Mare in mourning, what to do after loss of foal, advice needed please

R2R

R2R

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Hello

I have also posted this in NL/Breeding (whatever forum you are in)

Last night I was offered a mare, as part ex for one of my tb's. She is 8 year old tb x with good breeding (cant remember what!!!). She was homebred by previous owner who jumped her and did a bit of eventing.

My friend bought her from a dealer four weeks ago. The mare had been out jumping foxhunters and winning classes. She comes with full five stage vetting certificate.

The problem is this.... my friend turned the mare out in close proximity to her two yearlings. This has sent the mare very depressed - she is just not a happy mare at the moment. She is pacing about the field and very stressed. When she was bought into ride she would hunch her back and threaten to buck.

My friend called the dealer, and it was only then she was told that the mare's foal died after being born in the field and suffocating. So the mare, I think, is in some sort of mourning.

I am keen to get the mare as she is a nice sort who jumps etc. She is well put together and a nice person - good to shoe/load/box/handle, good to ride, been out winning classes. She is just not happy.

I have enough turn out to give her 6 months off to recover and for her hormones to get back to normal. My thoughts are, get her, winter her out with my retired mare and 3 year old tb in the back field (does me a favour as I have really been struggling to ride two four year olds as it is and its only going to get worse) and bring her back into work in the spring ready for summer. However, part of me thinks that perhaps the only way for her to get over the loss of the foal is to put her back into foal and let her 'get it out of her system'. This is possible, but not ideal
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What do you think? I have to make some sort of decision this morning as the girl really wants to get going on my tb. The situation does us both a favour - but I want to know the best way of going about things.

Thanks for any help/advice!
 
My mare lost twins two years in a row. After a brief period of trying to wake them up she wandered away to graze. I don't think horses mourn as such it sounds more like she is in pain somewhere especially with the back hunching.
 
She is pacing up and down the field, and if the yearlings go out of sight she goes mad screaming.
 
My Mare lost twins this year, and i left her in the field with them for a while but she completely ignored them.
I have left her in the field with the other mares and foals (as the rest if the tribe bully her) and she is not bothered by them either.
Mares get over the loss very quickly, it is us humans that read more into it.
Maybe the move? maybe back problems? how is she stabled with loads of fuss? has she company in the field? manybe she is very insecure with the move and does not want to be on her own horses are herd animals at the end of the day
 
Agree with Dizzykizzy, the mare i now ride has lost 2 foals in the field 2 years in a row, she tried to wake them then walked away and continued grazing, she was in a field with other horses and was happy.

It sounds like the mare could be pain, i'd get her back checked, could you not turn her out with another horse for company, should help with the pacing around?
 
Thats the plan, to give her 6 months off to chill out and recouperate. She has a full 5 stage vetting certificate from last month so wouldnt bad back show up on there?
 
When was the vetting done though? She could've done something since then in the field or when you moved her.

May just be me but 6 months off is a long time, i'd get her back checked and leave her a few weeks to settle in and then see how she is and go from there

ETA Sorry just re read your post and you said vetting was done last month, so she could've done something since then especially with all the pacing around she's been doing, she could've slipped in field or something
 
The vetting was done a month ago. I am really unsure - I have had crabby/vicious mares in the past who have been amazing when I have chilled them out and made friends with them so I am really tempted - but have never had a mare with this sort of upset
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She has a full 5 stage vetting certificate from last month so wouldnt bad back show up on there?

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Nope, mine had a 7 stage vetting and didnt show up the fact that he had a rotated spine and loads of pressure on his poll. I got my amazing back man out from ireland and he has fixed it
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My share mare lost her foal a couple of years ago and was very upset for a while apparently. There is an 18 month old filly who she has well and truly adopted and at the moment it is like weaning all over again, although she is always calm when next to her in stable. I think once she is away from 'her babies' she will soon settle down if that is the problem.

Other than pain perhaps she does not like where she is now, maybe there is something about it which unsettles her, it's been known for horses to just take a dislike to a place and not settle.

Would get another vetting done if you get her though to be sure, and bring particular attention to the fact that she's been anxious and could be in pain.
 
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She has a full 5 stage vetting certificate from last month so wouldnt bad back show up on there?

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Nope, mine had a 7 stage vetting and didnt show up the fact that he had a rotated spine and loads of pressure on his poll. I got my amazing back man out from ireland and he has fixed it
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!

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A rotated spine?? I'm sorry but surely the horse wouldn't have been able to walk if it had a rotated spine?! If your spine was rotated, you'd be crippled. TBH, if my physio came out and "diagnosed" a rotated spine in my horse, I'd expect her to tell me to get the vet out asap and refuse to treat a horse with such a problem.
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To answer the OP, it sounds like you've got 2 issues with this mare. The first is that she possibly hasn't settled well and is simply just hating being left alone, and secondly I wonder if she's in pain hence hunching her back. If you're really keen on her then I'd get your own vet out to have a look at her. Has the dealer told you why she stopped competing and was put in foal? Think about how often you see that on here alone..someone's mare goes lame so they put it in foal. She may well have been jumping big tracks and winning a few years ago, but it's entirely possible she is knackered so was put in foal. I'd just say be very careful and if you are concerned, get your vet out and not a physio - back problems usually indicate limb or foot problems.
 
Hi Chestnut cob. Apparently she was put in foal as the girl had work issues and couldnt afford lessons/to compete so did it to save money for a year. My friend had the 5 stage done (which the mare passed) about a month ago. Friend bought mare from dealer. The one thing I do thing, and agree with, is that if a mare is going so well why would it be put in foal...

My gut is saying the mare is traumatised by loss of foal and unsettled by moving from the yard she was bred on, to a dealer, to my friend yard. I have handled the mare and thats the 'vibe' you get from her - she is not vicious/malicious nor particularly sharp, she is hunchy and unsettled, which is why I am considering it. My worry is that she wont get over the loss of the foal, which is what seems to be upsetting her the most, and I need to put her back into foal to help her get over it?

Ahhhhh decisions decisions. And now someone has just told me that she will try to kill any further foal she has! WTF?!
 
Mares don't usually brood for so long but I don't think you said how long ago she lost her foal?
Personally, I'd give her a chance to settle, give her some company too; is there any reason she can't go in with the yearlings for company (only skimmed through so apologies if they're colts!) I would also be inclined to turn her away at least until after Christmas; it'll give her a chance to settle in and chill out better and I'd also get her internally checked by the vet in case anything is amiss there but it does just sound like a very unhappy horse. Time is a great healer if there's nothing apparently wrong, it could just be her mind needs to relax and find her feet in a new place with new handlers.
If you're not going to lose out on the deal I'd give it a shot - but then I'm a bit of a gambler that way!
 
mfh I wont loose that much, or I wouldnt consider it! I plan to to exactly that, winter her out, bring her back into work when the weather turns, maybe get some quiet end of season hunting on her to test the ground, and give her an enjoyable, stress free summer next year.

Hmmm!
 
Go for it then
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I might be being overcautious and cynical re. injury but TBH, if she's going to have the next few months off in the field, there may not be much wrong with her that a few months off won't fix anyway (which is most likely what your vet would prescribe if she's not on 3 legs, having charged you £200 to investigate first!).

Can you get her some more company if she's getting upset when the yearlings go away?
 
CC thats what I think. I am happy to put her on moodymare etc as it worked for others I have had. CC I also agree with the £200 to be told to field rest it...

I have the time and the patience, so I think I am going to go for it. It is not going to cost me any money, and if it goes wrong it goes wrong - to be honest, any of mine could go wrong at any time, so I dont really worry about things like that. Also a bonus she is a mare, who has 5 stage and good breeding, so could always have a baby!

Hmmmmmm!

If I do end up with her I will post pics.
 
Sounds like a possible physical issue and some separation anxiety. She's had some big changes in her life and may not be used to being kept alone, that could easily account for her stress in the field.
Hope you can keep her and it works out well.
 
We had a little pony that had a suprise foal. He died at 12 weeks old out in the field and although when we found them the mare had left him she was still disstressed, in the days to com she was fine but she never physiacly recovered from it, she lots all weight and her muscles were all tight. We had the vet out who said that she wasnt in any pain but due to losing the foal she had reabsorbed the milk - which was too rich for her body to take, she has a number of illness' after that.

Id ask a breeder but i think puting the mare back in foal might straighten out her hormones. Also my TB mare took 6 months to settle down after she'd been pasted from piller to post. Hope you can help the mare =]
 
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