Raspberry leaf questions

[JoZ]

Do you feed your mares raspberry leaf and if so, what for?

I did a search recently and read some posts about it. Here are specific questions:

- Do you feed before breeding, to tone the uterus?
- If so, and if I'm correct that it is an ingredient in "moody mare" products, could it mask the signs of heat? Which could be a bad thing when trying to map a mare's cycle pre-breeding?
- Do you feed throughout pregnancy, or start again toward the end?
- Is there any research/scientific evidence of any of the claims (toned uterus, easy passing of placenta, etc.)?
- In the absence of any scientific data, is there any reason to believe it could do HARM? I don't think there are limitless research dollars available for every herb and potion, so that in itself wouldn't put me off trying something... but of course I'd like the options to be that it does GOOD or NOTHING AT ALL.

Thx.

[SSFLandon]

Bump. I'm curious too. I have also heard it's good for bit..y mares. Make them a bit happier....anyone??

[LivviesMom]

I'm currently searching for a local bulk source up here for my three year old who is the ultimate wench when in heat! I can still work with her but she is not a happy camper.. If you search Horse Health I know there are several threads on the topic..

[FLIPPED HER HALO]

I'm currently searching for a local bulk source up here for my three year old who is the ultimate wench when in heat! I can still work with her but she is not a happy camper.. If you search Horse Health I know there are several threads on the topic..

You can get it online from Herbalcom.com That's where I order mine from. I know from my herbal book that it helps with tone and to expel the placentis in a timely manner. Raspberry is also a natural calming herb. :yes: I give it to my bully gelding. From what I remembe reading people give it the last few months to weeks of pregnancy. I started my mare on it last week.

[QuillcoteFarm]

Someone at my barn just started her mare on it, she put her on it due to her mareishness, if that makes sense, she was not witchy but aggressive, and becoming a little unmanageable. I just started her on it a couple of days ago, we will see, I think it got very good recommendations :)

[pintopiaffe]

Can't remember science, though I searched. Hundreds of years of folk medicine anecdotes. There is some literature on RRL tea and humans.

My own experience/anecdotal evidence means I will always use it for older mares.

As far as I recall when I researched, can't hurt.

Last 3 months of gestation. Post foaling through rebreeding. Never had a problem with it suppressing estrus, I don't think that's how it works. I believe it works because it's very rich in certain vitamins & minerals which may be lacking in the 'moody mares.'

1 measuring cup, loosely packed of the dried (fluffy) leaf. Less if it is the fine, crushed leaf, but I don't know how much. Patti at Meadowherb.com is a great resource.

[hackinaround]

I will let you all know my experiences with it. I just put our 18 year old mare on it. Plus a 3 year old filly who gets a little hot under the cuff when she is in heat and a coming 2 year old colt.

The colt is a really good boy who just gets a case of the teenage silly's and loses his brain a bit when he goes off farm. Hoping that its a temp help till he gets more exposure and see's that its really not that super duper exciting to go away!

[PhoenixFarm]

This is interesting to me, and I'd like to know more of it's uses for broodmares.

I've used it for riding horses for some time now and am definately a believer (saved my life when we had 4 mares to take to their first show together--day 1, sans raspberry leaves there was screaming and revolving, and breaking of stall guards. Day 2 with raspberry leaf everybody stood quietly in their stalls and barely nickered when someone went out to work).

I have an older mare I'm hoping to get in foal this year, and I'm obviously concerened about how hard the delivery will be on her.

Can someone post specifis on who it's used--pinto that's a useful start, but for a mare who is not pregnant now, is it useful, or should I wait and see if she gets in foal, then start her three months prior to delivery?

[pintopiaffe]

You can use it for a mare you are breeding. Use it for 60-90 days prior to breeding, then through 30 days post breeding. I have only used it for *breeding* on mares who had a foal at side though.

The real value seems to be in helping with retained placenta. Making sure the older mare has the best possible vitamins and minerals will help there too, as older gals often are somewhat mineral depeleted, and that, in my research, was the #1 cause of retained placenta. (unless you're talking poor conformation which shouldn't have been bred in the first place.)

Sorry I don't have any cites. This was 4-5 years ago I did the research, and all my links were on a now deceased computer.

[SSFLandon]

anyone else see results is grumpy mares? or geldings?

[accidental cowgirl]

I put my 7 yr old mare on it last spring because she was wild and volatile to ride when she came into heat. It took several weeks to fully take effect, but it seems to have helped a lot. It did not seem to affect her personality or energy level, just took the irrational edge off. Hasn't had a real bucking fest or spun and bolted with me since.

[hackinaround]

Or 3 year old filly was getting very aggressive to heard mates when she was in heat. Herding and bullying I think she had a case of the "Im a big S@#$ nows". She has been on RRL's for 10 days and is already standing quietly at gate insted of trying to fight the herd fo her spot.

[camohn]

FWIW I looked at that herb site posted and they said this
http://meadowherbs.com/articlebreeding.htm

[JackSprats Mom]

I put my (then) stallion, now a gelding on it, and I think its taken the edge off him.