# mare-ish/mare-like behavior



## mbender (Jul 22, 2009)

I've never had that experience. I have had 10 mares at one time and the only one that showed signs was my pony. She was clingy to the dominant horse. But no attitude or meanness. I don't think you treat it. You either work with it or leave the mare alone. Depends on the severity of the heat/mare-ish reaction.
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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

Welcome to the forum!

I've tried to avoid mares over the years for that very reason. Just as in any species, in horses, some mares can be cranky during their cycle; with others, you never know they are in heat. 

With the mares I've had that become difficult, I don't really treat them any different. When they need to work, they must work. I'm just a little more cautious with them and try to avoid putting too much pressure on their flanks. They are uncomfortable and I respect that but I won't tolerate a horse that becomes a nightmare (no pun intended).


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## mooney (Sep 20, 2010)

For me, my own mare, she just "winks" alot and wiggles her fat butt around but that is about it. The best thing for her is lots of exercise and it helps to calm her down. Like Iride said I take in consideration she isn't as comfortable, but I really find it helps to get her moving, even if it is just a 10 to 20 ground work session.


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## ilovemyPhillip (Apr 4, 2009)

My mare acts like she's in season all year long, she just gets lunged a lot & ridden on occasion. My boyfriend rides her more then I do.


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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

There's no real way to "deal" with it i dont think. It's kinda like men trying to "deal" with women when they're PMS'n lol!
My one mare, Chico isn't kicky or squealy but _very_ flirty. When she's in heat & another male horse (stud/gelding) is around she gets super distracted and is constantly nickering for them. 
I have a Fjord mare that squeals major when in heat & around geldings & though i havent seen her kick yet, i'm pretty sure she has the potential at that time of the month lol. 

Some people don't really like having mares along in a group for a ride, but i've found that the mare isn't always the problem. Alot of the time a bad reaction (squeal/kick) stems from a gelding trying to shove his nose where it doesn't belong, which is the _gelding's _rider's job to keep him away if the mare might kick. 
I've noticed that an in-heat mare can also cause some geldings to become "studdy" and distracted.
I had my mare up on a weeklong mountain trip last summer when she was in heat. She was the only mare there out of 8 horses and the one causing troubles and acting "marish" was actually a 5-year-old gelding, so you get the bad behavior in both genders.


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## Lakotababii (Nov 28, 2010)

The only thing ive noticed is when my mare comes back into heat for the first time in the spring, she gets a little touchy on the flanks, "flirty" and its a little harder to keep her attention. Usually the more I work her, the better she is, and the next time she comes into heat I usually cant even tell.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

lilruffian said:


> Some people don't really like having mares along in a group for a ride, but i've found that the mare isn't always the problem. Alot of the time a bad reaction (squeal/kick) stems from a gelding trying to shove his nose where it doesn't belong, which is the _gelding's _rider's job to keep him away if the mare might kick.
> I've noticed that an in-heat mare can also cause some geldings to become "studdy" and distracted.
> I had my mare up on a weeklong mountain trip last summer when she was in heat. She was the only mare there out of 8 horses and the one causing troubles and acting "marish" was actually a 5-year-old gelding, so you get the bad behavior in both genders.


This is very true. A mare being in season is often a convienient excuse for all sorts of bad behavior, riding, and training. We have three mares and the any slight difference in their behavior while in season is no more apparent than differences due to any of factor (like the weather)...they all still ride and behave fine. They do, however, definately attract the 'boys', even the geldings. Try riding three mares by a pasture full of geldings...that seems to always cause a lot of kicking and squealing while they rush to line up along the fence.


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## kclarkmnc (Dec 19, 2010)

Hi everyone. I'm new to this site.
I have 4 mares. Two of them are mare-ish during their cycle. They are pushy to the other mares and are a challenge to ride. They ignore the riders first cutes. The cutes must be repeated over and over. They eventually get it. But the rider must be patient and not give up.


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## rkwells (Jun 29, 2009)

I got my 14yr old mare 1 yr ago last December (my first horse). This spring and summer was our 1st riding season together so were were still in the "getting to know you" phase. 

Lilly REALLY wants to mate when she's in season so I guess I'll just go with calling her very flirty.

As a middle age paint she has a very quiet reliable personality generally speaking. However when in season she becomes pretty spooky. Has anyone else noticed out of character jumpy behavior when your mare is in season?


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## haviris (Sep 16, 2009)

I agree that we experience more bad behavior from the geldings in the family. My horse is the only mare (not counting our pony, who you can't tell is in heat, but still manages to drive the geldings nuts) in the family, and she's not any different in heat then out. We've owned alot of mares, had one pony that was squealy, and one mare that was more spooky, otherwise never had any 'mare' problems. I agree that it is often just an excuse for bad behavior.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## kclarkmnc (Dec 19, 2010)

I try not to use her on trailrides when she is in season. When I have, other people just think she needs more work. She may try and kick at another horse or is just plain spooky. Any other time she is well behaved.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

My horse is the devil when she is in heat.
When I first got her she ran after me with ears pinned back and it was horrible. With that happening I was scared of what she would do for a little while. She is a cranky horse when she is in heat and she will defiently let you know. I still ride her and work with her though as I don't think she should get the option to be flirtin around with horses all day and night. 

They have mare magic supplement which is basically raspberry leaves. Some people like it but I never tried it.Not sure if it's for mares who are mare-ish all the time or what.


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## anshorsenut88 (Dec 27, 2010)

I never wanted mares because of this issue...but now I've recently owned or rode 4 mares...coming up on more than geldings! My mares only got a little "grumpy" during that time and usually only at the beginning of the spring season. One usually hangs out with the gelding over the fence. My other mare never shows any signs, most people ask if she is a gelding lol. I have heard of some herbal remedies that help. After purchasing my first mare I was curious about how this would affect her... it was very informative on the issue. It says you should really give your mare rest during this time and don't push their buttons. I can't remember where the article went but I think everyone should read it! It also explained that "really bad moody mares" that do things like kick and bite or lean/push in the trailer tend to have more pain than the ones that don't act bad. One example in the article said their mare always pushed the walls in their slant load horse trailer when going to shows. They found out after a few tests that she had something wrong with her ovaries and was pushing probably to relieve pain. They suggest that if she is "moody" or not feeling good...that its just part of nature and we should deal with them.... not the other way around. If it is severe I would say have a experienced vet check her out. Anyway, that is just some info I ran across in researching the topic and thought I would share.  Can't wait to see what other info you find out. Thanks ~~~Amanda~~~


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## anshorsenut88 (Dec 27, 2010)

Here is another article I ran across. It isn't the same one but is still informative about what is going on with your mare at that specific time and how to deal with it. I think the most important thing to keep in mind about this is that what your mare is doing is completely natural to her and just comes as an instinctive part of her being an "animal". Horses and other animals tend to react in ways that NATURE intended for them to. If there is something an animal that you know is doing....its probably something hard-wired into their genes to do, that we may not understand or completely get.  So I would just say to stay informed and be patient. Lol. 
http://www.mirrorkbranch.com/article13.html
(there are two parts to the article, make sure you scroll down to read part 2 also)


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## CruceyMoose (Dec 30, 2010)

Every mare is different. This is my experiences with mares.

Some mares I know just are more irritable in heat. More prone to snap their teeth at other horses, etc. My mom's mare is irritable, and "flirty." If she realizes there are boys around (even if they are geldings), she lifts up her tail, hollows her back, arches her neck, and prances. It is hilarious to watch! Some mares I know just "wink," or they act the same as they always do. I only know one mare that was really bad in heat. She was dragging her owner all over the place (even with a chain lead rope over her nose), "winking," acting like a brat undersaddle, etc. This was discovered at the horse show finals in the area. Since her owner is a beginner, they decided to put a marble-like thing in her that tricks her body into thinking she's in foal so she won't go into heat.

I hope this helps. Good luck with your report!


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