Brakes for a pregnant mare!

[keeperscottage]

My daughter's 16.2hh 16 year old ex-point-to-pointer is in foal to Primitive Proposal, due to foal next Spring. We've been told that keeping her fit is beneficial and apparently she can be ridden normally until the eighth month. Our mare has always been "psycho mare" and she is ridden in a three ring gag with a Waterford mouthpiece, on the third ring of the gag, and with a runninging martingale and fairly tight grakle noseband........at walk and trot, she has to be ridden on a loose rein with no contact on her mouth but anything faster......jusr hang on and pray! (Our other ex-point-to pointer is ridden in a French link snaffle, plain cavesson noseband and no martingale....)

Our mare obviously feels amazingly well (she certainly looks amazing!) but she is more hyper than normal. My daughter is looking forward to cubbing - she's always easier to hunt than hack! In the meantime, how do we hack out this precious mare without her taking off all the time?? We don't want to just keep her on the road! A friend is lending us a hackamore, which we will try, but any advice would be gratefully accepted!

 

[the watcher]

Have you changed her feed with the expected foal, stud cubes I guess could lead to her being a bit turbo charged..is she out as much as she always has been?
Usually they get a bit mellow when expecting so don't really know what to suggest in this case, maybe a calmer to take the edge off, as long as it is guaranteed to be safe for mares in foal

 

[ReefurG]

It does have the potential to be very very severe but you could try a western bit with a thin mouthpiece/long curved shanks and put a leather curb strap round the back of her jaw. A friend of mine tried it for hunting and it worked a treat. She did get attract a lot of stares and comments but you only need to give a slight check and they soon get the idea.

 

[AmyMay]

She sounds the type of mare that would keep herself fit. I'd be inclined to turn her away, and let her pregnancy progress quietly without riding her.

A lot of people do ride their mare's whilst they're in foal - the policy at my yard is not too - it is not felt to be necessary.

 

[keeperscottage]

No, the_watcher, no change in her feed, in fact, she's only grass fed at the moment...quite good pature, though! She's NEVER been like this before, she's always point-to-pointing in her head, but she's usually strangely sensible and controllable...and safe...but at the moment, she's just plain crazy and out of control!

 

[keeperscottage]

Amy-May - we're tempted to take your advice and "retire" her until the foal is weaned, but she's such a lovely mare who just wants to work all the time! Think we might try a "safe" herbal calmer!