Mares are from Venus, that is most mares - some mares are from some other interstellar location (Mares From Hell, anyone?). Now don't get me wrong, I love mares - most of my horses have been, and are, mares, and most of my favorite horses over my lifetime have been mares.
But then there's mares, and mares. My big mare Maisie is a sweetheart, in heat or out of it. She does show interest in the geldings when in heat, and will urinate for one if you let her, but otherwise she's just fine - no behavior changes to speak of, and just as easy to deal with and ride. Dawn, on the other hand, is another matter entirely.
Dawn is aggressive with other horses to begin with - will kick or bite any horse that gets inside her (fairly large) personal space. When she's coming into heat, these behaviors are amplified to the extent that extra care is required to handle her. She is also a horse that is always wound very tight, and becomes more nervous and easily spooked when coming into heat. Once she's in heat, she's basically a nyphomaniac - lots of rubbing her sides and hindquarters on any solid object - stall walls, fences, etc. and much squatting and peeing. She's completely distracted by how she feels. My daughter claims that when riding she's about the same, but I'm not sure I completely agree.
When she's coming into heat, Dawn does a lot of screaming and serious high-impact double-barrel kicking in her stall, and there's a lot of white showing around her eyes. My little incident a couple of weeks ago occurred when she was coming into heat (see my post Don't Let Your Mare Sniff Noses . . .).
I'm seriously considering doing something about Dawn's heat cycles - I've never done this, or even considered doing it, before with any mare I've had, but then again my other mares haven't been Dawn. I've been doing a little research on the options, and will also talk to my vet. Each option seems to have its advantages and disadvantages.
Some people who show use Regu-Mate - the biggest disadvantages seem to be its side effects in people, its expense and that you have to administer it constantly to prevent estrus, and the mare comes into estrus the minute you stop. Doesn't seem a great option for us, frankly, but I'd be interested in any experiences anyone has had with it.
Then there's progesterone implants (used in cattle) - some people seem to have had success with that, but the hormones are designed for cattle and the implantation process can cause infection or muscle irritation, and requires sedation and a vet visit. Misty at our barn has had this in the past with some success.
There are supplements - Moody Mare and Mare Magic are two I've heard mentioned.
And then there's the glass ball in the uterus - requires a vet visit but is relatively inexpensive and seems to work for some horses.
Have any of you had good and/or bad experiences with any of these procedures/supplements that you would be willing to share? Also, if any of my information about the options is out-of-date or there are new options, please share this. If you've got a lot to say, you could do a post of your own and link back to this with a comment so we can all find your post - although long comments are always welcome. I hope there are lots of thoughts out there!
I've used regumate before, and frankly it's a pain to administer and costly. In my opinion, a better alternative are depo-provera shots. Easier to administer (injectible, not a feed thru) and most vets charge about $25 a shot, in my experience. I've been instructed to give the shot once every three weeks, but obviously your vet will give you official instructions. Sounds like Dawn is basically miserable when she's in heat, so it might be better for all of you to try to mitigate her symptoms. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI've never tried anything like this, but I have heard good things about Mare Magic. It's mainly raspberry leaf, so you can just buy that at your local herb store and give a scant teaspoon a day (or so I've heard). It's not very expensive at all.
ReplyDeleteLet us know what you try and how it works.
I've always loved mares. Maybe it's because I can be so moody and I understand how they're feeling. Some things just can't be helped. However, working for an equine vet, we see plenty of excessively moody mares and downright unhappy and sometimes dangerous mares. (my boss says mare is a 4-letter word)
ReplyDeleteWe have used the progesterone implants with a fairly successful history, some people use Regumate and this works well too, although it can be a little spendy (our clients simply top dress the horse's feed), we sell 2 oral supplements as well - Mare Magic, which seems to work fairly well for our clients who have tried it (fairly reasonably priced), and there's also a supplement that we have used a lot with good overall success, called Hypona Mag (comes out of Canada) and it's mainly a magnesium supplement. We have had good overall success with it as well. The phermone liquids don't seem to work as well, and the ball in the uterus that you mentioned sometimes can have side effects and have to be surgically removed. (not terribly common, but it does happen occasionally). The best alternative overall for terribly unhappy or dangerous mares is the spay surgery; but that's not a cheap fix. Maise sounds like she would be a spay candidate since she is so aggressive. Good post.
Kate,
ReplyDeleteFor our older broodmares that have had trouble carrying to term, we've put them on Regu-Mate to keep them from cycling and it has been very successful, although for some with historic mid to late-term abortions it meant using up to day 300 - seems to me that worked out to just about 3 bottles at roughly $250.00 a pop.
As folks have said, it get's a bit pricey and can be messy; can't help you with the first part, but we use a dosing device (think squirt gun dialed for correct dosage - http://www.farmvet.com/pc-214-163-regu-mate-dosing-device.aspx) and that works pretty well to prevent the latter.
I'm lucky enough to have been blessed with a gelding, so I can't help you much. (I prefer geldings, but it could be just because I prefer my gelding.) I've heard of people spaying mares that have a lot of problems due to hormones, but I imagine that would be expensive. The depo-provera shot Marissa mentioned sounds interesting and cost-effective, though.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I've never had to deal with this personally I've known people who have when I was boarding at big show barns. I seemed to hear about the best success with something you didn't mention, but Marissa above did, the depo-provera shots.
ReplyDeleteOn the topic of regumate I did have to give it to one of my mares at one point when I was breeding her. It really wasn't that big of a pain to administer, you could squirt it on their food. I did always wear gloves when I was handling it though.
They used Regumate at Templeton and the barn owner and manager handled it and both bloated up and were sick for about two weeks with morning sickness. They looked terrible. It did wonders for the mare:-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the comments and ideas! I'll be exploring this with my vet, and will let everyone know what, if anything, we decide to do.
ReplyDeleteWe always had mares and now are enjoying a calmer existence with these two geldings. Like anything though it really depends on the horse. One suggestion that may be difficult is more exercise. I say this as a runner. The endorphins released when running have always eased my own mood swings and pain. With Dawn, though, it is a bit tricky! How do you get the extra needed exercise if she is too touchy to ride more!?!
ReplyDeleteWe have two mares and raspberry leaf (Mare Magic) has worked great for us. My daughters mare went through one heat where she was totally wound up and spooky. We put her on mare magic and she hasn't been that way since. We've only owned her since last fall, so I don't know if that was typical for her or not. It seems like it would be worth a try for you - it's cheap and easy. You can always go the hormone or glass marble route if it doesn't work.
ReplyDeleteMare magic did nothing for my mare in any way.
ReplyDeleteI used it for three months.
My mare would cycle and lose her mind and buck at shows, act nervous at home, looking for cougars in bushes etc.
Depo works but only for two weeks and then its back to moody mare and bucking etc..
I am now using Regu-mate, proven success, all of the big time show people use it.
If mare magic or any other "herb" worked no one would spend the two hundred and fifty dollars for a ninety day supply of regu-mate.
Simply put, if you want to have you mare completely stop her heats use Regu-Mate.
My mare has been on Depo since July of 2011 with great success. I give her 10cc every 28 days. However, I was four days late with the shot last month and she came in to heat. One Of the vets at our barn claims is doesn't work at all. I disagree. I have a very wonderful but hormonal and tightly wound mare. She is like a stallion when she's in heat. She just can't help it. She's a hazard to herself! Depo has really helped and I don't have to worry about the feeders forgetting to give it to her. I think the fact that I give the 10cc that my vet recommended rather than the 5cc some vets recommend has made the difference. Just don't be late in giving the shot, as I was last month, or BINGO the fun begins! Hehe! Gotta love mares though, they are so smart! Hope this helps!
ReplyDelete