mare with attachement issues - help!!

C

Chingching

New User
Joined
7 February 2014
Messages
2
Visit site
I was hoping that someone can give some advice or that someone else has experienced a similar problem.. I have owned by 15 year old mare for nearly three years. I have a friend who has known her for six years. For as long as my friend has known my horse she has been known by the yard to have 'attachment issues', she would always dislike being on her own and will stress when she is not with other horses or doesn't have them in eye sight. The horses she was stabled near she was attached to and she would pace in the field or run around her stable screaming loudly until they return. The noise would be horrendous, she would have a scream very high pitched and loud, people commented that she did not sound like a mare and that she sounded like a stallion. This would continue until the said horses returned, be this 30 mins or 6 hours. Stallions/rigs on the yard were not interested in her in the slightest. I have since moved yard and due to the nature of the high walled stables she cannot see as many 'comings and goings' of the other horses in the yard and as a consequence is somewhat calmer. However, if she goes on a hack or to a show with another horse she forms some 'attachment' to them and will create when she gets back to the yard, sometimes her screaming/being unsettled will last for a couple of days. We have tried turning her out with the other mares, however she pesters them (to the extent she gets kicked several times). Whenever any of the horses she can see are brought in from the field (whether shes in a field with them or not), she then starts screaming and pacing in the field. Again, she will pace up and down for hours. We try to manage this by bringing her in first, however this isn't always possible and is not good for her churning up fields. Three days ago a stallion and his wife were grooming each other on the yard - it was the mares flirty scream that my mare responded to and again, screamed and ran round her stables for days. The owner of the yard was concerned that my mare was going to jump out of her stable as she was that distressed. She does not seem interested in the stallion on the yard, however seems obsessed with a couple of the mares. She has not been in season within the last 12 months. She seems to be displaying some stallion type behaviour?

Has anyone had a similar problem with their horses? Has anyone got any suggestions as to how to manage this behaviour? Is it worth going down a medical route? Maybe blood tests for hormonal imbalances? Sorry for the long post but I am at a bit of a loss as to what to do!
 
our mare has shown similar traits to yours. She has to be in a field on her own as she kicked out at the other mares who got too close to her. She has jumped her fence in the past ( in was only about 3 ft high tape fence ) . She spooks at the most trivial things . a piece of paper blowing around the yard will set her off , yet a tractor has no effect on her. She hates being last in , and wont tie up outside her stable at the moment so I have to tie her up opposite her stable using a longer lung line. We have tried various calmers with no real improvement.
 
MIne are ok at home stabled and just call for each other then settle but turned out they need each other and the gelding cannot be in other company wthout her as he must have her or he injures himself running and stressing.

We always managed this ok and rode alone or with each other or with others but now it is shows is the issue. If we take one it is fine. if we take two they freak when one is left on the box and one in warm or comp and its not enjoyable or safe so we are going down the calmer route and taking them for lessons at diff venue and leaving one in the box to get them used to this and our trainer there to see what happens and advise on how to deal with it as they kick off under saddle.
 
Speak to your vet. I would strongly suggest either having a blood test for testosterone or an internal examination.
Her behaviour and lack of seasons may suggest an ovarian tumour. I'm not for one moment saying that this is the case but it sounds identical to the symptoms my mare had. She had an ovarian tumour which real eases testosterone and makes them become very stallion like.
Please speak to your vet to rule this out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top