled by that :D
 
Thanks everyone. You have made me feel a lot better. I really was taken aback by her behaviour because I hadn't ever had a mareish mare before. I am hoping that it is, like a couple of you have suggested, a case of her being overwhelmed by her hormones as she's so young, and also it's the first season of the year. So fingers crossed, it will get better, but if not, I have a few things to try.
 
Another who has found the first season of the year is always worst. OH's mare is a total baggage for her first season of the year and was behaving like a prize idiot last weekend - she is usually very sweet and docile. The rest of the year she is fine.
 
Millie isn't really mareish at all, but she is always more difficult to school when she's in season (tight backed), but always jumped like a stag. Now she's not allowed to jump so we will probably do poles or hacking when she's in season.

I think Kira is a bit more hormonal - I've had her on Agnus Castus all winter and we will see whether she's a bit more reasonable this year!
 
When I had my mare she wa never horrid in season but got tight and tense so I gave her a few days off. Don't forget the overies are under the saddle so bound to feel tight and sore, I don't want anyone even touching me when the 'red man' is about haha so I imagine its a similar feeling for the mares too.
 
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