Mare owners...........

TicTac

TicTac

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How much does you mare change when she's in season? I became quite fond of my mare over the winter as she settled nicely into a routine, didn't get stressed when coming into the stable overnight, hacked out quietly with my daughter and her horse and was generally nice to be around.

And so with the spring, comes the ' seasons '.... and you would think she is a different horse. Both mine are out 24/7 now for the summer but I do like to bring them down into the stables once a day even if I'm not riding, to check them over. Brush, rug or un-rug etc etc. Immediately she gets into the stable she poo's and wee's for England. She must save them because I'm amazed at where it all comes from. I have to repeatedly ask her to move back or over, she fidgets constantly and the list goes on. Most of the time I am able to ignore her behaviour, accepting that she's at the mercy of her hormones and eventually she does settle, but it's so frustrating!!! Riding her at this time has it's challanges too!

I do not give her any hormone supplements as I'm a bit of a sceptic when it comes to things like that and to be honest at £36.00 or so for a pot of Oestress that will only last 4 or 5 weeks it's too expensive for me to pay out for on a regular basis on my limited budget.

How do other mare owners cope with the change in their horse during her Seasons? Do you try to carry on as normal or do you accept that you wont get much out of them during that time and leave them be for a few day? My mare fits perfectly into the saying, when she's good, she's very very good but when she's bad she's horrid!
 
My mare has been on Oestress for a few years now. 2 years ago i took her off it just to see if it made a difference. A few days later she was back on it again!! Her first season is a challenge as it comes on strong and she gets into her lesbian fling with her friend lol. I just let her get over that one and then the only difference I see with her seasons after that is that she squirts a bit. No unpleasant behaviour at all.
to be honest, it is worth the money to have my horse nice to be around and ride and obviously makes her more comfortable.
I suppose you can only try it and see if it helps. Oestress and magnesium are the only supplements that I use.
 
Thankfully, not at all. Usually I have no idea if she's in season or not! She can be quite flirty on occasion but is pretty fussy (we have 3 stallions in nearby fields and although she loves one of them the other get completely ignored!) and it doesn't affect her manners at all.

A mare on our old yard used to become really excitable when she was in season and keeping her away from the boys as much as possible seemed to help a lot.
 
TicTac said:
when she's good, she's very very good but when she's bad she's horrid!
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Thats just describes my girl perfectly!:):):):)

My mare is generally bonkers and unpredictable tbh. It just depends what day you get her on. But I actually don't find she is either up nor down mood-wise when she is in season. She can be different (more stroppy) when bringing her in and turning her out - she is a total trollop! But apart from that she is her usual self.

I do find she pees/poos a lot more and that sometimes her tummy can be a wee bit dodgy occassionaly but I tend to just give her pink powder to sort this out.

I think unless she is acting dangerously it might be something you'll just need to put up with on those days. I'm sure all the girls can apprecaite how she's feeling lol ;);)

Incidentally she is 10,000 times better when no geldings around but that's not really practical for me.
 
Mine is the least mare-y mare in the world and I don't often notice when she comes into season. That said, think she's probably in season at the moment though as she's been a little bit moodier than usual and weeing an awful lot. (It also coincides with her gaining a gelding as her field mate :rolleyes: )
 
Apart from being a total tart my mare doesn't seem to change very much when she is in season. However sometimes she is more "marey" than others. I have learnt over the last year (only had her since Apr 09) that when she is like this I have to be consistantly firm with her or she just tries to walk all over me. Although at times I can't help but chuckle at her antics and sometimes feel a bit mean as after all it's part of her personality and why I love her.
 
I've got one mare who can be pretty mareish squitty/ tail in the air/argumentative. I had her on regumate for a while which calmed her down.

Though I must say as she's got older she seems to have got better and I've hardly noticed her being in season this year. She's 12 now and not on any supplements for mareishness.
 
Lol, sounds like they're all the same.
Mine can be super duper bossy too and you really have to keep her in check but sometime I can't help but laugh at her. I sometimes wonder if I have adopted her personality traits or she mine!!!

In fact she has recently been re-christined by my new YO from Rosie McPosy to Rosie McBossy!!

:D
 
I'm one of the lucky ones - I never know when my mare is in season without looking under her tail :)

ETA: She's 7 and has always been like it
 
Mines a complete tart, but is gorgeous with it ;) she isn't any moodier when in season, just quieter, pee's a lot and plants next to the boys on the way up from the field!! :p SO really doesnt make much difference. The first few seasons at the beginning of the year she was foul, really sharp and just generally "make me" in her attitude, but this has stopped since the first couple were out the way :)
 
Until recently I have only had mares. Topsy and Anna - never knew they were in season. Breeze - was a happy tart, would be a bit squirty and give the boys a dirty call. Delia - honestly, preferred a mare as a come on. Fleur - the only one I have had who could be difficult. Very lively, riding could be a challenge - nappy, unwilling to school, but boy did she jump those days, think it was here way of dealing with PMT! Farra - again the first season this year was slightly wilful in the school for a day, but normally I would never know she was in season, apart from a twitch of the tail when Stinky grooms her.

With my mares I have expected them to get on with life, but at the same time understand that they may fancy giving the boys a call and in the case of Breeze, never to stand behind when they went past on certain days.:eek:

I think some people forget that mares are entire, and need a little tactful handling at all times, ie ask them not tell them, but generally I have found that is the rule with mares at any time of the month.
 
She seem fine, any thing a mare can throw at me won't touch what sh*tbag can do when he's feeling that way out.

She's quite loving really, like a breath of fresh air. :D
 
Theresa_F said:
ask them not tell them, but generally I have found that is the rule with mares at any time of the month.
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I totally agree....
i am quite partial to mares, def got a soft spot now - McBossy is my third. Cant imagine ever getting a boy but I know plenty others who are the complete opposite lol!!
 
Have to agree, I always said I wouldn't have a mare, but as difficult as she can be, I absolutely adore her :) Definitely converted. She is SO single minded which is fab when she is on side... ;)
 
Yay for the mare converts. I love mares, short, stocky, ginger, opinionated mares.

I seem to have an affinity, does that say something about my character?
 
Have always been a big fan of the mares - only owning two geldings over the years which just didn't gel with at all compared to how I got on with my mares.

However the latest girl is a bit of a challenge when she is in season, where she goes from a lovely sweet forward going mare to a jet propolled rocket that you're never quite sure when it's going to explode!!!!! She becomes a nightmare to bring in will only ever come in as the last horse from all the fields, yet will charge up and down the fence line as other are brought in around her, where as usually she will come in with her field companion and find that for leading often have to use a stallion chain. She isn't moody which is a blessing, but as she is new still trying to work her out and yet undecided whether or not to put her on something like Oestruss or Regumate or just leave her a bit longer and see what happens as we get to know each other better.
 
My old mare is no problem at all and never has been.

Then there's the chestnut TB! After trying lots of different calmers to cope with her behaviour and since moving her to live at home, I have discovered she's sufferring from PMT! She squeels and kicks out at nothing and then turns to bite her belly. Penny dropped that she had period pain! The last straw was when she attacked the old mare whilst out hacking!

I called Ros at Helios Homeopathy and she sent me Sepia tablets, she had 2 a day for 5 days and then 2 weeks off, she'll start again on Tuesday. After day 3 she was a different horse, all for the grand sum of £7.80 including postage!

From what I can figure out it'll depend on your horses symptoms which remedy they'd use but at £8 it's worth a try.
 
cracklin rosie, thanks for the suggestion of that website. I have had a look, and it looks great. I would prefer to use something like this so have contacted them to find out about dosage.
I wonder if chestnut mares have more of a tendancy to have a problem with PMT, maybe that is where their reputation has come from.
 
to put it nicely blue turns EVIL!!!!!
she was practically unridable! plus she was just so anyed all time time and gets angry at everything. i know that supliments are expensive but i use frisky mare plus and it has deffinatly helped her with her mood swings :) she is also alot nicer to ride again!!
 
Another of the lucky ones whose mare is much the same to handle all year round :) She's a very independent and sassy creature anyway - the only difference when she is in season is that I have to be more tactful about schooling. I do wonder whether she gets sore ovaries or something as she finds it harder to let go over her back, but she's not difficult about it.

Apart from that - there's lots of squirting, and shameless flirting - and about one day a month she goes soppy to handle and likes having a cuddle - the rest of the time she would tell me to get stuffed if I tried to fuss her! :D
 
Mine is an absolute nightmare! Tried everything under the sun then caved in and put her on Regumate!

What a difference in my opinion when shes in season shes not worth a penny - on Regumate shes worth thousands!!!!
 
My mare does not change too much, she seems quite loved up and on the look out for a stallion, she is a complete tart with newer horses however, but I find her much the same to handle thankfully
 
My mare is quite a tart when in season but isnt too bad. When riding she is a bit more spooky and is even harder to keep her attention than normal. I put her on Equine America Magnitude which is about 18.99 for a tub that lasts 6months. Might take the edge off her a little.
 
celia said:
Thankfully, not at all. Usually I have no idea if she's in season or not!
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Ditto!! Ive only ever noticed when ladys been in season twice, but there is no difference in her behaviour :)
shes in season now actually, i noticed she was ALOT more cuddley than usual :D but i guess thats the only thing im able to notice haha Lucky Me ;)
 
chestnuttymare said:
cracklin rosie, thanks for the suggestion of that website. I have had a look, and it looks great. I would prefer to use something like this so have contacted them to find out about dosage.
I wonder if chestnut mares have more of a tendancy to have a problem with PMT, maybe that is where their reputation has come from.
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There is a suspicion that redheads are more sensitive to pain, so there maybe something in that!

Started evil pony on her drugs last night as she almost booted the stable down, squeeling when I went in to do last thing check. Calm as you lke this morning.
 
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