Lucy has been AWFUL this week. I was supposed to have a lesson on Wednesday and after warming her up, we decided to try again next week. She bucked, she reared, and she cavorted. She has never reared undersaddle until that ride...she was clearly saying GET OFF OF ME!
I have never had a mare before and this was one aspect of mare ownership I hoped I'd luck out with, but it appears that she is very uncomfortable when in heat. I feel kind of bad for her, actually. My barn owner said she's been hollering in her paddock all day long, and the lovely gelding in the next stall over whom she usually shares her hay with almost got his head bitten off last night.
I hope she is feeling better by the weekend because I'd really like to ride!
So now I am researching supplements for mares. So far I've gotten mixed reviews on Mare Magic (raspberry leaves). Smart Calm Ultra seems to be getting the best reviews but it's about $45/month and that is pretty pricey. Any thoughts?
Izzy had a weird heat for the first time ever this past week. Not as bad as Lucy's, but definitely atypical for her. Mare magic is vastly cheaper than the other options and it does work really well for some people, so I'm going to try it first.
ReplyDeleteI have heard that it's just raspberry leaves, so if you have a local herb store, it's cheaper to buy in bulk there. Just a thought.
Anyways. If that doesn't work, you can always escalate.
A lot of people have recommended Depo and Regumate (the latter of which I am NOT going to even consider) and I was like, we'll start with the cheap stuff first and work our way up!
ReplyDeleteKate, I've done LOT'S of research in this area in general. Hilton Herb's Moody Mare is great. Don't have to use it on my girls, but have a few friends who use it with great results. Also, Hilton only uses top quality herbs, many wild crafted and Fair Trade. Very often you can start on the suggested dose and then come down, so you save a little money. She may also benefir from having some Devil's Claw before and during her heat cycle. Hope this helps!
ReplyDelete~Jeanette
Hi Jeanette!!! Thanks for the info. I will check Moody Mare out more closely; I've seen it on the shelf at Dover but didn't really pay any attention to it. I've started her on VitaCalm and will give that a couple weeks to see if it makes a difference, but if it doesn't, I'll go back to square one :)
ReplyDeleteShe did seem a lot calmer today right from the start so I think this heat may be over. PHEW! :)