Moody Mares

 Moody Mares

We have all heard “She’s being a mare,” “She’s being witchy,” and other phrases about moody mares. Yes, mares go through moods with the phases of their heat cycles. It’s to be expected. My mares are allowed their off days.  Women have them, and so can our horses. Mares should not ALWAYS be witchy or trying to bite, and many of the other behaviors we see people passing off as “she just being a mare.” There is often something behind that behavior. Sometimes more than one thing. We need to stop excusing or blowing off the warning signs. Changes in behavior, from mild to drastic, are clues that something is not right.

Lasie hand grazing

I have two mares, Angel (Fuzzy Angel – I plan to change her registered name with the AQHA) and Lasie (Lace & Whisky). Angel is Lasie’s dam. Angel fits her name as she is fairly sweet, easy to handle, a bit spooky at times, definitely not a beginner’s horse, but a good mare. Lasie is a bit more strong-willed and opinionated. A big part of that is her bloodlines (more on that in a post about Lasie, who she is, and how she ended up with us!) She is named Lace & Whisky for a reason. Again, a good mare; has a great work ethic and a great mind. In early 2022, she started getting very witchy and difficult. She also stopped doing anything but walk under saddle. She would not trot or canter. Grooming her was difficult, as was tacking her up. This mare LOVES her saddle time and gets grumpy when we don’t get to work regularly. Something was wrong. I stopped riding her and began figuring out what was happening.

Lasie in the washrack

Even though she didn’t have many of the classic symptoms – the touchiness and girthiness were the only real signs, the diagnosis was ulcers. She never dropped weight, never lost her appetite, and her coat remained glossy. We began treatment, including keeping haynets in her stall and round bales in the pasture so she had a steady supply of forage. I added soaked alfalfa pellets to her soaked beet pulp.  We also added Outlast to her daily feeding routine at our veterinarian’s suggestion.

By late summer, she was doing better, and her attitude had improved, so we went back to work, yet she still would only walk under saddle and had periods where she would still get witchy, so I started paying attention to the frequency. It was roughly a three-week cycle. One day, shortly after figuring that out, I was grooming her, and as I brushed up over her left flank, she kicked out and hit the divider in the wash rack. Had I been in the line of fire, I probably would have had plates and screws in my lower leg. The next day, I had my husband get a video, and I did just enough to get a reaction without getting as much as the day before. The veterinarian was out the following day for another horse, so I showed her the video, and she did a quick physical exam. It was, in her words, “A genuine reaction.” She asked that I bring Lasie into the clinic so we could put her in the stocks and do a repro (reproductory) ultrasound. Below is the video and her reaction. 

Lasie was retaining follicles, one of which was around 22 mm in size! I would be touchy about that, too! The vet sent us home with a shot of Lutalyse to force her into heat and purge the follicles. Two weeks after that, we started her on Altrenogest injections every two weeks. That keeps her from going into heat. She is much improved in temperament, though she will always be a bit of a challenge. We are off the Outlast but continue the alfalfa pellets and beet pulp. It was nice to get my girl back!

Back under saddle and enjoying her work again

So, if your mare is being problematic or difficult, or if her behavior changes, it’s time to get with your vet and figure out the underlying problem. She is trying to tell you something. We need to listen.