Sudden behaviour Change in Mare

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EmilyS

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29 April 2006
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Hi there, just had a quick query really!

I have owned my 16 year old 13hh gypsy cob mare for 8 years and known her for 10 and she has never been at all mareish, never taking interest in any boys and I have never even been aware of when she was in season as they passed so calmly.

However for the last 2 weeks she has been really stuffy in her canter and in the last two days she has suddenly turned into some sort of pest! She is squirting at the gelding she is out with (been with him for a year and no previous signs of this) and wouldn't leave him alone all day today, nibbling him, licking him, turning her bum on him. She even ended up kicking him when he was ignoring her, so much so that we had to split them up as he started getting so annoyed by her (he is 17hh and could do damage!). He is totally bemused poor lad and has no idea what has hit him! I'm now wondering if the stuffy canter was some sort of "period pain" and the season has come to a head in the last two days with this behaviour!

I'm not sure whether to leave it and wait and see if it settles, and then see what happens in her next season or if I should ring the vets to get her checked over. Its just so bizarre!

Anyone had anything like this before?
 
My mare has just had a couple of seasons like this, shes turned out next to a young gelding. Shes 15 and has behaved like a tart lol! The first season was worse than the last with her calling for him.. It passed though and I didnt worry about it. Shes on NAF Oestress so goodness knows what she would be like without that. She had a foal when she was younger so I wonder if thats why shes more aware of the boys. Also I wonder if this time of year is when they are most fertile and its a bit of a height of the breeding season. Could be to do with their ages, they are both similar, maybe its a last chance whilst they are most fertile and then they start to lose fertility. Dont know really but am not worried enough to consider calling the vet out. Shes not been any different to ride though like your mare.
 
I did wonder if it was some sort of mid life crisis/biological clock ticking thing but thought I was being mad thinking on those lines!!

The only change in her routine is that she is normally out with two geldings, but one is away on pony camp, so for the first time it is just her and the big lad. Surely shes not too shy to flirt in front of the other pony?!?
 
Maybe try a heaped teaspoon of ground Agnus Castus in her feed twice a day and see if this helps. It's a herbal hormone regulator.

I had to use it with my gelding - at mare season time (in the next field) they would stand squirting and squealing at the geldings, and poor lad had no clue what was going on, and got very stressed. On the whole he finds mares quite scary. The Agnus Castus helped steady him.
 
Next change...she now has swollen boobs. Not producing any milk and teats not swollen, just boobs! hard in places but mostly soft, and not hot.

Very odd!
 
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