Maiden mares nasty behaviour!!

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Magicmadge

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My maiden mare is 313 days now. This week she has turned in to a horrible XXXXX!I really don't like her much right now and it's worrying. I have a pony with a foal at foot and was hoping to put my mare in with them about a week after she foals. However, she is cavalry charging at them towards the fence with her ears flat, teeth bared. She is still in a paddock with my old mare and a 2 year old filly and she is horrible to them too. I tried to seperate her with the pony and foal next to her but she just fence walked and called and charged
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I'm worried that i won't be able to put the foals together because of her. Is this common late in pregnancy to be so moody and nasty, do you think she will settle enough after she foals to risk turning out with other foal?
 
Not at a week old tbh, thats a bit soon.
We don't join ours up until at least 12 days.
She will be fine I am sure, but you may have to wait a while if she is especially foal proud.
The paddock you put them in is important too. Block off any corners to prevent anything being pinned in the corner.
However, you will be surprised at how soon they settle. Most mares are too preoccupied with their foals to care, so as long as the pony and foal keep their distance then she'll be ok.
 
Magic,

If you have the space, leave them for about a month. Let the maiden settle into her new role as a mom. I know most people have great groups of mares and I THOUGHT I did too until last year.

I had a maiden mare kill another mares foal - and she meant it to. To make long story short, I owned killer mare from the time she was a weanling and she had been socialized all her life even being in a herd situation while a racehorse. Upon pregnancy she was put out with my leader mare and looked after as my leader mare does with all newbies.

Annia, killer mare, foaled first and Stella (leader mare) foaled a month later. I had both turned out in separate paddocks for 3 weeks. Annia would just stand at the fence waiting for Stella and her baby. At 3 weeks we decided they would be fine together. Put them out and they did the usual running around and nothing seemed amiss. Both came up to the fence where we were standing. Annia then decides to have a little look in a threatning way at Stella's foal. Stella went after her quickly and made clear her foal was off limits. At this time I was getting ready to go in to take Stella and her baby out as something wasn't right. By the time I climbed under the fence, Stella's foal had slipped by her and into the path of Annia. She swooped in an instant, ears back teeth out, and kicked her breaking her leg completely in half. Me, my husband, and Stella didnt have a chance to get her safe.

That was the single worst horse thing I ever had to deal with because after that moment is when things were the worst. I blamed myself for a very very long time. Annia never showed aggression towards anyone before. She just has a switch that goes off making her lethal.

I had the kind of heard where all mares got along and babies played happily together. After last year's incident I shut up breeding season and Stella wasn't bred. Only Annia and another mare were in foal at the time. So this year I have 2 mares and foals living separately. No it is not ideal, but a foal death is not on the cards for me this year.

I have certain things a foal must be capable of before turnout with other mares and foals. For them to be fully aware of what's going on, strong enough, and leading properly they are about a month old. I will never do it any younger, ever. Next year I will have 3 nice get along mares foaling including Stella who is due in Feb.

Yes my situation is rare, but I caution anyone anytime I read this type of thing.

Terri
 
Oh my goodness, thank you for sharing your tragic story, it must have been heartbreaking for you and i am sorry. I will take great care and probably will not even try now after reading this. Magic is a grumpy mare at the best of times, herd leader, lots of pulling faces and little nips to get others out of the way. She even puts her ears back just looking at the pony and foal. In fact i'm worried about her with her own baby now. She is 17 and a maiden so i decided last year now or never for a just one baby from her. I am wishing now i never started along this path.
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I'm sure your mare will be perfectly fine with her baby. I know Annia is probably the best mother I have, she does can't tolerate or doesn't know how to tolerate any other foals with hers.

I never expected any of this. As soon as she was up last year after her first foal she tried to kill all of us. Husband is a dab hand at magic rope tricks and was able to get her, but we did have to be oh so careful not to get killed. Next day she was ok with us, but never anyone else. This year kept the lunge line on her after foaling until all milestones were passed and then left her on her own with baby. She was much better, but believe me when she even thinks about coming at you, you can't let her take an inch. So yes, we are pretty sharp with reprimands and I can't hurt her as much as she could hurt me.

I think your mare will be fine, she is just going through hormones at the moment and after birth she will be raging with hormones for the 1st 3 days. After that, she will settle

Good luck and keep us posted on your new baby!

Terri
 
I don't know if this helps but mares (so I've read
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) can make quite grand gestures about seperating themselves from the herd (at the end of pregancy)so maybe (hopefully) its just her trying to use a defense mechanism....sort of a I don't like you so you can't like me
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....
Chriss is making my ponys life hell at the mo he's not allowed to even look at her without her glaring and nipping him....
Probably not much help but once she's more settled she might be more chilled out around other horses...
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My really laid back mare became a possesive tyrant after foaling, I kept her seperated from the rest of my mob for about 6 weeks - no-one os allowed near her foal but after a week foal was allowed to go and play, but if the other horse got too close to mum and baby, mums teeth and feet would fly into action.

I taped off all the corners to prevent anyone from being cornered just in case.
 
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