The only mare on the yard.

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Greylegs

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I have a chunky ID cross type mare who I have recently moved to another yard. The old place had several other mares and she was turned out with one daily without any incident.

The new place is a great improvement in many ways and both horse and I are much happier generally. However, she is now the only mare on a yard of a dozen or so horses, where all the others are geldings. To be fair, she works well even when in season and we can separate her into her own paddock if needed. But, as she quite a mareish mare at the best of times, I am considering putting her on some form of herbal "mare" supplement in the spring to help her cope with her seasons, keep her comfortable and generally preserve calm on the yard. As this is my first experience of this situation, I would be grateful for all thoughts, recommendations and opinions on which supplements work best, any shared experiences and any advice from other mare owners.

Obviously, this will be something which will happen in the spring as (hopefully) she has about finished for this year. Thanks all.
 
I don't have much experience with mares, but a friend of mine used agnus castus as a form of herbal support for her mare. She had 4 geldings and 1 mare on her yard at home and she found that when her mare was in season, she would struggle with her hormones, so went down the herbal route.

I personally would start her on the herbal supplement that you choose now as it will take a while to get into her system x
 
Can't advise re. supplements. But an owner on my yard had to sell her lovely gelding because he couldn't live with the fact that he was the only "boy" in a field-full of girls. He'd been fine in his previous home, owner had hacked him out, the lot, but here at my place he just never settled. Even someone walking across his line of vision with a headcollar in their hand stressed him out enormously it seemed.

Two months in, and his behaviour was worsening, and becoming dangerous. So owner decided it wasn't going to work, and he was sold.

(Edited: not what you want to hear I know, and it was a new situation for all of us - mega learning-experience all round).
 
@MiJodsR2BlinkinTite - it's always a risk moving them, but she's been generally fine: even shared a field (when not in season) with my friend's gelding without issue, and we're hoping they can share over the winter so we can conserve the grazing as much as possible. The new YO is great - very knowledgable and practical - and is being really supportive, which is a real plus. Her first season after the move was awful, with really excessive "mare" behaviours (thankfully we could put her in her own field) but she's calmed down a lot now. I'm sorry about what happened to your livery: not a nice situation to be in. If my girl was really stressed I would have to have a re-think, but so far so good. The new yard is so much better for other reasons so I'm keen to keep her there, but not at the expense of her health and general well being, or that of the other horses on the yard.

I'm busy researching supplements and other ways to help her, so we'll see how she goes in the spring when her hormones start to kick in.
 
You may find once she is more settled and into a routine, maybe with your friends gelding as a companion that by next spring things are not as tough as you anticipate.
I got a mare in the summer and her first season was pretty horrendous (well for me as a gelding only owner!) but actually once settled she was fine. I didnt even know when she was in season!
 
I shared with a lady for a while who had a mareish mare and a gelding who was very interested in the behavior. She put them both on monks pepper/agnus castus from spring to autumn and it really helped. Nice natural solution too.

I've also had a mare who was hideous when in season (and not very pleasant the rest of the time either), she'd bred several foals and I think had decided that was her 'job' so everytime she came in season she'd jump in with the resident stallion (luckily owned by me too) but once she'd got what she wanted she would beat him up and jump back out (luckily he never followed). The vet recommended regumate and she was on it until she went out on loan to a livery yard with no 'boys' around. She wasn't treated well in her early years and came to us attacking people over the stable door and generally not being very pleasant, she became handleable and eventually a kids pony although never 100% trusted. She taught a lot of kids to respect ponies, she won a lot on the show circuit in her younger days although we had a love hate relationship even in the ring. She was stolen from the field once, but returned a couple of weeks later, so being a witch worked in her favour, maybe. He 'attitude' seemed to be mildly replicated in her fillies but not her colts so I have no idea if the behaviour was learned from bad experience or inherited.

Sorry I waffled, anyway a couple of options monks pepper started before spring or speak to your vet regarding regumate if that doesn't work.
 
I use NAF Oestree for my mare and found it very good. She can be very bossy and also very randy with my friends geldings but Oestress has stopped all that and it has also calmed her mentally.
 
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