Change in temperament when pregnant?

[juliehannah58]

Has anyone else noticed this in their mare? Since my mare came home from stud (scanned 15 days in foal) she has been SO chilled, happy and relaxed. In fact, in three years of ownership I have never seen her like this before, she’s loving in her own way but a grumpy so and so usually. Now she is so affectionate and just looks so well and calm.

In my breeding books it says this is quite common for their temperament to change but that it can go either way, i.e. they can turn sweet or sour!

Has anyone else noticed a difference in behaviour early pregnancy? As she has her 30 day scan on Thursday, I’m hoping this is a nice little sign to me that it’s still in there and perhaps it will stop me panicking a bit!

 

[Bounty]

Yes, definitely!
My mare has always been 'emotionless', partly as this is the way she is, and partly because she has a history of abuse, which has caused her to be headshy and wary of strangers.
We noticed a change in her attitude about 14days after she was inseminated, and when she went back to the stud for her 19day scan the owners were sure she'd taken before they'd even scanned her as the change in her temperament was so dramatic.
She's now cuddly, lets you kiss her ears and face, and whickers at me constantly. We're making up for lost time now and giving her the 17years of cuddles that she's missed out on in life, and deserves so much.

 

[Damien]

Defintely quite normal, some cranky mareish competition mares actualy have a marble implant into the uterus which suposedly makes them think they are infoal, thiose that have it done say the change in behaviour is very noticable and makes them much happier in their work..

 

[MillionDollar]

Teazle was very fussy, she never wanted affection before she got in-foal but she also got grumpy at feed times, not aggressive just pulling ears back. Now shes had Rainbow she is so chilled and loves to be fussed over, you can see that she is so proud. But shes just fantastic. She lets anyone, even strangers, stroke Rainbow but she protects her from the dogs and even the chickens

lol.

Bramble hasn't changed that much except prehaps more chilled. Shes just very fed up now. I keep wondering if shes actually in-foal, even though shes huge.

 

[Anastasia]

It is quite normal for temperament to change when pregnant, either for the better.....or worse.......LOL

No different to humans!!

 

[Enfys]

I haven't had my mare scanned because she's running with the stallion anyway and hasn't come back into season (when the other mares have both been in season twice) so presumably she has taken. She has changed, before she was very 'detached' and a bully in the field, but now she is quite affectionate and the bullying has ceased, she is also easier to ride. But......is this simply because she is finally settling down here and she realises I'm not going to bully her into submission and that she is madly in love with her boyfriend?

 

[Fahrenheit]

With mine, the mare with the most apparent temperament change is my 22year old Grade A mare!
Usually she is a foosty, bad tempered, moody old battle axe! She hadn't had a foal for a couple of years and last year we put her infoal, the vet was doing her after treatments and castlicks and even though she was sedated she was kicking the stocks (even when he wasn't touching her), she would throw her head round for injections, stamp her feet and generally be bad tempered.
This year with foal at foot, he couldn't believe it was the same mare, she dozed off in the stocks whilst he did her treatments, injections and castlicks and he didn't even need sedation for most of it!
Now my really quiet wouldn't say boo to a goose mare becomes a raging foal proud loony tune when its got a foal at foot!

 

[eventrider23]

definately - got my 2nd mare back from stud yesterday after scanning 15 days in foal and she is a changed horse! Completely chilled about everything and incredibly cuddly. My other mare is the same although is generally a good girl so not so apparant in her but fingers crossed for her has got her 36 day scan 2mo.
Which stud did your mare go to by the way JH58?

 

[PapaFrita]

LOL! PF turned into a right moody cow when she was in foal, but I think that was more due to her not being ridden and so getting less attention!

I think SN's B was like that too!

 

[juliehannah58]

She went to the Gustavii's at Crockstead Park, who I can't rate highly enough

Fingers crossed for your mare too then, I am totally paranoid about it at the moment, I must be mad having another 10 months of this!!