mares sorry -long, please help

[siennamiller]

hope someone can help me.
My mare is an exracer, 5 years old. Is normally very quiet, she has been very full of her self. As she is tb I do still feed her because otherwise she drops weight. She was very naughty last week, threatening to rear/buck and spinning round. As her back and teeth have both been checked I put it down to her saddle sohave booked saddle fitter to come next week and decided not ride her in the meantime.
Yesterday I rode my boy and decided to lead her to at least get her out and about. She is normally perfect to lead. Anyway she started rearing and charging off, in the end I had to let her go and she went back to the yard on her own (not on roads) . did not want to let her get away with it so went and got her and took her out again,she did it again,got worse and ended up landing on harleys back, he had a hoofprint right behind the saddle, she seemed to be was aiming for me (this is normally the nicest/sweetest horse)At this point I decided it was dangerous to carry on so I took her her back and just chucked her out. I am obviously going to take her off her food at the mo to see if that helps, does anyone have any ideas please?

 

[Bossdog]

Something is obviously up setting her, perhaps her hormones are playing up, it'd be worth getting your vet to check for abnormal hormones, I think cysts can cause a lot of trouble.

Good luck

 

[dwi]

Poor you, that sounds terrible

That really is odd if she's normally fine. I'd get in an equine behaviourist. I had one from the monty roberts site and she was really good. Pretty much solved my problems

 

[Claireg9]

id also check things like hormones they can play a massive factor. As this is so out of character id suggest calling your vet for advice!

 

[siennamiller]

thanks guys
forgot to say she also had very sloppy poo yesterday which is unusual for her
don't know what significance that has?

 

[piebaldsparkle]

I would definately get her back checked too. To cut a long story short, my mare always gets hormonal before her 1st season if it has been a mild winter. Anyway this year she started to become nappy when ridden and difficult to lead to and from field, very bargy and not herself at all. I originally put it down to hormones and tried one of the supplements Oestress, this had no effect & mare got worst and finally reared bolt upright with me. Decided to get her back checked just incase as she has also started rearing in the field, when I tried to catch her. Her back was very sore (probably fell in field, being a nutter coz she was all hormonal), but two treatment later she was back to her normal self (thank god!!). Had saddle checked too, just incase, but that was fine. Good luck.

 

[siennamiller]

her back was done just over a week ago,and she is checked regulalrly as well?

 

[_jetset_]

It sounds to me as though she is not feeling herself... Is she in season?

The reason I ask this is because the saddle sits right where her ovaries are, and if she is coming in season and has sore ovaries then this would explain the rearing and bucking which she doesn't usually do. Also, when they are in season they can be very mareish... you say the other horse is a he, so maybe she is just having a tempermental girlie few days.

I wouldn't take her off her food as you don't want to change anything all of a sudden if her poo is runny... could it be that because of the rain we are having the grass has started to come through again and this making her poo runny?

I definitely think it is something to do with hormones. I would give it a few days and just watch her closely. If you are at all unsure ring the vet, but from what you have said I do think it could be a bad season.

 

[siennamiller]

I think it possibly is her season, but she was being led so I did not have a saddle on, the wierdest thing is I am sure she was going for me, not him? I am in season(so to speak) that would not have any affect would it

 

[_jetset_]

Not sure... but mares in season can act very very strangely! I used to know a mare who had bad seasons and she would try to mount you when you went in her stable if you had been handling a gelding!

 

[seabiscuit]

AH-hah ! The dilemma of a sloppy poo!

It may be a 'mare' thing...OR could be digestion/intolerance trouble...

One of my ex-racers was a NIGHTMARE on food with cereals and molasses in them- he turned into a right grumpy bugger, napping, rearing, didnt want to do ANYTHINg, he was agressive, went for me in the field etc etc. At first the poos were normal but toxins from food intolerances do take some time to build up eventually leading to constantly inconsistant poos and colic.
Have recently realised that my boy is intolerant to grass as well...as soon as he eats something that he is intolerant too, the b*astard behaviour returns.this food just makes his stomach so sore.

When he has just alflalfa and hay, he is as sweet as pie, really happy and compliant, and loves to work. Also Coligone is desigend for horses like these as well. Why not take her off all feed and perhaps grass for a few days (turn out with a muzzle on) and make sure she just eats hay and alfa-oil, nothing else, & see if she sweetens up and if the poos return to normal?

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Good point seabiscuit couldn't work out why my mare who is also intollerant to sugar, cereal, grass and haylage was naughty and had loose poos most Mondays. Then found out bl**dy kids coming up on weekends for lessons (any would think yard was a riding school, and not DIY) were going round stables stuffing polos and god knows what other cr*p down the horses throats AHHHHHH - Think Sparks also got more than most as she is V.friendly, has unusual marking, and is in alot of the time to restrict her grazing.

 

[siennamiller]

well, I am concerned that it is her food. I changed her diet about 2months ago. she is on a diet suitable for epsm horses as thats what my boy is on and as she has been prone to tying up I decided it would not do her any harm. She is on oat and barley free (which is like alfa/peas /herbs etc) a tiny bit of saracen releve and alfa a oil, plus sunflower oil, vit e and selenium. She also has a small scoop of epsom salts while it is hot. Good point about grass,we have just had some rain.
bizarre tho that she did not do this last year when she was on more grass and not such a suitable diet.

 

[Scarlett]

my exracer is sugar intolerent, he just gets bolshy and does a lot of prancing on the spot, barging, dragging etc.... i also cant feed him haylage or good quality grass as this goes to his head, his poos do get quite sloppy too... at the mo we are grazing him on crap grass with extra hay, non molassed chaff and topline cubes - works a treat and he is a lamb to ride/handle.....

what does your mare get to eat? has it changed recently?

 

[siennamiller]

just seems odd it has come out of nowhere. She has never shown any signs of stomach trouble b4?
will monitor her and see
thanks everyone