Mare owners | Getting use to a mare

[Hormonal Filly]

So I have a lovely 4yo ISH mare. She’s super sweet and not mareish on the ground at all, in fact - we have a lovely bond and I don’t regret buying her although she is very sensitive compared to all my geldings I’ve had. She isn’t in loads of work, she’s hacked 3 times a week and goes in the school every couple of weeks for 20 minutes.

I try and write in my diary when she looks to be in season (squealing, calling for the others and just not as settled, facial expressions) and to ride it’s more noticeable than on the ground - she’s very backwards, not willing and uncomfortable (ears back) and doesn’t want to do it which is all out of character for her.

This months season has dragged on a bit, rode yesterday thinking it had passed but she was very backwards and nappy, ears back so ended it on a good note and gave her lots of fuss anyway. I do try and avoid anything but hacking when she’s in season or give her a few days off over the worse of it.

It seems her cycles are every 28 days by my notes, the usual is 21 days but I’ve read it is possible? Does anyone else have a mare with a slightly longer cycle?

I tried NAF Oestress but it made her super lazy all throughout the month bizarrely so I stopped using it.

 

[mariew]

To be honest I'd have a chat with your vet to see what would help her.

 

[smolmaus]

Oestress making her "lazy" might make sense if it was the magnesium oxide (second ingredient in oestress) having the effect. If she is usually slightly deficient in magnesium it could be making her seem sharper than she would be otherwise.

A pure mag ox supplement is a cheap thing to try just to rule that out.

I do agree vet should be first port of call. There could be something going on making her ovaries painful during her seasons.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Thanks both. If she is the same next month I’ll call my vet, she’s having a few days off now. I just know he’ll recommend Regumate as did for a friends mare so I’ve put it off.

Oestress making her "lazy" might make sense if it was the magnesium oxide (second ingredient in oestress) having the effect. If she is usually slightly deficient in magnesium it could be making her seem sharper than she would be otherwise.

A pure mag ox supplement is a cheap thing to try just to rule that out.

I do agree vet should be first port of call. There could be something going on making her ovaries painful during her seasons.

She is on Progressive earths balancer which I believe has mag ox in. Maybe it’s worth trying again, I was giving her the loading dose.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

This may not remotely apply to you as I know some mares really do struggle and need help/TLC, so feel free to ignore me. BUT I do wonder whether sometimes mare owners expect their mares to have an issue and back off too readily when they nap - unwittingly creating a learned behaviour? Lottie is more clingy to other horses, less willing to stand still for mounting and calls more when in season. But I expect her to get on with the job anyway. And in general she does. Just a thought.

 

[milliepops]

i would also have a chat with the vet. A regumate trial may be useful, it's a pita to handle and not particularly cheap, but if you seen an improvement - or if you don't! (and your diary records would make it fairly easy to be objective about that) then you might decide to do some other investigations.

One of mine would become too tight to do flatwork when in season but enjoyed her jumping, that was fairly easy to manage just going along with how she felt. Another got very difficult in her first and last seasons of the year and i managed her with a couple of bottles of regumate, spring and autumn and she didn't need it the rest of the year. For her i preferred to give the medication and know she was on an even keel than just try and cope with it.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

This may not remotely apply to you as I know some mares really do struggle and need help/TLC, so feel free to ignore me. BUT I do wonder whether sometimes mare owners expect their mares to have an issue and back off too readily when they nap - unwittingly creating a learned behaviour? Lottie is more clingy to other horses, less willing to stand still for mounting and calls more when in season. But I expect her to get on with the job anyway. And in general she does. Just a thought.

I understand where you’re coming from. I don’t let her get away with it and don’t allow her to nap and she isn’t a nappy horse usually. She goes from going forward to my voice and a gentle squeeze to needing a actual kick to get a reaction, when in season. It’s weird.. totally disinterested from work, looking at everything else. I’ve had the problems since they first started in Spring, same symptoms every time.

One week I rode in the 30ac field and she was so super, didn’t even need much leg she was so obedient and keen. The week after (in season) she wouldn’t go forward, squealing, screaming for the others and trying to stop and not move.

I did do 15 minutes yesterday of making her get on with it, thinking it would improve - but it was hard work and I was sweating by the end. :-( she gets very affectionate too with me when in season, constantly wants fuss.

I know some say horses can’t be ‘dramatic’ as they don’t have the ability to be, but she is extremely sensitive to some things. I trotted her up after and she moved lovely and I usually have a eye for lameness.

Maybe it is worth speaking to the vet, I just know he’ll recommend Regumate and I’ve been told to avoid it by so many people but if it stops all this then maybe it’s worth a try. I might put her back on the NAF supplement.

 

[Ample Prosecco]

That sounds like she really does need help. My friend's horse would be much more difficult if it were not for regumate. Why are you being advised against?

 

[Shilasdair]

Just as an aside - the not moving forward to a leg aid is perhaps related to a stallion's front legs when errrr...they feel romantic.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

That sounds like she really does need help. My friend's horse would be much more difficult if it were not for regumate. Why are you being advised against?

‘dangerous’ and not good long term. I was also told to avoid it on a youngster but not sure how true that is..

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Just as an aside - the not moving forward to a leg aid is perhaps related to a stallion's front legs when errrr...they feel romantic.

That made me laugh!

 

[AntiPuck]

I found a similar thing with my mare, got her in March and no huge changes when she came into season in April or May, just a bit of spraying, but a couple of weeks ago she was hit really hard with behaviour like you've described with yours - unwilling to move, calling to the others, completely ignoring the leg, spraying everywhere, etc. She gave the overall impression of being utterly unable to concentrate on anything except other horses, and seemed quite flustered, but no aggression on the ground.

After doing a bit of reading on here I ordered some Angus Castus powder to try her on - just waiting for her to come back into season again to see if it has helped or not. Might be worth a shot before going for anything stronger?

 

[Jellymoon]

We have a trampy pony mare who is all over the boys when in season, doesn’t want to leave them, walks around with tail up and legs spread (sorry, can’t describe it any other way!) spraying all over the place. She’s definitely harder to get going when she’s like this, but we sort of ignore it and carry on as normal, and after a couple of days she forgets about it. Maybe keeping them busy takes their mind off it? We do have to ride her more strongly with our legs to keep her going, but we dont have to be mean to her, no smacks with stick or anything like that. Not her fault, but better for her if she can forget about boys for a bit!

i don’t think she’s at all uncomfortable, she just wants to be with the boys and shes being nappy i guess.

 

[smolmaus]

After doing a bit of reading on here I ordered some Angus Castus powder to try her on - just waiting for her to come back into season again to see if it has helped or not. Might be worth a shot before going for anything stronger?

Same, ordered a tub this morning! My mare's behaviour is spot on same as yours, never aggressive or stereotypically "mareish" just scatterbrained and sticky to do anything with.

Fingers crossed for both of us!

 

[AntiPuck]

Same, ordered a tub this morning! My mare's behaviour is spot on same as yours, never aggressive or stereotypically "mareish" just scatterbrained and sticky to do anything with.

Fingers crossed for both of us!

Exactly, "scatterbrained" and "sticky" are great words for it! Best of luck, hope it helps for you

 

[milliepops]

there is agnus castus (chasteberry) in the NAF supp so probably won't help OP at this point. but others do notice an improvement.

 

[smolmaus]

there is agnus castus (chasteberry) in the NAF supp so probably won't help OP at this point. but others do notice an improvement.

The reason I ordered some was because of the mag ox/agnus castus mix in the oestress. Can't tell what (if anything) is making a difference if oestress has both and they're cheaper separately.

 

[milliepops]

that's fair enough, i was responding to the suggestion OP try it really, as they effectively already have

 

[AntiPuck]

there is agnus castus (chasteberry) in the NAF supp so probably won't help OP at this point. but others do notice an improvement.

Ah, apologies, didn't realise that

 

[Caol Ila]

I used to give my old mare St. John’s Wort because she would go psycho during her early and late seasons. It sort of helped.

 

[Cob Life]

Same, ordered a tub this morning! My mare's behaviour is spot on same as yours, never aggressive or stereotypically "mareish" just scatterbrained and sticky to do anything with.

Fingers crossed for both of us!

I’ve never used this on mares but had really good results with a grumpy gelding?

OP if that doesn’t help I’d speak to your vet and see what they think about testing hormone levels in case there’s an imbalance she’s struggling with I’m very lucky the mare I ride you can barely tell she’s in season.

 

[Lois Lame]

Just as an aside - the not moving forward to a leg aid is perhaps related to a stallion's front legs when errrr...they feel romantic.

That's interesting. Really thinking outside the square. I hadn't thought of that.

 

[Caol Ila]

My favourite child today is not my mare. After an excellent time playing with TREC obstacles, she lost her mind while going back to her field and was on her back legs. There's a new gelding in the field, and she's like an over-emotional 18-year old girl with the love of her life and she could not be with him fast enough and my God, it was the end of the bloody world (in other words, me, at uni).

My gelding is a dude. He likes hanging out with other dudes, drinking a few beers, watching the football. He can be sensitive and has a bit of anxiety, but he's a mensch, just a super nice guy, and he would rather just be chilled. I like geldings.

 

[Trinket12]

Sugar gets ditzy and has the focus of a goldfish when in season, she’s less happy to pick up the canter on the flat (though will happily canter off after a jump). When talking to my vet, he didn’t feel Regumate was needed, there’s a product here in Canada called Feisty Mare and she has a scoop of that, the difference has been amazing. Less girthy, stays more focused and doesn’t fight so much in canter. She’s clearly more comfortable.

I’m part of a group on FB called Moody Mares and there was a post that was very interesting around the season piece. I copied it below.


Lady bits and struggles, we all need a little more sympathy for mares.

After one of my conversations with Mary Sargeant where she pointed out that I have never written a post about mare issues I figured I would put one together so here it is…

There is a fair amount of information out there about the gelding scares, dysfunctional motion and spine issues as a result. There is very little out there about the cranky mare and the issues that she faces regularly because of her anatomy.
To be honest when I am done writing this I'm pretty sure you will no longer look at mares in the same light.

If you are female you know that having a monthly cycle can be anything from uncomfortable to plain debilitating. You know it's a full body event that lasts anywhere from 24 hours to a week.

It’s no different for the equine female !

Let's look at the anatomy and the fascial connections. The big deal with female genitalia is the fascial/ligamental suspension system and the internal tensegrity it works with and how that tensegrity affects the entire tensegrity of the body.

The ovaries, the uterine horns and the uterus itself are suspended right behind the kidney from the ovary suspensory ligament, the broad ligament that is made up of the mesovarium, mesosalpinx and mesometrium and the ovarian bursa. Additionally we need to consider the round ovary ligament the rectogenital pouch and the vasicogenital pouch. Lots of soft tissue that is super susceptible to fascial pull and restriction.

All these suspending structures are supposed to support and maintain the position of these organs through equine locomotion. We can start to see how compromised body tensegrity will compromise the functionality of these structures and impair their ability to do their job.

We need to also consider the effect that the chemical change has on what happens to the body from mood to muscle function, blood pressure and the pH balance in the fascia, all will be in flux.

Lastly but most importantly we need to consider the movement of the ovaries and the effect this has on motion of existing tension patterns and the new tension patterns it will introduce from a fascial tensegral perspective.

Yes the ovaries move through their cycle !!?

So how does this happen ? Whichever ovary left or right is active in a particular heat cycle will rotate up. It will start from its hanging position, then it will rotate laterally and dorsally keeping in mind that the average ovary is 2 to 4 inches long this would create a fair amount of change in the tension of all those suspending structures.

The ovary is supposed to unfurl again at the end of the heat cycle and return to its original position. Unfortunately this is often not the case as due to body compensation patterns the overlie remains restricted in the up position.
Tension patterns in the body that keep the ovary in its upright position will ensure that with each new heat cycle the ovary is restricting itself further while attempting to move through its natural cycle.

Can we start to see how this would create a long standing issue ???
You know the grumpy angry mare ?

And don't be fooled and think that this restriction is local ? because it will affect the spine, the pelvis, diaphragm, the other organs, the psoas and many more creating issues all the way to the occiput and TMJ.

If you have a mare, keep this in mind, get help and figure out a system to help her cope.

For those that follow me the hind limb hammock hold will do wonders for mares that are struggling through a heat cycle.

Image from: Anatomy of the Horse by Klaus - Dieter Budras & W.o. Sack & Sabine Rock

 

[Caol Ila]

@Trinket, what's in Feisty Mare?

My mare's seasons have not been that bad, but the new gelding, who came into the herd early last week, has thrown a spanner in the works. I'm ready to take out shares in Regumate.

 

[Trinket12]

@Trinket, what's in Feisty Mare?

My mare's seasons have not been that bad, but the new gelding, who came into the herd early last week, has thrown a spanner in the works. I'm ready to take out shares in Regumate.

Dry Cut Leaf Format: Lemon Balm, Chamomile, Aniseed, Chasteberry, Thyme, Proprietary Antioxidant Blend.

It’s made a huge difference, canter was super uncomfortable for her, especially on the left and I’d get bucks and kick outs. She’s still a little flirty but is calmer.

https://www.horseherbs.com/products/feisty-mare

 

[Hormonal Filly]

My favourite child today is not my mare. After an excellent time playing with TREC obstacles, she lost her mind while going back to her field and was on her back legs. There's a new gelding in the field, and she's like an over-emotional 18-year old girl with the love of her life and she could not be with him fast enough and my God, it was the end of the bloody world (in other words, me, at uni).

My gelding is a dude. He likes hanging out with other dudes, drinking a few beers, watching the football. He can be sensitive and has a bit of anxiety, but he's a mensch, just a super nice guy, and he would rather just be chilled. I like geldings.

The bit about you at uni made me laugh. I rode in the big school field on Friday with my friend on her gelding. Who suddenly turns into the love of my mares life when she’s in season…

How dare I try and walk her away from the love of her life, that she might suddenly never see again!! Queue vertical rearing and holding it there for what felt like several minutes when it was probably a couple of seconds. It’s made me realise the ‘laziness’ is probably just all napping related. Grrr. She didn’t scare me and was swiftly asked to trot on.

I’ve ordered some Agnus Castus berries to try.. as its cheap (compared to NAFs supplement) and read good things, be interesting if they make any difference.

Going to try and keep the season diary updated and predict when she’ll be in season, and will try just hacking/ or give her that week off.

 

[maya2008]

I’ve only ever had mares for myself and for any projects I’ve had over the years - the only two geldings in my life belong to my husband and son. Never had a problem with seasons, they have always been a non-event under saddle (although squirting in the field always told me when they were). I would not deny that some mares do have trouble with their seasons, but I have only met one in my adult life.

When they are young, I teach my mares that I expect the same behaviour under saddle no matter what - whether it is blowing a gale, raining buckets, freezing cold, boiling hot, they are in season or there is a stallion (or herd of cows) galloping up and down the fenceline. In return, I ensure their tack fits correctly and their every need is met. I think it’s a fair trade!

 

[eahotson]

My mate explained life to me.She said that I should do what she said when she said and then we would get on just fine!