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Angry mares

6K views 16 replies 13 participants last post by  ridergirl23 
#1 ·
So I am looking at a WP horse and it just so happens that its a mare. I have heard horror stories about mares and when they come into heat. I must say I am pretty nervous about it all.

I know the whole winking thing, I know they pee more and have some discharge, they will want to flirt, they get angry, all these terrible things.

Does this happen every single month ? How long does it last? What age do they really start getting crazy ?

do you recommend putting a mare on magic mare or regumate at an earlier age to start helping the angry crazy process melow out a bit ?

HELP:oops:
 
#2 ·
Not all mares are bad while in heat. In fact I've never know one to be overly bratty. The worst I've seen is more of a reluctance to work and pay attention to you. It's usually pretty easy to get their minds back on track if you aren't too near any stallions though. In fact if there are no stallions at your barn your mare may not even come into heat at all, or at least not as often. I have heard of some mares being bad while in heat, but I've also heard that mare calming supplements work wonders. I always thought I would never want a mare, but my mare is great and acts like a gelding a lot of the time!
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#4 ·
Completely depends on the mare. My first mare had silent heats - you couldn't tell at all. Others are certainly more vocal. There ARE some treatments for overly hormonal mares - both natural and some medicinal.
In my opinion, you shouldn't pass over a mare just because she's a mare :)
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#9 ·
Being in my 60's and having been a horseperson all my life I have never encountered a nasty tempered mare who was in estrus/heat. It would be only the worst behaved mare who would require being spayed. It would be a bad thing to put a mare on Mare Magic or Regumate for just in case she might be moody or bad tempered when she is cycling. Mares usually cycle in estrus/heat every 21 to 23 days with variations being possible.

From my own experience with the mares I've had here not one of them was a witch when in mid-cycle. My #1 mare, Candy has always been a sweetheart whether she was in estrus/heat or not.

In the Winter months mares go into an anti-estrus/heat phase where they don't cycle at all, in most cases. When the daylight hours increase to 16 hours then they go back into cycling.

Do not let the fact that you might be interested in a mare deter you from looking into seeing her and looking her over.
 
#10 ·
I'm not a mare person and have always preferred geldings, but that is personal preference only and not a slam on mares.

I've known many mares over the years, and the majority of them are just fine while in season. In fact, quite a few of them get even more affectionate during estrus.

Most mares who are bad tempered during estrus are just as ill mannered when they're not in season, yet it seems some people want to tar all mares with the same brush.

Each horse is an individual, and needs to be given the benefit of the doubt.

However, if you're terrified of the thought of a moody mare, buy a gelding. No hormonal urges to worry about, and their temperament stays pretty much on an even keel.
 
#11 ·
I agree with SR, judge each horse on an individual basis. We've owned & raised hundreds of horses over the years and I've only had one mare (I currently own her) that can be a challenge when she is in. She isn't marish or mean, but does cramp & is not a fun ride during her cycle. Any small amount of pressure sends her into a bronc type tizzy. Good thing for me, she's a broodmare :) She will be getting a year off after next spring's foal, I may put her on regumate or just not ride her when she is in.
 
#12 · (Edited)
I agree with the others, all mares are not created equal.

our mare is a 9 yr. old Belgian, and when she is in her "mood", it is barely noticeable. The only signs are "winking" and she's more nervous. Nothing scary or that would make her unrideable. She's pretty steady tempered, whether she's in cycle or not.

That being said, I have heard of mares that were NIGHTmares when in cycle. Can't really say if it's true or not as we've only owned one mare, so I don't have experience with them, in general.

I would like to say that our 6 yr. old OTTB gelding is MUCH MUCH more moody than our mare. He gets bad days where he is a real jerk....he is calm and lovable one day, the next he is tossing his head, biting at Epona, not respecting our space, etc. He is one moody dude!! Maybe it is the TB in him??!!:lol:

So, whoever said to get a gelding and you will have a more even tempered horse, well that isn't always true. Maybe one should specify "a gelding that isn't a TB".....
 
#13 ·
That was me. Geldings as a whole tend to be more even tempered, but of course there are exceptions since every horse is an individual.

I have an extremely laid back gelding who also happens to be an ex-racing TB. I have a feeling his temperament had a lot to do with why he didn't exactly burn up the race track! :wink:
 
#14 ·
Well I think it really depends on the horse. I've always ridden mares but like others have said, unless they're nasty all the time, there's not much to worry about. The mare I'm currently leasing tests me when she's in heat, whereas normally she's very obedient, when I was riding her today she was really trying to ignore my instructions and do her own thing. All I had to do was make sure she knew I wasn't letting her get away with it. On the other hand, the mare I owned years ago would go into heat and barely change at all.
 
#15 ·
I own an ex-broodmare and she was pregnant when I bought her (long story, I just wanted her as a trail horse) and anyway, I am so pleasantly surprised at how "quiet" her heat cycles are. I kind of expected her to be a flirt because she's had 10 foals. But nope, the only way I even knew she was in heat (once this year so far that I've noticed) is because I trailered her with a gelding she had never met before and she was winking at peeing for him.
But other than that, I can't even tell when she is in season.

However, I do know a mare down the road that will squeal and strike at other horses even from 12-15 feet away. I don't know if that is when she is in season or out of season, but she's a witch! So that DOES make me leary of mares in general. BUT, I think there are more good ones out there than bad. I think it's very much an individual thing. Maybe if you can get the mare on a trial period, you will have a better idea of how she is around strange horses and such.
 
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