Has anybody any experience of ovary removal?

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MyBoyChe

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Further to my new mares' stroppy behaviour I am almost certain it is related to her seasons. I had been making really good progress until yesterday, much better on the ground, almost mellow in fact, and rode out with no problems at all. Then last night she refused to leave the yard, rearing when asked to go forward and planting herself, gave up for safetys sake. This morning she is bargy, not listening to me at all and almost climbing over the gate when tied up, squatting and peeing. Because I know she can be good I don't really want to send her back, although I do still have the option to exchange her for a gelding when one is available. I know it is an extreme measure but has anybody had any success with ovary removal, I read somewhere that this is an option. If I can sort her problems I will be keeping her for life and do not want to breed from her. On the other hand it is a huge undertaking if success is not guaranteed. I've read the posts about regumate and am not sure which option would have the best rate of success. I haven't spoken to my vet so far, i just wanted to have a bit of background info first, other peoples experiences. Thanks for reading and all advice appreciated.
 
my mare had her ovaries removed about 2 years ago. it was the best thing i have done. if the operation didnt work i would have put her to sleep she was that bad. regumate didnt work on her. and the vets said there was nothing wrong with her it was all behavioural. the operation was pretty straight forward they can do it lying down or standing. hers was standing. once they took the ovaries out they said one was bigger than the other but it wasnt significant! clearly it was couse she is a different horse. feel free to ask me any questions. sounds like you need to get the vet to have a look at her anyway.
 
I thnk its quite a drastic step personally, and would try other things first eg regumate, or having a marble inserted.

Some mares improve after they have had a foal, mind you this is quite drastic too!
 
Maybe it would be worth getting her scanned? My mare was extremely aggressive & it turned out that she had an ovarian tumour. It showed up on the scan & when they got it out, it weighed 15 lbs & was the size of a football!! She did still have her other ovary & when the tumour was removed, it started working normally again.
 
Wildpony, thanks for that info, very helpful that someone has had a positive outcome. Can you let me know a bit more, idea of costs involved, recovery period etc. Also, you say your mare was very bad, don't want to dwell on the past but how bad was bad. One thing that worries me is that if it makes no difference I may have denied her the one avenue open to her, as a mum! I really wouldn't want anyone to take her on and get hurt although I suppose a braver, more competent person may have more success. What led you to making the decision that it was right for your girl?
 
How much does the marble cost and is it an easy procedure?

We have a rig at my yard and my mare has been in season for about 2 weeks straight now, she is fine to ride but really aggressive to the other horses which is resulting in her having the sh!t kicked out of her in the field.
 
I don't know that much about the marble procedure tbh. I dont think it's that expensive, and I know it has worked really well for some mares, it makes them 'think' that they are in foal.
 
I think ovary removal is slightly drastic at this stage- especially if you haven't tried her on a supplement. My mare is on Frisky Mare Plus by Global Herbs- it is amazing- she used to be terrible in general, basically trying to kill me when she was coming into season. Since she's been on the Frisky Mare stuff she's like a lamb- the lovely horse I have all through the winter is back!!
Most mares will squirt etc so if your not happy with this then get a gelding!!
How old is the mare? My mare was ALOT worse when she was young, by the age of 6 they should have settled down a bit.
Also- do you know if this was her first season of the year (it would be late if it was) but the first and last seasons are always worse.
I'd suggest taking her to the vets, getting her ovaries examined (cysts and abnormalities can make them worse).
Then either try a marble or a supplement and see what happens, if you don't want to try regumate I really do reccomned Frisky Mare Plus. I really would try other options before ovary removal- especially if you've not had her long, it's likely she's still feeling a bit unsettled! Hope this helps!
 
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