# Horsey Menstrual Cramps?



## CA VA shooter (Feb 4, 2015)

I have only ever had a gelding who showed symptoms such as this and it was due to him tying up. After having an Impressive bred gelding with HYPP (didn't know about it way back in the day when I got him) I had this next gelding tested immediately. Turned out he kept tying up when ridden hard or consecutively due to PSSM. I was able to control this little problem through diet. 

If it is just cramps and she has rough heat cycles their are supplements you can try. I just started two horses on Mare Magic, put a gelding (who acts like he ate crazy pills and rocket full this time of year) and a hormonal filly I am starting under saddle (acts like a straight up hussy and reminds me why I don't like mares) and it has calmed both of them down greatly. 

Talk to your vet and see what they advise about trying a supplement if thy truly believe it is horsey PMS.


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## jazzy475 (Sep 18, 2014)

All mare magic is is magnesium,works for some horse but not for others. Iv been doing magnesium for over a month. Has done nothing to calm down,my hyper never stands still gelding.


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

First of all, lets get into a little bit of Mare sex 101. Horses do not menstruate like humans. Humans do not come into heat like mares. Human menstrual cycles occur when the human is least fertile. Mares (bitches, queens as in female cats, and most other female mammals) have Heat Cycles. During the heat cycle the mare is most fertile. 

When a mare is in heat she develops a follicle. The follicle in mares is very large and can cause discomfort in some mares to the point of them showing signs of pain. As she develops the follicle she can become more undcomfortable as the follicle enlarges. When the egg is release from the follicle, the follicle recedes in size and she develops a Corpus Luteum (CL). The horse has two follicles that typically alternate in egg production through the heat cycle. 

Normal mares cycle every 21 days. There are behvioral signs when a mare is in heat. She may squeal and squat and pee and present her rear end and "wink" in the presence of a stallion and some geldings. She may be distracted and more interested in the boys than you riding her (this is not an excuse for bad behavior) and she may, indeed, show signs of discomfort due to the size of the follicle. 

Mares are seasonally polyestrus coming in season as the day light period becomes longer and shutting down as the day light period decreases. This is why Thoroughbred breeders put mares under lights.. to induce heat cycles early in the season with the object of getting February foals (all Thoroughbreds have a birthday on January 1).


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Elana has said it all other than if her problems are related to being in season then maybe consider putting her on Regumate - it really is an instant fix and as long as you handle it correctly no risk to humans at all


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## CA VA shooter (Feb 4, 2015)

^jaydee, it sounds like Regumate works well on all mares. I friend with nasty heat cycle mare has been debating whether or not to use it or have the implant done. Do you have experience with either?

To clear up my comment on Mare Magic, not all supplements work on all horses. Mare Magic has worked on my two knuckle heads after being on it for awhile. The company does state that it takes over 60 days to take effect. I have heard some who have had great luck on it and others that it didn't do a thing for. As for me, $15 bucks was worth a shot and it just so happened to work.

I have never heard a vet ever say anything to mention a horse having cramps and find it odd. I just figure by your description your mare acts like my filly, goes in heat a constantly stops to play hussy with the boys when she should be paying attention to me.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I've no experience of the implant so can't comment on that
I use Regumate just during the late spring through to late autumn (do you call it that or is it just Fall here?) on two mares that are outrageously flirty - they are no trouble to handle or ride and no cramping problems or any irritability with humans at all but they drive themselves and the other horses crazy with unwanted attentions and something was always getting kicked as a result and a constantly lame horse is no use to me. If I put them in separate fields they were getting legs stuck in the fence even with electric tape. On top of that 'squirting' all the time makes them sore when it runs down their legs especially in the summer and attracts flies
The Regumate stopped it dead


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## madyasmkey (Jan 26, 2014)

She doesn't become nasty or moody and shows no interest in the boys while ridden, just while in the field which she does all year round. I wasn't saying she's having a period as such was just trying to compare to the pains we get which was how it was described to me, I know the cycles are different. I was suggested the moody mare supplement to try and prevent any tying up, cramps or whatever it is that is causing the pain as it seems to be in relation to her heat cycle and after being worked, yesterday was the first time she tried to wee while displaying these symptoms and didn't curl her lip but usually. She curls the lip and just is reluctant to walk. I don't want to stop her heat cycles I just want to stop the pain she seems to be experiencing, over the past 18months it has been at its worst but it happens in winter too although that might be caused by lighting in schools and in the barns possibly tricking her into thinking here are longer nights as said earlier?


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Regulmate causes a false pregnancy, due top hormone manipulation, thus mare doe snot come in to heat.
Personally, I have never given either Regulmate or Depro to a mare ,because of heat associated behavior problems.
I expect a mare to ignore her hormones when worked or ridden, just like a stallion is expected to. My mares are in with geldings, and it does not take most mares any length of time to discover geldings they are pastured with, are duds, and i very seldom seeing them acting like big hussys with familair geldings, plus those geldings get less amorous also. I have never had aprobelm pasturing mares together with geldings, even though a few geldings mounted a mare for a season or so.. Even with gloves, I sure don't want to be handling regumate regularily.
Mare magic is deceiving in name, being only a Mg supplement. Horses that are deficient in magnesium, can be reactive,. If your horse is not deffienct, then feeding more Magnesium is not going to do anything
Some mares have colic pain during ovulation, but that only lasts a few hours
(colic pain being any abdominal pain, and does not mean just GI pain origin, although most colic pain has a gut source
If a mare has cystic ovaries, then they can have prolonged period of pain.

Here is some info on enlarged ovaries, due to cysts or tumors, and they can cause abdominal pain. I would have the ovaries on your mare checked

regardless of the type of tumor, an enlarged ovary can only be determined during a rectal examination. These types of exams are common in broodmares, but not so much in performance mares. Outward signs of an enlarged ovary might include intermittent abdominal pain or erratic estrus (heat) cycles, which often warrant a reproductive examination. 

Here is the entire link :

Ovarian Tumors | TheHorse.com


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Info on ovarian cysts:

*Ovarian Cysts*



 Unlike other complications of the mare's reproductive system, ovarian cysts often do not cause noticeable pain in the animal unless they become quite large. If that's the case, symptoms resemble those of ovarian tumors, including colic and back pain. Generally, ovarian cysts are discovered when a mare fails to get in foal. Ultrasound testing reveals the cyst on the ovary. In horses, the most common type of ovarian cyst is the cystadenoma, which occurs on only one of the ovaries. On the ultrasound, your veterinarian might see more than one cyst on the affected ovary.

From what you posted, that she has these pain symptoms year round, i would certainly have her ovaries checked for either cysts or tumor


Read more : Ovarian Cyst Treatment for a Mare | eHow


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

well crap. that might explain my jackal and hide mare under saddle. and the fact she cycles in the middle of december...


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

Mares can cycle all year around - hence the reason that foals can be born at off times, its just usually less evident in the winter months
Ovarian tumors/cysts are a permanent factor and not just something that kicks in when the horse is in season.
Equine ovarian tumors
Regumate will not 'fix' them
The OP's horse only has this problem when in season so it sounds more like a large follicle problem 
She isn't difficult to handle and isn't being 'flirty' with other horses
Being bad tempered and difficult to handle when in season would be more indicative of an ovarian tumor and again - not something that Regumate would be used for


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

FWIW compared to dairy cattle, cystic ovaries in horses are not common. Cystic Ovaries can cause a mare to act like she is in heat all the time or like she never comes into heat (the latter being less typical). This is not to say mares never have cystic ovaries, they certainly do!

As to KigerQueen'w comment I believe she is located in AZ so heat cycles could be year round as the day light periods are longer and the climate is warmer. 

I used Regumate to synchronize mares coming in heat. They go off regumate and the first heat cycle is very predictable. 

In cattle if you want to synchronize heats you inject a prostaglandin product.. shot #1 is followed 14 days later with shot # 2. The reason for two shots is prostaglandins cause the CL to recede if a CL is present. At the first shot some of the cattle will have bare ovaries (just after or just b4 a heat cycle). The second shot they should all have a CL present and all should come into heat. 

Prostaglandin shots CAN be used for mares, but the shot will cause a reaction in the mare (she will sweat profusely).


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## jazzy475 (Sep 18, 2014)

That's why i don't own mares don't have to put up with the moody stuff.


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