[goodmorning]

A 3yo filly who has apparently just discovered what it is to be a mare - in December?! That 4-letter word. When she is good, she is very very good, when she is bad...

I find it so bizarre, this heat nonsense. She is such a good, quiet, confident girl. But tonight, happy we both made it out alive...

Walk over to mounting block, mare flips tail, squeals, and bucks - all before I dare swing a leg over. WTF is this nonsense?! Walking, squirting, walking, squealing...spooky, flighty, stubborn, downright belligerent...

This mare has been so fabulous to back; I guess some bad-behavior was in order. Awaiting the return on my mannerly horse - she'll return, right?! If she wasn't getting turned back out for the winter, hormones would absolutely be on the table. I like my boys. That's all. Thanks for indulging me in this rant.

[Jhorne89]

Ugh, sorry is all I can say I have two mares, one is a saint at all times the other is... Herself at all times (not to say ages bad, she just thinks she's a diva), but both are consistent in how they act regardless of if they're in heat or not. I had one mare once that was so evil when she was in heat and SO food aggressive (she hit me in the head while walking past her stall during feeding time, we have half doors on the stalls) I actually just gave her away, i couldn't take it. So, I guess it could be worse.

[Jhorne89]

That's supposed to say "not to say she's bad". My phone thinks its smarter than I am.

[goodmorning]

Oh, that sounds dreadful.

I'm hoping its some odd/transitional heat cycle - magnified by the move from home to a 'real barn' complete w/an indoor, lesson program, and 20 horses vs 3 She's surrounded by geldings in t/o & she just sits by the fence...squirting Bred her, raised her - this is the 1st time she's acted so, mare-ish.

[ClassyRide]

Haha - oh, my! I got very lucky with my two mares, but I totally feel for you. The best I can tell you is to just keep making her work, and don't let her use the heat as an excuse to be obnoxious. There are times when a heat cycle can cause pain (mares can get crampy just like people can), but it sounds like she's just being a horny-toad.

For what it's worth, my first mare I got when she was older (6) so I'm sure she'd already cycled. She just gets a little pushy when in heat, but not bad. However, I did get a yearling a couple of Summers ago. Her first heat was probably the worst. Luckily, she just gets ADD on me, wanting to go find a "hunk o' man" instead of paying attention. But the more I've worked with her and made her listen during heat cycles, the better she's becoming.

Best of luck! We know how it is...

[ako]

Hopefully it gets better with age. Many do. One of the grossest sluts at the barn is no longer a whore after a year or two.

My mare is 8. I've never had any problems. Maybe a few days out of the year she gets extra emotional or upset at things, but not too dramatic. She's a good girl.

Hopefully that's the end of it for a few months and she's not as dramatic next year.

[Libby416]

I went through a similar experience. Moved my young mare to our training facility about 4 months ago, and upon moving she went through the WORST heat cycle she'd ever had. Spooky, very sensitive near her girth area, winking at EVERYONE, and just cranky undersaddle. Fortunately, after she went through it shes been normal ever since, and is back to her normal unnoticeable cycles. Just give her a bit of time, she'll work it out ;-)

[Simbalism]

My mare did that in the past when a new paddock was opened right next to hers and "boys" were there. Mostly though my mare is pretty steady with no "winking" or squirting and often I can't even tell when she is in season.

[eclipse]

The best horse I've owned to date was a mare........and a super whore! Amazingly though, when she was in heat (raging whoredom every single time), she was actually nicer to handle and ride than when she wasn't in heat!! She just winked, squirted, and squealed at every available male out there (gelded or not, it didn't matter!) The good part.......she jumped even better! (I like to think she was just showing off to try to attract a studly boy)

[Donkerbruin]

One word, love: REGUMATE!

[Long Spot]

Awww. Your baby girl became a woman.

[PaintPony]

Sorry to tell you this but my mare is 18 and is still a super whore. She's disgusting!

She's lovely the majority of the time, but when she is in season I am lucky to escape a ride with my life.

[rhinestone_cowgirl]

My mare used to do that. She is now 6 and this is first winter I can (safely) ride her.

[jonquil]

I had a similar experience with my otherwise angelic mare. I think she must have been on regumate when I bought her, because I didn't see her mare-ish behavior till our second summer togther. I tried the marble, which did nothing, and now she's on mare magic, which doesn't stop her from coming into heat every 2 weeks but takes most of the ugly out of it. She's now 9 and I don't see her heat cycles slowing down any. Hope this works for you.

[KateKat]

My mare is going to be 16 this year and she is definitely still a whore too Especially come spring/summer when she seems to go into heat every 2-3 weeks and then tortures all the poor geldings in the barn. Luckily, this last year when she was in heat she became a TOTAL peach. It was only when she wasn't in heat that she got harder to ride and much crankier!

[tveley]

I own a breeding farm with 20 horses, 17 of them are fillies or mares, so obviously I love working with them. Most of my mares are VERY easy to work with, seldom if ever showing "mare-ish" behavior. Of the few that occasionally do, some are definitely more "mare-ish" than others, but the behavior is pretty mild and is generally only for a day or two when they are in a certain part of the heat cycle. They return to their normal sweet behavior the rest of the time.

I believe mares often get a bad rap. I would rather have a mare acting "mare-ish" for a couple of days than a stallion acting "stud-ish" whenever he is around other horses. I have never seen a public boarding facility barn that refuses to to take mares, but does not have a problem with housing stallions. OK that said, before all the stallion owners jump to defend them, I know there are many stallions who are very well behaved and socialized around other horses, but there seem to be many more that are not. I have two stallions here that are very well behaved. I have even seen geldings with behavior that I would not want to have to deal with. Each animal is an individual and should not be stereotyped by sex, age or breed.

[crystalyoung1]

It might have something to do with her recent move. Miss Mare every time I move her from one barn to another she goes into SUPER strong heat for about 2 weeks then returns to normal. It's like she smells new boys and overreacts for a while. I've moverd her 4 times twice to same barn for the winter and each time this happens. Then her hormones calm down and she ignores them all. I'm going to move her again in January and totally expect the same behavior. I feel lucky that she is not as bad as other posters here mostly yelling. distracted and ouchy on her back.

[Hippolyta]

Mine is never witchy, but boy is she a whore. And a spook. I swear I can almost see the antenna coming up from btn her ears when she is i heat, and its for picking up international signals.

She has gotten worse, not better, in the three yrs I have known her. Currently she is 10.

[PonyPenny]

This is a interesting thread about a once a month shot of altrenogest.

http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/sh...te-altrenogest

[Lauren12]

Constant heat can be caused by granulosa cell tumors...a quick rectal palpation and US can rule those out.