Supplements/general advice for moody/vicious mare?!

C

Cedars

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 May 2009
Messages
7,830
Visit site
Evening all,

Am sat on sofa nursing a sore knee after being booted by my OH's mums mare.

Quick history, bought March 09, brought to our yard June 09. Reared up and over, landing on OHs mum September 09, diagnosed gastric ulcers. November 09 had surgery for 2 areas of kissing spines. Fully removed.

Spent a lonngggg time in recovery due to snow/OHs broken shoulder, brought back in to work slowly. Generally fine, first time sat on back perfect, but begun to rear a little bit when saddle put on. Haven't done much since as we're having an arena built so are just waiting.

Straight after surgery, she was really sweet natured, she's always quite a sharp mare but recently she's turned to a whole other level. She's always pulled faces when you groom her tummy/put your hands in her rugs, but the other week she bit me for just walking up to her in the field? Like, a proper "i really mean this" bite, not just a threat. She does threats ALOT.

Then today, she came up to me in the field, gave her a pat. Then she went back to eating, I went back to poo picking. Then without any warning or spook, she booted me on the knee? I hadn't made a noise or anything?

Anyway, this post is kind of three fold. One - I think its probably gastric ulcer related, can you recommend supplements? Two - any other thoughts on what it could be? Can mares just be nasty? And Three - anyone got any bonding exercises we can do when we get the school? Join up type things? She doesnt have any soft spots, generally hates being scratched.

Any thoughts would be great. Ta xxxx
 
Have you started feeding her to bring her back into work?
I know I tend to go on about it a bit but my first thought with odd behaviour is always to look at the diet and if she's already got ulcer problems this makes it even more likely IMO. I have several food intolerances myself and know how 'out of sorts' they can make me feel. Your comment about her hating being scratched also points to sensitivity to feed, it can make the skin feel extremely uncomfortable when touched.
If you haven't already, I'd cut out all feed except hay/lage and grass nuts. Of course to just to make things interesting some horses react badly to haylage as well.
Good luck!
 
sounds like she has naff all respect for you, or anyone else to be honest.
what do you do when she pulls faces/threatens and/or bites you?

If you have/can rule out pain (and of course you should do this first) then I think you need to start laying some serious groundrules.

I feel for you though - I have a stroppy, argumentative mare myself (though she is much better these days)....
 
Have you had her ovaries scanned? A friends horse was displaying similar behaviour which became worse over a couple of years. She was typically worse after her seasons finished in the autumn. On scanning she was found to have enlarged ovaries which reduced after a course of regumate. She settled in behaviour for a couple of months and then came back with vengence, biting her owner in the face on the way in from the field. She would not go forward when ridden and hated being groomed, touched, anything really! 3 months ago she had her ovaries removed and within 2 weeks she turned into a sweet natured loving mare. She is about to start back into work and we are all waiting to see if the improvement in her temprement will continue through her ridden work :)
 
I did wonder whether she might have a new area of kissing spines...but could one have formed if she was xrayed just over a year ago??
 
My mare has always been grouchy having her sadddle on and being groomed around tummy.I knew she was uncomfortable as she is generally sweet natured .I had her ovaries scanned to make sure nothing had been missed and vet agreed to try her on regumate the difference was unbelievable .She is less argumentative and spooky and more affectionate.Once we worked out that it was her seasons causing problem she had marble fitted ,this tricks her body into feeling it is pregnant and stops the hormones being released. She is much more pleasant to be around.I was dreading taking marble out oct time but have just been told that it can be left in so looks like we can continue our good work. :D
 
But shes ALWAYS horrid? Ive never seen any patterns around her seasons? Tbh I'm not even sure I could tell you when her seasons are!
 
The mare I was referring to was the same, you could never tell when she was in season - she just got truely evil from Autumn onwards - Her overies were massive and regumate did make a big improvement, the cost factors of her being on it all year round possibly for the rest of her life was not really an option.There was no intention to breed from her so removal was the best option and she is now so lovely to deal with she is like a new mare.
I really would ask your vet to scan her - nothing to loose.
 
You're right. I will suggest. Am beginning to wonder whether it would be better to PTS. Or maybe the KS, the gastric ulcers, were just the tip of the iceberg of whats wrong with her?
 
My mare can be absolutely foul - she's on regumate and has a marble, and her ovaries have been scanned, so in her case its nothing reproductive. But she is like this all the time, and most of the year, so your mare may not show a season pattern either.

She squeals and kicks out if she doesn't want to do something, although if you nag her she generally gives in. Getting really tough with her - as I've had trainers suggest - is totally counterproductive.
It might be worth getting a really good physio to look at her - she could be sore elsewhere if she's compensated for her KS. Our physio (who's ACPAT regd) reckons my mare has spent most of her working life compensating for an old hock injury which has now affected both hocks and her shoulders. With some fairly firm physio treatment - which made the mare squeal like a pig - she's heaps better to ride.
But she remains very sensitive to touch - I only use a 'jelly' curry comb and a body brush and groom her quite firmly to avoid tickling her and most days grooming her belly and thighs is out of the question - funnily enough I can hose them, so keep the mud down in winter to avoid her getting sore.
I find she's better if I handle her every day - she's on part livery, but unless work prevents it, she always gets a bit of a brush and her rugs adjusted by me. I also totally ignore her if I have to go in the field.
I've had all sorts of treatments and tried every type of regime with this mare - I think you just have to accept that some mares are tricky. You just have to look for their redeeming features - ours has been a fantastic competition mare, enormously brave and tough and we're hoping she'll make a decent broodmare.
It has, however put me off having another mare tho - as a 1/2 horse owner, you want them to be fun, not a constant challenge!
 
Shes had Gillian Higgins out to see her and do physio, who said apart from her being a bit tense and lacking in muscle there were nowt wrong with it. You dont really get better than her so pretty sure shes right that its not physical...

Funny you say shes bad with her belly and thighs. Madam makes threats to bite if you're grooming her tummy or between her front legs.

I am wondering whether we should try some form of supplement for her seasons and see if that makes any effect. Just normally said it couldnt be as shes a vicous witch all the time!

Her show name is Faer Enough - Glen Faerie blood. Wonder if anyone else has similar mares!?

And also anyone got any exercises that can be done in the school?
 
My mare has slowly slowly got my grumpy and mareish over the years - Iv had her 10 years since she was 4. She has become very arsey with other horses, mostly geldings and if she doesnt like them she will kick out/defend her stable/field and charge at them ears back etc. If she loves them she clings to them and becomes very attached. She never used to bother much at all. She is becoming verry slowly more grumpy with rugs/saddles on and has begun to bite the air near me when doing straps/girth (btw everything fits her), again a few years ago never used to. I would say it started to get progressively worse when she hit 13 ish, but shes not terrible and its only certian things she disaproves of! Another example is if I go check her in the field, she will come over and have a carrot/say hello all friendly- but if she decides shes had enough of that and walks off, god forbid if I follow to check rugs/legs etc. Ears back, trots off and flings a back leg - it seems certain things have to be on her terms.

Her ridden work is fab generally but even if ridden nearby a horse she chooses she dislikes (99% of them) she will try and flatten them, kick out and spin round and eyeball them - its almost impossible to stop this - again never used to have a problem. I'm not sure if its her older age making her behave differently to other horses - perhaps her place in a pecking order would have changed or she values herslef higher now!

Im considering putting her on some sort of supploement or having her scanned, but part of me think its could be down to her being moved around to different yards with varying routines the last few years. Not sure - Im very firm with her but we do have an understanding and after 10 years know each other pretty well.
 
Hannah87 you made me think of something else - she has bad separation anxiety and formed a stupidly close attachment to our gelding when they were over fencing from each other - squirting at him across the field and the like!!! She likes my yearling but is definitely boss and will tell her off. Shes not protective of her though.
 
Yep that sounds like my mare - she is in LOVE with a gelding on one side of the field - does long range squirts (nice), snuggles him over the fence etc - the gelding on her other side.. well if he even dares to look at her she charges at the fence, ears back, kicking going mad. There are also stallions on my current yard which I have to lead her past their field on the way in to stable - if one is up by the fence I have a job getting her past safely - its abit bloody stupid actually having them there, but not my horses and tbf the stallion doesnt do much apart from snicker at her. In fact thinking about it - I think this may be part of my problem at the moment.

The other strange thing about my mare is that other horses get extremely attached to her - even ones she appears to hate or not have bonded with. She seems to provoke extreme reactions from other horses - to the point of them jumping out of fields to be with her/follow her in. Mares hey!
 
Sounds like you have had all the usual checks done and considered diet etc. all with a negative result.

You my wish to consider that her 'problem' may well be behavioural and her natural tendencies are being slightly distorted through her recent illness.

As you are probably aware mares can have quite important roles within their group and frustration at not being able to function as intended may well be causing her to display aggression.

Mares are the only ones who are leaders within the group, and lead mares are never dominant horses.

Dominant horses can be either sex or geldings, and spend their time moving the group about, constantly claiming the space of less dominant or passive members of the group.

She doesn't sound as though she is a passive horse, the most common group, either being lead, or moved on.

Dominant horses give lots of warning of their intention, unfortunately we miss most of them until its too late.

It starts with a look or stare, followed by ears back, then a snake like head until finally, when she gets no reaction, teeth or a shoulder barge.

Obviously, horses display a lot of these actions when in pain or discomfort and the trick is deciding whats going on.

If she is a dominant mare who views you as less dominant within her group but needs the odd bump or bite to get out the way, then you need to constantly cause her to move her fore quarters out of your way. Whoever moves their feet first in this has lost.

Basically lots of groundwork moving her fore quarters about.
 
She will move for me, she is very respectful of space but if you, for example, place a finger on her bum to get her to shift she'll do it but when she does it she'll snap her teeth at you. But she is very respectful, leads well, moves when needed to, shes good like that. Apart from the teeth shes a dream horse in the manners respect.

I think hormones are the next thing to look in to. Regumate type stuff.
 
Sounds like she's moving away resentfully rather than respectfully, but always a difficult call. What I'm suggesting won't cost you anything and can be done alongside any other therapy you want to try, so long as she improves, job done.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top