# Riding in Season Mares



## mooney (Sep 20, 2010)

I personally prefer mares and I have met the worst and the best, same with geldings. I was wondering how does everyone elses mare's change with the seasons. My mare gets to be a big flirt, I slap her on the rump and she gives it up, but that doesn't break her spirit as she thinks every person who comes to see her will bring her a stallion (a gelding will do, but they usually get scared of her attention)! Yeah right, only in her dreams. Any how in the saddle though she puts her heart into her job 110% it doesn't matter what time of year. Whats your like?


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## tempest (Jan 26, 2009)

Razz is one that can be considered "quiet." It took me a year to figure out just when she was in heat, and that was only after she stood near the 10 year-old ex-stud(he was gelded two years ago). I then realized that all the times she seemed unusually difficult was when she was in heat. I may have been unobservant, but even my RI said it took a trained eye to figure it out.


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

My little pony mare is a complete hussy on the ground when she's in heat. I'm talking squirting, winking, squealing, throwing her butt around, etc. You get on her and she's right down to business, can't even tell she's in heat.


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## Walkamile (Dec 29, 2008)

I'm very fortunate that T never acts any different, in heat or not. She is a mare and for sure has an opinion, but she is well mannered and knows no shenanigans in saddle or in hand. 

I was at a team penning practice with T once, and a stallion was next to us and apparently T went into heat. I felt nothing out of the ordinary, but a friend told me T was "winking" at the stallion.  The stallions owner/rider had complete control of him and there wasn't any problem.


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## reining girl (Jan 30, 2009)

both of the mares i had (duchess i sold cricket i own currently) are awsome. They never act any diffrent in heat or not. the only way i could tell with both of them is they would have some clear slimy stuff come out. but neither them would squeal, squirt, wink, throw there butt around, they both just stay there same sweet self.


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## dee (Jul 30, 2009)

It was almost impossible to tell when my previous mare was in heat. She would get a bit goofy if she was near a stallion, but other than that, she pretty much was her normal self.

Dancer is pretty much the same. I'm sure she's come into heat since Rain was born back in June, but I sure haven't noticed much. Scooter (daughter's stallion) is in the pen right next to the one the mares are in, and Junior (two year old uncut colt) is in the pasture that backs onto both pens. 

Its easier to tell when she's in heat by the way Scooter acts than the way she does. Scooter is pretty laid back, even around a mare in heat - he's just a little more interested in her than usual. However, whenever I've been watching, Dancer gives him the cold shoulder.

Daughter's mare, Mistie, is another story all together. She flirts, winks, pees, squeals and is generally a pain. And she's even spookier than she usually is, and that's bad!


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## mooney (Sep 20, 2010)

Know what you mean by a hussy, that is mooney on the ground, but by no means does she think that she can get away with being rude, it is mostly when she is turned out. When I got her a year ago, I couldn't even tell she was going into season? Like I said that I have ridden the holy nightmares, to once that may as well been a geldings. not saying geldings don't have their bad days (or bad all around).


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## HNS101 (Oct 26, 2010)

MN Tigerstripes said:


> My little pony mare is a complete hussy on the ground when she's in heat. I'm talking squirting, winking, squealing, throwing her butt around, etc. You get on her and she's right down to business, can't even tell she's in heat.


 mine's like that too rofl but i dont have a pony xDD


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## MaggiStar (Mar 19, 2010)

Mine is just a little moodier then usual like her mammy she is grand to hanle though.

My ponies are terrorists you can do nothing with them but the majority of them were bred before which IME tends to make it worse


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

Lily has had 2 foals, maybe that's why she's such a hussy. I'm just glad she doesn't act like that under saddle. She'd be impossible to ride! :lol: Poor Soda just sits around with this disgusted look on his face "get that thing out of my face, **** pony!"


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## ridesapaintedpony (Apr 14, 2009)

My 14 yo QH mare is usually fine. This past season she was a bit more difficult. Stopping and neighing to every horse in the neighborhood and a bit spookier than normal. Finally, I took a dressage crop out with me and when she tried to stop and announce herself, I gave her a tap on the shoulder and drove her forward. That ended it.


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## munschk (Mar 11, 2008)

We have the whole range of mares at my University’s stud. I usually find the mares that are bred frequently or have a foal at foot/just weaned are usually more overtly responsive to the stallions (maybe they’re more hormonal). Two of the mares I use for lessons are awful on the ground when they’re on heat, they’re usually wonderfully behaved but when they’re on heat and lead to the stables (which is through a corridor with two stallions on either side), they prance sideways, wink, urinate, squeal and neigh and generally take a strong, firm hand to keep them in hand (something the beginners find hard!) 

Thankfully, my mare is completely unresponsive to stallions. We tease the whole herd of mares every morning to monitor their heat cycle (which is always an interesting thing to watch) and my mare never changes in her response. She is not overly aggressive to the stallions but she always puts her ears right back and pulls her angry face (she has the best angry face ever!). According to one of the Sisters working in the hospital, she came in (when she still belonged to another stud) with an open wound on her face because a stallion attacked her, so I can imagine why she hates them.


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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

My Chico sounds like your mare mooney lol She'll call to certain horses that she fancies ha ha & needs a few reprimands just to keep her focused.
Thing with her is that she has certain boys that she prefers over others. In NO way miserable, though. Doesn't kick, squeal or even pin her ears (any more than normal). 
My friend & i used to joke that she was partial to her "own kind". She's an Arab & there was one other Arabian gelding in my friend's pasture of about 9 horses (3 other mares) & she would hang out with nobody but him! It was cute how you'd always see them off by themselves.


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## mooney (Sep 20, 2010)

hey nice to hear all the different replies, like I said I love my mare and wouldn't give her up for any gelding. i find so many people are turned off of mares becasue of their cycle but I find a lot of them if they love their job they work %120. Saying that at least a mare has a change for her behaviour to improve, a gelding if their mean, there mean.


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## Tymer (Dec 28, 2009)

My mare is a weirdo. She's an angel and you can't even tell when she's in heat. Then a gelding walks in the ring and she starts acting up to show off. Kind of annoying, funny to watch her prance next to the geldings.


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## horseluver2435 (May 27, 2009)

I usually don't notice if Rainy's in heat or not. There's certainly no large signs, though I suppose she's more apt to flirt with my friends geldings then usual. Nothing out of hand though, and on the ground she's perfectly fine. Lucky me, I suppose.


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## Strange (Jan 11, 2009)

The few mares that I've worked with tend to just get a little more opinionated under saddle, but after I've been working with them for a while they realize that it won't get them anywhere. I've owned two mares, and both learned that acting out just resulted in more work. I don't like to think that mares have any right to act different, in-hand or under saddle, when they're in heat and that's how I work with them. I don't care how they act in their stall or out in the pasture, but as soon as I put that halter on they better know that it's time to pay attention to me and get their work done.


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## rum4 (Feb 28, 2010)

My mares don't usually show any difference when in heat, except my TWH, she will wink at the boys as we are riding down the trails but that is it. She is well behaved on the ground and in saddle. She knows that acting out will get her no where with me.


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## Chimerical (Jun 12, 2010)

My mare is a pain when she's in season, sometimes to the point of being unrideable. Oddly enough she isn't really interested in the other horses then, even stallions, she just acts like she's never been ridden before. Even leading her is a battle.
She doesn't get aggressive, though, which is good. Just dumb!


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Our mares are fine to ride when they're in season, but they sure do draw a crowd at the fence when riding three mares past a pasture full of guys.


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## mooney (Sep 20, 2010)

Yeah, my mare is good, but she is also the reason I will not board her at the local stable. They keep a young stallion there, the owner swears up and down he wouldn't try to get out the breed a mare (the fencing might be 4' in some places and he is a big warmblood draft cross 17.2hh) but I think my mare (also named Mooney) might tempt him a little to much with the way she tends to wiggle her butt for a week. Knowing her she'd be the one to jump the fence! She is nothing special and does not need to have a foal, to many standies around!


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## ridergirl23 (Sep 17, 2009)

rena doesnt really change, haha maybe a little moody, but nothing serious. Honestly, i think she gets nicer sometimes when shes in heat, lol. but she definitly is more cuddly!!!


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