# Moody mare



## Maple Leaf Farm (Feb 17, 2020)

My 8 yr old mare is wonderful for 2weeks out of every month. The other 2 she is super ornery and difficult due to coming into her heat cycle and during it. Someone recommended Magic Mare or Chastetree berry. Any insight, experience or advice?


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Yes, she has PMS. I have never heard of a treatment.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

ReguMate is the treatment and it works very well by suppressing estrus.
Call your vet and be sure to wear gloves when handling.

I also knew a person who had her mare spayed.
Kind of a big deal surgery for a horse so a last resort.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

This is a good write up regarding altrenogest (Regumate). http://csu-cvmbs.colostate.edu/Documents/Learnmares25-hormther-regumate-apr09.pdf


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

Maple Leaf Farm said:


> My 8 yr old mare is wonderful for 2weeks out of every month. The other 2 she is super ornery and difficult due to coming into her heat cycle and during it. Someone recommended Magic Mare or Chastetree berry. Any insight, experience or advice?


Have you spoken with your vet and possibly a trainer? There are certainly some mares that need vet intervention and there are also a certain number of mares that get a free pass for a bad attitude because they are mares.


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## Alder (Aug 18, 2014)

I never was a mare fan. Give me a good stable-minded gelding any day.

Best bet is to keep her pregnant or learn to live with it.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

Alder said:


> I never was a mare fan. Give me a good stable-minded gelding any day.
> 
> Best bet is to keep her pregnant or learn to live with it.


Really?
Breeding unwanted foals instead of training or Regumate?

seems like an odd piece of advice.


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## Alder (Aug 18, 2014)

Lisa in WA said:


> Really?
> Breeding unwanted foals instead of training or Regumate?
> 
> seems like an odd piece of advice.


That's why I never kept a mare, except for one exceptional individual, that WAS worth breeding every year. She was also fortunate (and stayed around) because she unfailingly gave me colts (6 out of 7) , that made nice sensible using geldings. 

People live and learn. The lesson about a lot of mares spending their spring, summer and fall being occasional ding-bats is one of them.


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## Maple Leaf Farm (Feb 17, 2020)

She's an amazing girl other than her cycles. One of the best horses I have ever owned which is why I am trying to help her during those down times. I started her on mare magic last month and I am pretty surprised how much better her heat is right now. She came into it the day before yesterday and so much calmer. I've only had her a short time and do believe some of the behaviors were allowed by her previous owner. She no longer tries to nip me, we got after that right away.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

Maple Leaf Farm said:


> She's an amazing girl other than her cycles. One of the best horses I have ever owned which is why I am trying to help her during those down times. I started her on mare magic last month and I am pretty surprised how much better her heat is right now. She came into it the day before yesterday and so much calmer. I've only had her a short time and do believe some of the behaviors were allowed by her previous owner. She no longer tries to nip me, we got after that right away.


i still prefer geldings but the best horse we’ve ever had was a warmblood cross given to my daughter by a member here. She’s the horse in my avatar.
Never mareish at all...sweetest horse I’ve ever known.
One appendix mare I had was fairly stupid but not because of cycles. She was just more TB than QH and had some neurotic vices. The other two mares were not mareish either so I’ve never had to deal with it. But know plenty who have and were able to work them out with pharmaceuticals and training.

I’m glad you’re seeing some progress!


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## muleskinner2 (Oct 7, 2007)

Maple Leaf Farm said:


> My 8 yr old mare is wonderful for 2weeks out of every month. The other 2 she is super ornery and difficult due to coming into her heat cycle and during it. Someone recommended Magic Mare or Chastetree berry. Any insight, experience or advice?


Sweaty saddle blankets have always worked for me. Ten or fifteen miles a day at a brisk trot, will solve a lot of problems.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

Maple Leaf Farm said:


> She's an amazing girl other than her cycles. One of the best horses I have ever owned which is why I am trying to help her during those down times. I started her on mare magic last month and I am pretty surprised how much better her heat is right now. She came into it the day before yesterday and so much calmer. I've only had her a short time and do believe some of the behaviors were allowed by her previous owner. She no longer tries to nip me, we got after that right away.


Based on your information, I'll second muleskinner's wet saddle blankets suggestion.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

muleskinner2 said:


> Sweaty saddle blankets have always worked for me. Ten or fifteen miles a day at a brisk trot, will solve a lot of problems.


I agree. As a trainer, I've found that people have a habit of giving mares and stallions a free pass on bad manners. 

I tend to ride geldings but some of the best horses I've ridden have been mares and stallions but it all comes back to training and hours in the saddle.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Lisa in WA said:


> I also knew a person who had her mare spayed.
> Kind of a big deal surgery for a horse so a last resort.


I bought a 2 year old registered Percheron mare, dapple gray. When Julie was old enough, I had her bred. Repeat the following year. She gave me two quality Black full brothers. The mare was broke to drive and loved to trot down the road. I sold her to a family that operated a carriage business. They had lost a horse and this horse was a good match. 

They had heard that mares are more difficult than the geldings they were using. So, they elected to have her spayed at the University of Ill. She bled to death during the surgery.

As my two geldings developed into beautiful work horses, I became curious about Julie's new colts and how they enjoyed her smooth trot. I was crushed to learn she died due to an ill conceived botched surgery.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

haypoint said:


> I bought a 2 year old registered Percheron mare, dapple gray. When Julie was old enough, I had her bred. Repeat the following year. She gave me two quality Black full brothers. The mare was broke to drive and loved to trot down the road. I sold her to a family that operated a carriage business. They had lost a horse and this horse was a good match.
> 
> They had heard that mares are more difficult than the geldings they were using. So, they elected to have her spayed at the University of Ill. She bled to death during the surgery.
> 
> As my two geldings developed into beautiful work horses, I became curious about Julie's new colts and how they enjoyed her smooth trot. I was crushed to learn she died due to an ill conceived botched surgery.


I also know of a mare who died during a spaying surgery.
Ironically, the mare that was successfully spayed that I knew of, was consistently the sweetest, most biddable mare Id known. And an Arab to boot.
You’d have mistaken her for an easygoing gelding but the owner was a newbie who’d heard that mares are hard to deal with and insisted on spaying. I’m very glad she survived that surgery.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Years ago, all I had was mares. Each had their personality. For the last nearly decade, I've had geldings and done a lot of driving them. Sometimes, something close by will startle them. But mostly they are just doing what they should. I now have a 3 year old mare that I've been driving. I see the habits of the mares from long ago. While she is traffic safe, a car on the road, a mile away, is noticed. Her head comes up and she figures it out long before it becomes a threat. But she's always looking. So, there is a difference.


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## Maple Leaf Farm (Feb 17, 2020)

Agree totally with the wet blankets! I'm working her most every day during her cycle but I don't always have that kind of time. I've had quite a few mares but none were as extreme as this horse. I'm just hoping to find something that can help.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Maple Leaf Farm said:


> Agree totally with the wet blankets! I'm working her most every day during her cycle but I don't always have that kind of time. I've had quite a few mares but none were as extreme as this horse. I'm just hoping to find something that can help.


If you come up with an easy fix, let me know. There are millions of parents dealing with under-disciplined, bored, emotional teenage daughters that need help.


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

I guess I am the odd one out on this, but I adore my mares. I prefer riding mares, but I understand that isn't the norm. My boys are all very reasonable and ready to go, but my mares are generally going to give me more heart and try than my geldings. I ride a lot of TB mares and QH mares, and all of them give it everything they've got every day. My geldings get lazy and it irritates me to pieces to get on a slow moving gelding who really doesn't want to go to work that day I love all of my horses, but have a heart for the mares. 

I just had a filly born a couple of weeks ago out of one of my favorite mares. I was hoping from day one of her breeding that she would throw me a filly.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

aoconnor1 said:


> I guess I am the odd one out on this, but I adore my mares. I prefer riding mares, but I understand that isn't the norm. My boys are all very reasonable and ready to go, but my mares are generally going to give me more heart and try than my geldings. I ride a lot of TB mares and QH mares, and all of them give it everything they've got every day. My geldings get lazy and it irritates me to pieces to get on a slow moving gelding who really doesn't want to go to work that day I love all of my horses, but have a heart for the mares.
> 
> I just had a filly born a couple of weeks ago out of one of my favorite mares. I was hoping from day one of her breeding that she would throw me a filly.


I have no problem at all with mares and haven't seen anyone who says otherwise. I just don't believe that mares get a free pass on cranky just because they're mares but I also don't believe that stallions get a free pass on attitude either. 

Good horses don't happen by accident and it takes a lot of work to make a good horse.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

aoconnor1 said:


> I guess I am the odd one out on this, but I adore my mares. I prefer riding mares, but I understand that isn't the norm. My boys are all very reasonable and ready to go, but my mares are generally going to give me more heart and try than my geldings. I ride a lot of TB mares and QH mares, and all of them give it everything they've got every day. My geldings get lazy and it irritates me to pieces to get on a slow moving gelding who really doesn't want to go to work that day I love all of my horses, but have a heart for the mares.
> 
> I just had a filly born a couple of weeks ago out of one of my favorite mares. I was hoping from day one of her breeding that she would throw me a filly.


I prefer mares as well.


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## Maple Leaf Farm (Feb 17, 2020)

I don't really have a preference for mares or geldings, a good horse is a good horse and I do think she was allowed to get away with lots of nonsense from her previous owner. We've made lots of progress but she is way more hormonal than any mare I have ever had. She just finished her heat yesterday and I do have to say she did pretty good once I got her attention and she realized I wasn't intimidated by her. I rode her almost everyday of her cycle. Coronavirus has been good for my riding time!


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## aoconnor1 (Jun 19, 2014)

Thats awesome to hear about your new mare! I love them, but they can be a little cranky at times I ride them through those times, and haven't had a problem as yet. I probably just jinxed myself though!


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

I prefer mares to geldings. This new mare I brought home is well-mannered in hand but a ***** in the field, as she was allowed to be one at her previous home. She's far too free with her heels out in the pasture. But we've laid down the law and she's coming around. The BB gun has been brought into play a few times, as the Hand of God. Too bad my alpha mare is a little too old to really bring the hammer down on Ms *****. Five years ago it would have been another matter entirely.


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## jennigrey (Jan 27, 2005)

HT has an auto-correct for the b-word? That's fancy!


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

Hi jennigrey! Long time, no see. I'm glad you're back. I always considered you the HT driving expert.


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