I Give Up! Mardy Mare Has Won.

sidesaddlegirl

sidesaddlegirl

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Every year at the same time of year, my mare gets bad PMT when she comes into season. Doesn't want you to touch her (tries to bite even when putting on head collar), look at her, groom her or ride her. Just wants to be fed and turned out with as little human contact as possible. From November to March 1, you have 4 months of this. Schooling is a nightmare as she turns into a donkey. I dose her up on Stroppy Mare before she comes into season and all the while she is in season, but I'm not sure if SM actually does anything except smell lovely!!

So this year, I've given up. She can go on "winter holiday" with no schooling or shows, hacking only (which she loves!!!) and then come March 1, it's back to schooling and getting ready for showing.

We had a REALLY good showing season this year and although we usually do dressage in the winter, I feel that there is no point battling a horse with PMT to do something she hates any ways (she loves showing but hates dressage). After a good show season, the least I can do is give her 4 months off!! I have my YO's TB mare to do dressage with any ways and may introduce her to side saddle (my YO's TB is the same size as my TB) too. :D

Anyone else have a Mardy Mare at the mo?
 
Agree with tallyho... My mare only goes into season during summer (march-October ish) I haven't known of a mare to have a cycle like that!
 
my mare is just moody the whole time lol, she's never nasty with me or anything, has her ears back all the time and sometimes will pull faces and 'show off' her teeth to me if I ask her to back up or if I'm putting her rug on. She doesn't like other horses, and I have to stay atleast 3 horses distance when with geldings...apart from one exception with one she actually tolerates though, although she has turned on him completly out of nowhere before no warning or anything, so I'm still very careful! Love her so much though, and she's actually very sweet and kind natured when you get to know her properly, she's not the cuddly type of horse..if you go to cuddle her she's just like 'what do you think your doing?!!' but love her to pieces :)
 
My mare was VILE for the whole summer, every summer when I first got her. She had one year on Regumate and it sorted the problem out completely -she's a different horse, and I haven't had to use it since!
 
sidesaddlegirl said:
Well, that is my horse for you! Nothing is ever straightforward with her except knowing that for 4 months out of the year, she will be like this.

She doesn't come into season in the summer though.
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Have you checked that she doesn't have anything going on like cysts or other urogenital problems like bladder infections.

Obviously, I assume the vet is involved with this as it *can* be serious but could easily be treated if it really is a hormonal problem. It's very unusual NOT to go into estrous in the summer months.

It would worry me.
 
Tallyho, she gets mardy the same every year ever since I've had her, same time and then once March rolls around, she is fine. My YO said too that it could be that increased stable time also annoys her at this particularly sensitive time for her as they all came in at night last week, she said the horsie version of SADD.

She does get fruity and squibby around April/ May again but only for a short time and then she is fine until November.

I will ask the vet about Regumate and a marble as Stroppy Mare has never really worked for her, I don't know why I continue to buy it, think it's because it smells nice and she finds it tasty.
 
I use Oestress during the summer for my mare, as although she isn't nasty or aggressive when in season she does come into season a lot and was backing up into the gelding at our yard for him to mount her!! (Tart)
Oestress has worked wonders for her :)
 
She keeps showing me her bum and getting really bargey in my space so will look into that too! :)

I did take her out for a long hack this evening though and a short gallop and a couple of fast canters and she was her happy self again so I think I will still give her some time off from schooling, etc just to be a horse for a bit too. I know when I have PMT, I don't feel like doing stuff either.
 
dont bother with marbles! know many people who have tried them but nothing changes! the injections are brill! and also make sure she has no ulcers
 
tallyho! said:
Thats a funny season cycling...
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Just what I was thinking.

(Generally speaking) Mares have cycles from Spring until Autumn and then they tend to "shut down" over winter. I would be having the vet to look into this as it may be due to a hormone problem, or perhaps a consequence of a the regime change (ulcers, or similar).
 
My WB had seasons right into December then had jan off then was back into it by February. I some of them to get messed up. Two years of regumate and she has been 'reset' to normals rasp s and isn't trying to kill us.

You have to get her it in her feed but only the vet can sell it.
 
The thought of giving up on my mare has crossed my mind once or twice lately!

I have EXACTLY the same problem as you, my mare goes into overdrive hormonally this time of year and the settles into the spring/summer (Although I know by the whinnying and bum showing that she still gets seasons all year.

I have previously tried Frisky Mare Plus, Stroppy mare and most lately Oestress. Nothings worked.

I bit the bullet today and got the vet to scan her, blood test her and get her on regumate before she seriously hurts someone.... I'll post again next week when I have results and have seen her on it for a week..

My mare is currently under rugged in her stable tonight cos the sedation wore off and once again she kicked me when I put my hand on her shoulder to let her know I was going to move to her belly strap's. She has really learnt to kick forwards, anywhere past her front leg and she can get you! (She was also tied up very short so she couldn't sink her teeth into me, my last marks haven't healed yet) She has become totally un-managable on the ground, nasty behaviour, no respect for anything and if you tell her off she comes straight back at you! although she is easy enough to ride (ie no nasty behaviour, she is just seriously hard hard work and very distracted). I have only had her a year and wrongly assumed last year it was her testing me and our new partnership as she got better 6 months in.

If anyone has any other information on alternative treatments I would be eternally grateful to hear your views / experiences... Regumate is currently £180 per litre from my vet and that will last me 70 days with my mare (16.2 ISH) ... expensive!
 
Mares eh? My farmer's wife had a mare the same, good as gold all summer and apparently stroppy as you like in the winter. My mare (the infamous Bellzilla :D) has normally been the total opposite, she has a mega strop that lasts from March-June every year but is just a diva the rest of the time.
 
my mare was terrible! We tried everything from marble to supplements and it didn't work, our last option was the depo injection, and oh my days it worked :D (touch wood) she come in feb and her last season is oct, since having this injection it has calmed her down soo much(she has an enlarged follicle on her ovarie) and got very hormonal and stroppy! She has it every 3 months, so it's twice a year as its only through summer, and even when it had worn off so to speak she comes back into season but a different mare! I can ride her without getting broncoed in trot!(again not her fault!) I used to dread her seasons as she used to pull faces, kick once and was evil, now she is so much happier I really do recommend the injection!
 
I have seen this with one before and the solution was to leave her out 24.7

She really seemed to object to being in much more, being poked and prodded, trussed up in rugs, patted, groomed, touched that much more. Bit like me I guess :D
 
I'm having issues with the mare i have, she's on loan as a companion but i ride and care for her as my own. This is our first winter and literally over the last week she's just not nice to deal with! Ridden wise she's good still, but seems she really doesn't want any kind of contact or fuss. Nothing bad just ears back and pulling faces, walking away etc.

She wasn't in much work before i had her and was left out hairy and happy doing nothing i think. I'm putting it down to weather and being in over night. She's been clipped as well this year and as a result is having rugs. I guess a combination of all 3 has really got her back up!!
 
I love mares and have never had a mare that had any issue at all with being in season in fact when I wanted one covered I had no idea when she was due in
I have three mares and I am certain they cant all be asexual I know they are not as we have had the odd foal over 35years intentionally I may add.
I would rather have ten mares than one gelding I have three to one at the moment and he is a git
 
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