Mare getting obsessed when another mare is in season!

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Ellietotz

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What do I do!?

My mare gets into complete psycho-mode when a mare in the field next door comes into season. The only time she is ever close enough to even sniff this mare is when we ride out together maybe once a week or every two weeks.
I don't understand why she gets like it, she just spends hours galloping up and down trying to see wherever the herd next door have gone so she can see the other mare.
It started again yesterday afternoon when she saw her go out on a hack, she continued all the way up to about 9:30pm as I was there hoping she would settle but she didn't, I can only imagine she went all night because this morning, she was still pacing up and down calling.

It was exactly the same last time she did this and I ended up having to do a short treatment for ulcers again as I felt some of her symptoms were returning and thought she might have been having a flare up.

She doesn't stop and graze, she just runs around calling making herself a complete sweaty mess.

When we ride out together, she gets really uptight if another horse goes near to the mare even when not in season. I'm not sure why she is so protective over her? They don't live together or are even close enough to see over the fence so I can't understand how she's formed an attachment to her. She is absolutely fine all other times except when this mare is in season or we are riding out and another horse goes near to her.

It just drives me mad. :(

Is there a solution? They can't live together plus if they did, it would probably only get worse or maybe I can't ride out with her anymore because even that is too much?

Any help appreciated!
 
I dont know much about mares but you have to remember they are entire animals, the same as a stallion. The only time Ive seen a similar thing one of the mares was in foal, unknown to the owner. As the one is season cant be and Im assuming yours isnt either, I would think there must be some sort of chemical/hormonal inbalance in one or the other that is causing this reaction. Again, not 100% sure but Im sure I read somewhere that somes mares can have too much of something or other (hormonal) that makes them very stalliony in behaviour
 
Not much help but one of my ,mares who is in foal has become a bit obsessed with one of her mare pals, mounting her etc.
There are various herbal things, such as Agnus Cactus which might help
 
MyBoyChe said:
I dont know much about mares but you have to remember they are entire animals, the same as a stallion. The only time Ive seen a similar thing one of the mares was in foal, unknown to the owner. As the one is season cant be and Im assuming yours isnt either, I would think there must be some sort of chemical/hormonal inbalance in one or the other that is causing this reaction. Again, not 100% sure but Im sure I read somewhere that somes mares can have too much of something or other (hormonal) that makes them very stalliony in behaviour
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Hmm that's interesting... I wonder if there is something I can give her to level out any imbalances as it's likely to be a problem in my mare no doubt. I had to use Sedalin from the vet last time but I don't know if it's worth just having to do that every time or putting her on something more long term?
 
I had a mare similar to this, she would even go as far as mounting my other mare, it turned out she had a tumor on her ovaries which was causing her to express stallion like behaviours. Hopefully this isn't the case for you and she just has some sort of hormone imbalance.
 
MaxboleyBlack said:
I had a mare similar to this, she would even go as far as mounting my other mare, it turned out she had a tumor on her ovaries which was causing her to express stallion like behaviours. Hopefully this isn't the case for you and she just has some sort of hormone imbalance.
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I've had her ovaries checked so luckily not the case.

One of the other mare's that she is usually obsessed with is on Regumate and she hasn't been attached to her since. The owner has decided to take her off of Regumate in a couple of months which means I am due to get a tonne more issues with mine.
Toying with the idea of putting mine on Regumate instead. The problem is is that it's not a constant thing, it's only when she's in season or the others are in season.
I tried Agnus Castus powder, she still got obsessed.
The other option would be to just give her Sedalin every time she does it or try an over-the-counter calming syringe.
 
Ellietotz said:
I've had her ovaries checked so luckily not the case.

One of the other mare's that she is usually obsessed with is on Regumate and she hasn't been attached to her since. The owner has decided to take her off of Regumate in a couple of months which means I am due to get a tonne more issues with mine.
Toying with the idea of putting mine on Regumate instead. The problem is is that it's not a constant thing, it's only when she's in season or the others are in season.
I tried Agnus Castus powder, she still got obsessed.
The other option would be to just give her Sedalin every time she does it or try an over-the-counter calming syringe.
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TBH, unless the vet who scanned er ovaries was an EXPERT repro vet, I wouldn't take this as an all clear. I would ask for an AMH test - tt will show if there is anything 'off' in her hormone levels and gives first signs of a GTC tumour.
 
I spoke to the vet. She didn't really know what to advise. She wasn't sure Regumate would solve the issue and said it was odd behaviour. Her hormone levels have been tested just over 6 months a go, ovaries have been scanned and tested for tumours which was all fine (this issue started way before getting tested). So all I can do is give her Sedalin to take the edge off every time I catch her going mental wanting to be next door with them I guess :(
 
Mare's can be a bit odd. Mine shows little sign of being in season despite the close proximity of a stallion. She did the first time she came into season but now she's on agnus castus that's stopped. However, if she goes to a trainers and is in the box next to her mare, she can become very stallion like. They are both alpha A type mares and I think it's about establishing the hierachy and who would get first go at any passing stallion. Perhaps your mare senses that the other mare is a potential rival and thats why she wants to know where she is.
 
I find it a bit odd the vet cant suggest anything, are they not an equine practise? It definitely sounds hormonal but that covers a huge amount of issues. It is odd behaviour but not unheard of in mares so I would have expected something a bit more helpful from the vet tbh
 
oldie48 said:
Mare's can be a bit odd. Mine shows little sign of being in season despite the close proximity of a stallion. She did the first time she came into season but now she's on agnus castus that's stopped. However, if she goes to a trainers and is in the box next to her mare, she can become very stallion like. They are both alpha A type mares and I think it's about establishing the hierachy and who would get first go at any passing stallion. Perhaps your mare senses that the other mare is a potential rival and thats why she wants to know where she is.
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That's really interesting actually, my mare is an alpha A type so could potentially be that. The question is then, how do I stop it?
 
MyBoyChe said:
I find it a bit odd the vet cant suggest anything, are they not an equine practise? It definitely sounds hormonal but that covers a huge amount of issues. It is odd behaviour but not unheard of in mares so I would have expected something a bit more helpful from the vet tbh
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They are solely equine yes, I'm not sure why she couldn't come up with a lot. She suggested doing all the tests again but not sure there would be any point. She said it could just be too much testosterone but I'm pretty sure she was already tested of this too and there was nothing wrong. I might try Agnus Castus again.
 
I'd try regumate or keeping her well away from the other mare when she's in season, although with my mare that would be hard to do as she really doesn't show any sign unless she's near this other mare. At home she's fine. Incidnetally a friend has a mare who behaves in a similar way and she just makes sure they are in a different stable block and not in adjacent fields.
 
oldie48 said:
I'd try regumate or keeping her well away from the other mare when she's in season, although with my mare that would be hard to do as she really doesn't show any sign unless she's near this other mare. At home she's fine. Incidnetally a friend has a mare who behaves in a similar way and she just makes sure they are in a different stable block and not in adjacent fields.
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There is about an acre between them. I guess I won't know about the Regumate for at least 6/12 months I reckon as it is at such random times.
 
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