Wagtail
Horse servant
Has anyone had any luck with any supplements for this?
Best calmer for naughty-when-in-season mares?
- Thread starter Wagtail
- Start date
ihatework
Well-Known Member
One Friend had an event mare that had a good response to Oestruss, another friend swears by the horse health one.
If you have a real issue though I'd go straight to regumate
If you have a real issue though I'd go straight to regumate
Wagtail
Horse servant
Thanks. I may as well try a supplement first, but yes, it may need more than that.
dreamcometrue
Well-Known Member
I have used Oestress in the past and it seemed to have a positive effect.
Wagtail
Horse servant
Thank you. I'll give it a go. She is so affectionate and sweet, but try and do any work and she spends half her time on her hind legs and trying to see what the other horses are up to. Then she's too worn out to work.
Feival
...
I use Oestress and its really helped.
Wagtail
Horse servant
Thank you. I'm going to give it a go.
NOISYGIRL
Well-Known Member
Have a word with hackup.co.uk, they may be able to recommend a supplement for mares and they do a liquid calmer called stepfree which worked wonders on my spooky arab/cob
0310Star
Well-Known Member
Instead of Oestress, try Agnus Castus powder from Pro earth on Ebay - about half the price for a bigger bag.
I had great results with it with my old mare, she used to be in season pretty much all summer and was REALLY obvious when in season but 1 scoop a day of this and you would never have known!
Oestress worked slighty, but no where near as well as Agnus Castus Powder
I had great results with it with my old mare, she used to be in season pretty much all summer and was REALLY obvious when in season but 1 scoop a day of this and you would never have known!
Oestress worked slighty, but no where near as well as Agnus Castus Powder
ILuvCowparsely
Well-Known Member
My horse was on Regumate as she was and is being a right witch, ears pinned - snapping etc but it is so expensive I am trying without again for just being a witch for 5 days. She is on stroppy mare which does help with the day to day moods.
Mine is also on the trial of this calmer and so far so good http://equifeast-shop.com/horse-supplements/horse-calmers/new-horses/
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milliepops
Wears headscarf aggressively
I keep my stroppy one on agnus castus all the time but nothing beats regumate for her first and last seasons of the year. She's virtually unrideable without it then but quite sweet when she's on it.
Wagtail
Horse servant
Thanks, everyone. My mare is extremely affectionate and friendly when in season, so general handling poses no problems. However, when I want to tack her up she figets and tries to charge off or pull back. This doesn't happen when not in season. Then she's okay to lunge unless she spots another horse, or her fieldmates move further away (normally not a 'herd-bound' horse), then she wil rear and leap around on the lunge, standing up and boxing, napping to the corners. Normally, I don't ride her until she's got it out of her system. Then she's just knackered and I can't get her foreward. The whole thing completely drains me for the rest of the day as I'm only just getting back to full health and suffer a lot of fatigue. So she's not grumpy or snappy, just completely distracted and nappy. I will try the simplest thing first, I think, the angus castus, and move on from there.
0310Star
Well-Known Member
My mare wasn't at all aggressive or moody, just a total pain when in season! Nothing nasty but constantly squirting, being noisy, rubbing up everything and anything and just a pain to handle.
Here's the link to the Agnus Castus I used to buy - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272676312896?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
I just started with a higher dose and dropped down to as low as I could get it. First and last season she would have 2 scoops a day for a couple days/week or until she had calmed down, and the rest of the time she managed on 1 scoop happily.
Caol Ila
Well-Known Member
What a pertinent thread.
My 24-year old is having strong seasons this year -- and they keep coming. Usually she gets a strong heat or two in early spring but they ease off in the summer. But not this summer. She's not aggressive, just hot, herdbound, and nappy, whereas she is none of those things when not in season. You can ride her, but it's not pleasant as she is distracted and bounces around should you take her away from her girlfriend.
I keep wondering why this year is so much worse. Is it her age? Is it the weather? Is it the fact that there are a few mares with known hormonal issues at the yard? One with cushings and another who never seems to go out of season.
My 24-year old is having strong seasons this year -- and they keep coming. Usually she gets a strong heat or two in early spring but they ease off in the summer. But not this summer. She's not aggressive, just hot, herdbound, and nappy, whereas she is none of those things when not in season. You can ride her, but it's not pleasant as she is distracted and bounces around should you take her away from her girlfriend.
I keep wondering why this year is so much worse. Is it her age? Is it the weather? Is it the fact that there are a few mares with known hormonal issues at the yard? One with cushings and another who never seems to go out of season.
milliepops
Wears headscarf aggressively
funny things aren't they? I love mares, actually their changeable nature is one of the things that I love about working with them. But when you get a really hormonal one it does throw a spanner in the works.
Millie was never difficult in her seasons, she preferred to jump then and would be tight in her back but the same in every other respect.
Kira is a different animal, she is the same sweet mare on the ground but gets over-involved in spats with other horses, naps under saddle, is completely obsessed with sniffing poos etc (can't leave a wheelbarrow within nose-reach) etc... she's TOTALLY at the mercy of her hormones. I'm not convinced the agnus castus does a lot for her but I don't want to keep her on regumate all year so it's a cheap placebo for me and we muddle through until the mega season of the autumn :lol:
Millie was never difficult in her seasons, she preferred to jump then and would be tight in her back but the same in every other respect.
Kira is a different animal, she is the same sweet mare on the ground but gets over-involved in spats with other horses, naps under saddle, is completely obsessed with sniffing poos etc (can't leave a wheelbarrow within nose-reach) etc... she's TOTALLY at the mercy of her hormones. I'm not convinced the agnus castus does a lot for her but I don't want to keep her on regumate all year so it's a cheap placebo for me and we muddle through until the mega season of the autumn :lol:
Wagtail
Horse servant
Thank you. I bought the whole chaste berries before seeing your post. I will try the Progressive eath one if the ones I bought don't work. I am so sorry you lost your mare. I just read your other thread. Pleased she went so peacefully.
It is very odd that she is worse this year. It might be her age as humans approaching menopause sometimes get worse PMS. Although I knoow mares don't really have a menopause (I don't think).
Well I'm hoping it is more than a placebo for my girl. I always used to have geldings, but my last mare converted me to preferring mares. However, she had all the pros of a mare and none of the cons. You would hardly know she was in season. This one is different. She's almost unworkable and unfortunately she seems to be a rapid cycling mare too. I do wonder if it's because she's a very high ranking mare where as my last mare was very low ranking. It would be interesting to see if there's a correlation. Probably not, but interesting all the same.
RedStarBear
Member
We're at a different yard this year with a lot more mares (we were one of two girls at the last place, the other being a lovely cheeky NF OAP) and mine's been so super stressed, tense and anxious when she came into season this year - she likes to keep everything under control (when riding this is never an issue if she trusts you to be in charge!) which includes keeping track of all 'her' herd mares or those handome geldings who think they are mighty stallions. It was a total nightmare. Got to the point couldn't even settle riding, with the other girls screaming for her from the paddocks and she didn't want to be touched, which given she usually loves a good scratch is quite a change. When she went through the electric fence over night to get in with some buddies we tried regumate - amazing, the look of calm and relaxation within 48hrs was incredible.
We tried the depo provera shot along with the other mares she's turned out near and it actually made her worse, although worked wonders for the others so something to consider as it's a lot cheaper (although scientifically unproven, the evidence of fire breathing, attack dragons turning into placid ponies was enough to convince me it's not total hockum). Not all vets will do it as there is a species specific alternative (i.e. regumate) with lots of scientific research proving its efficacy.
But maybe if yours is not so extremely stressed out and uncomforable being in season, angus castus would be worth a go before trying the more expensive (albeit def. effective) options
We tried the depo provera shot along with the other mares she's turned out near and it actually made her worse, although worked wonders for the others so something to consider as it's a lot cheaper (although scientifically unproven, the evidence of fire breathing, attack dragons turning into placid ponies was enough to convince me it's not total hockum). Not all vets will do it as there is a species specific alternative (i.e. regumate) with lots of scientific research proving its efficacy.
But maybe if yours is not so extremely stressed out and uncomforable being in season, angus castus would be worth a go before trying the more expensive (albeit def. effective) options
0310Star
Well-Known Member
Caol Ila
Well-Known Member
I might try the agnus castus. Not keen on regumate but may have to think about it, as it's a hassle to keep the horse in regular work when she keeps having crazy days.
Right now, she is turned out next to a mare, who has a lot of stallion-like behaviours, and when in the stable, she is across the aisle from that mare and a very studdy gelding who she is in love with. I wonder if it's just the combination of horses at the yard and it being a warm spring. Last year, she had one or two strong heats and was then fantastic all summer.
Or do their seasons get stronger as they get older? Is that thing that can happen?
Right now, she is turned out next to a mare, who has a lot of stallion-like behaviours, and when in the stable, she is across the aisle from that mare and a very studdy gelding who she is in love with. I wonder if it's just the combination of horses at the yard and it being a warm spring. Last year, she had one or two strong heats and was then fantastic all summer.
Or do their seasons get stronger as they get older? Is that thing that can happen?