Mare intermittent bucking - being in season causing it?

[Olliepoppy]

Hi, my 17 year old mare is normally very well behaved both on the ground and under saddle. Last year, early to mid June I was mounting up as normal when she took off, no warning signs beforehand. Her companion had left the day before so I put it down to her being out of sorts. Then in 3/4 months later in October it happened again. This time I was on board, we had gone about 20 paces then she decked me on the tarmac out of the blue. I got teeth, back, saddle checked, vet assessment - all ok. Fast forward 8 months and she did it again yesterday. We'd gone about 50 yards and she was getting more and more tense then just decked me. So - 3 times in a year, no previous history of bucking, normally a very sweet, if a bit sensitive, reserved kind of girl. I'm wondering if it could be hormonal due to the length of time between episodes. She is not easy tell if in season but definitely was 2 weeks ago (I discovered as we attempted to ride past stallions in a field). Any thoughts much appreciated as I don't bounce well these days..

 

[PurBee]

Weird for her to do this now at 17, and never being mare-ish seasonal in the past.

I wonder if she’s going through equine menopause ...due to her age. Ive not read deeply about it but surely any mare as their age advances their ability to carry fullterm is limited, like with humans, so its questionable if her hormones are now rapidly altering. Can you get your vet to run hormone tests? Although truthfully, theyre only a snapshot in time, telling levels on the day...so not the most reliable method unless testing her everyday for months, to know if her hormone levels are altering wildly. You could get a ‘normal’ reading one day, pertaining only to that day so its not an accurate measure of her whole cycling levels.

I wonder if supplements like Agnus castus would be worth trying? Thats meant to level mareish hormones....for humans too! Google other hormone levelling supplements for equines.

The thing i considered, aside hormones, is girth/ulcers. Youve said youve had everything checked...so wondering if you use the same girth hole everytime....or maybe sometimes it’s tighter...hence her getting more and more tense after mounting?
Ulcers possible due to mild ones creating symptoms sporadically. Just something to have as a consideration.

Aside from that, maybe she has sporadic arthritic pain somewhere - shes not ancient but 17 could be the start of joint degeneration depending on her previous riding career/mileage?
Have you noticed she throws you when you do morning rides, after having been stabled/stiff....and evening rides, after being out grazing/moving she’s better to ride?

There’s evidently something she’s not happy about and considering her previous demeanour you describe, she’s being very forthright in expressing her displeasure. Im leaning more toward some acute pain/arthritic based perhaps, than hormones.
Being a mare she’s used to hormones swinging around and youve said previous behaviour is always sweet.

Only other thing to consider....but again she’d be like this all the time so unlikely culprit....feed change? Or maybe rides she’s fed before riding and not other rides?

Thinking about the minutia of the times she reacts will help point toward possible cause. Fingers crossed you get to figure it out soon...being decked isnt something anyone gets used to!

 

[Olliepoppy]

Thank you PurBee, lots of food for thought there. She isn't ever stabled unless really bad weather. All 3 occasions she has been brought in from the field.

Her girth holes only usually vary by one. She will be on 3 on both sides, 3 one side, 4 the other, or 4 both sides, she doesn't have huge variation. She does sometimes look round when the girth is being tightened but has done this since I got her 3.5 years ago.

Her conformation isn't the best, hollow back and she plaits but I have her back/saddle checked regularly - back check up actually booked for Friday so that's good timing!

She very definitely isn't mareish. Has never bitten or kicked out, and usually if worried about something is more likely to plant than bolt off. The incidents have all happened at home, the first time I just got on and we proceeded to have a nice hack. The second time I was too battered to get on, and yesterday I got back on with partner holding her but she didn't feel happy so got off and we walked out for a couple of miles in hand and she was good as gold. It's very strange that the incidents are so far apart, it's very hard to know what to do for the best. Awaiting phone call from vet to discuss.

 

[sbloom]

The alarm words for me are that she has a hollow back - I would look to posture and probably to saddle, these shapes are hard to fit and I so often see saddles with large rear gussets digging in at the back, saddles sitting up on the shoulder, and even some bridging. I much prefer a flat tree with wide rails (a dropped ribcage is often actually very wide, wider than when it comes up).

I would seek to correct the postural issues now, even if she's been like it a very long time, even since before backing, there are other causes to postural issues than riding, and so often it can be improved.

It may not be the cause of the bucking, but if she's hollow she's not moving correctly and it will cause other issues in time.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

Mares don’t have a menopause..they continue to be able to foal right to the end...I asked my vet about it one visit..(probably as i was melting from a “flush”). I’d be trying to track seasons more carefully to see if they coincide with the episodes. I have a mare with a sway back but she s never acted like this (Kent and Masters saddle). Could be ulcers but I’d expect a gradual worsening of behaviour not bursts here and there. Is the girth trapping hairs sometimes? Is a particular saddle pad being used perhaps making saddle too tight? Unfortunately you ll have to be a dedicated detective with this one.

 

[Equi]

If it was hormonal i would expect it to be more every 3 weeks not 3 times in a year. As said the hollow back would worry me more than hormones.

 

[Green Bean]

Olliepoppy, I have a mare that did something quite similar a while back (bucking without cause, not taking off) and went through all the checks. Eventually got her scoped for ulcers and back x-rayed. I think those are two things you need to consider. I am no expert, but haven't heard of a mare reacting as you have described due to hormones. Mine came back with no ulcers but two KS processes. KS diagnosis isn't the end of the world, but alarm bells do set off at the mention of a hollow back.