'Marbles' and mares - going down this 'road'....

[cobwithattitude]

After scanning my mare vet has suggested using 35mm glass ball to make her behaviour more consitent and to ease the obvious discomfort she suffers at ovulation. She is compact/short backed for a mare which adds to the overall picture. He has told me the reasons/background to using these but i just wondered if anyone else has any experience (in their horse

) and how long did they stay in situ and was future fertility damaged in anyway? Do they rattle once they are in or is only one used...? (I am joking on that last one!) Thanks!

 

[Tinkerbee]

weird

never heard of them

 

[lmholden]

I've heard of nomadic people putting stones in their camels' wombs to act as a contraceptive - rather like IUDs for humans but not come across 'glass balls' for mares! I wouldn't have thought that there would be any long term fertility problems after using them.

 

[cariad]

This does exist as a technique and was done to a mare at my instructor's yard, but didn't have any effect on her. This is not to say that it is does not work at all. As it is relatively risk free, might be worth a go.

 

[miller]

OH's mare had one - lasted 4 weeks (but vet did say that he'd never experienced another that short) In the 4 weeks it was there it made an incredible difference

She's now managed on Coligone and that seems to have sorted the behaviour problems - or she's grown out of them at 13yo???

Don't know about fertility but she is seasoning normally and very strongly still since she hasn't had the marble and is quite happy to let me gelding cover her when in season

 

[cobwithattitude]

Vet is coming next week - will post after a month and say a) whether marble still in and b) improvement seen or not! Thanks for posts.