Grrr Moody Mares...How Do You Cope With Yours?

[Vixxy]

Well lovely morning and thought hmm maybe go down to the yard really early tack clean, drinking some tea and listen to a bit of roxette, all great!

Hmm tack done, tea drank, maybe loose school Anna after a good brush, cool her down then give her a token feed to end on good note...

Caught a fidgety madam lots of tail swishing and faces later one brushed, fly sprayed horse so onto some loose schooling. She just tried continuously hiding in the corners of the school totally ignoring me. Finally got her going doing some half way decent large circles around me listening in walk trot and canter so quit whilst we were ahead, took her to that stables so that I could make up a small feed and get some vits into her. I double tied her in middle of large barn as usual all year round routine then just when I go to fill bucket she pulls back frees herself and starts running around the farm, screaming at my horny gelding, and was ever so unlady like!

The token reward feed ended up being a desperate bribe to catch her as her leather headcollar slipped over her head before the Equities gave. Then when she finished eating I just had a leadrope around her neck and no way of getting to a headcollar, I tried to put her back in field with the other two and she had no manners to speak of at all. Lovely morning went bad and I feel frustrated, maybe I should have stayed in bed with hubby after all

This mare is usually always an angel, never puts a foot wrong, the quietest horse you could wish for. She usually loose schools like a dream and is happy to do it.

I have some Hormone Supplements (In Tack Shop on Farm) so I am going to try her on that. I am actually really glad I didn't try to ride this morning.

If you got this far into my rantings pat on the back! How do you cope with your moody mares and how does their temperament change when in season?

 

[miss_c]

Not much help I know, but I don't really notice a difference in Genie when she's in season. She'll have the odd stroppy 'welsh' moment though and we just have to work through those.

 

[MrsMozart]

Sorry, the Dizzy one goes all soft and loving - I love it when she is in season (so far anyway...)

 

[Vixxy]

Last summer when she was in season she was just the same bar the normal stuff, this year she is very different she was stroppy and difficult when she first came into season this year and it has been a regular feature with her being back to her quiet normal self in between.

Maybe I notice it more because I have mostly owned geldings and due to her breed (BWB) I am sure she is capable of being more highly strung than my usual cob type that I normally stick to. The only reason I bought Anna was due to her cob like behavoir both ridden and on the ground.

A bit strange...

 

[Dianem]

May seem extreme, but talk to your vet about Regumate, I have been considering using it. Apparently this stops them coming into season, but get your vets opinion. At the moment i'm trying out Valerium (sp?), so far so good. My problem with my mare when she is in season is that she rears, not a good thing!

 

[millitiger]

i just ignore mine when she has her mareish moments- she doesn't really change when in season... she is a pain in the ar*e most of the time!

i think it helps that she isn't my only horse so i don't take it too personally- and if she has annoyed me i can go and have a cuddle with one of the others while my blood pressure goes down!

i did once put a mare on Stroppy Mare supplement as she was awful with geldings and turned so laidback you could barely get her to move- it did make a difference with her so i think that would be my first port of call.

certainly try tack shop supplements before looking into Regumate; it is very expensive and so tends to only be used on horses regularly competing.

 

[arabmania]

i ignore mine with any face pulling around sensitive areas, but i do correct bad manners. handling is handling and it has to be safe.
is she like this everytime she is in season? pulling back and trotting off to the men?

 

[Angua2]

I keep reading this post and smiling and so far have refrained from saying anything as the way I deal with my mare was a little extreame... I don't suggest you do what I did and have her ovaries taken away, however we were in a very different place to you

 

[Vixxy]

First time to pull back, when I had her vetted the vet actually commented that she was the quietest horse he had ever vetted and joked to the owner was she drugged lol. The dealer was shocked he said it, but he was joking and said to her that if she had she must have some balls as we were taking bloods! I knew she was just a nice horse and usually always is with manners to burn, except when she is in season.

So it is a big contrast when she acts up like this, I will be glad when I manage to sell my grey gelding as she really worries about where he is and being away from him when in season even if she has our little Welshie to keep her company. My grey is very stallion like he paws, rounds up my two mares in their field if any horse comes to the yard for training in the school, snorts and blows can get an errection and the two of them together just get each other overly frustrated as neither can get anywhere in that department.

I am looking into sending my gelding away to a friend I really trust who owns her own yard and parents are both vets (I know he will be in mega good hands). Hopefully he will sell from there and it will be good for me to emotionally let go of him, I have owned him for 4.5 yrs but really is a bit too hot headed for my limited riding ability (due to illness). He would be far better with a more confident able bodied rider, I am just going to miss him, I love him to bits.

I am hoping my mare Anna will then settle down again a bit better and chill out so I go back to the safety of polite ground manners and a horse more sensible when worked.

I will try the hormone supplement as I have it in my tack shop anyway so there is no harm pinching a bottle out of my stock and giving it a whirl.

I think regumate would be a last resort, if its even available here in Norway, Bute is banned here which can be a nightmare especially when I had my Welsh D with severe arthritis the vets here really dont like giving anytype of painkiller long term, I think its cruel. But then again in this country it is legal to shoe and rasp teeth yourself!!!

When we start competing (dressage) and going to courses, overnight stays with friends at their yards and stuff I have no idea what to do, I am not the most confident rider and sadly do not have much stickability and a fall can really hurt me cause of my health issues. Its typical I pick the sweetest horse ever with manners to die for and she turns increasingly more like a hormonal monster, my luck lol!

I love her though and appreciate when she is a sweetie, I am sure things will improve, I just need a saint because of my problems. I thought I had bought one and now I am worried as I bought Anna a year ago to replace my unpredictible grey.

Hmm hope I can get things sorted any tips appreciated, will selling my grey help do you think in this situation? I am selling him regardless but it might be nice to know things might calm down a bit on the normally quiet yard.