She has always been and is genetically programmed to be a psycho-dominant-alpha-amazonian-style-female. Apparently, hormones screw with that, even to the extent that her horrid gelding boyfriend is currently dominant in the field. When I take her into the barn, she pees for her other boyfriend, the gelding in stall #2. When I say pees, I don't mean "lift the tail and waft some scent". No, she full on pees, depositing gallons of hormone-scented urine right in front of his stall door. She whinnies to him and her other boyfriend and generally makes herself annoying.
Sigh. Mare. I am planning on investing in some raspberry leaves. Maybe they will help, because the smell of urine just isn't doing it for me.
In other news, she's been lovely under saddle. She's more reactive to stimuli then normal, which means she's started spooking again, but on the other hand, she also listens to me better. I can actually get a halt/trot without touching my whip. I have been lunging her in side reins for a few minutes before riding to help with the whole consistent contact thing, but I think I over did it. She got a little over bent yesterday. We'll lay off that for a while.
I get my raspberry leaves at herbalcom.com. At $5/lb it's an affordable experiment. It definitely helps take the edge off of Rose's cycles, but doesn't get rid of it all together.
ReplyDelete-DS
Adventures In Colt Starting
I agree with DS - the raspberry leaves do help quite a bit although they don't eliminate the behaviors entirely. I've gotten mine through Valley Vet (Mare Magic) and I'm now trying out HorseTech's raspberry leaves to compare. There's a nice raspberry leaf tea for humans, too - I like the Yogi brand best.
ReplyDeleteJetta is the same right now, ugh! I think I'm going to try the raspberry leaves too. She's just so annoying when she's in heat, she pees everywhere. My goodness mares!
ReplyDeleteIf she can pay attention through all that when you ride her, then she id indeed getting trained. Responding to you is starting to become a habit.
ReplyDeleteWell done.
O the woes of owning a mare. I feel for ya.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jean, if she can focus on you despite being in heat that badly, you're truly getting somewhere!
ReplyDeleteI have to say that this heat for Promise, is the worst/strongest spring heat I have seen it in several years...in that she's not *normally* the winking/flashing/flirting/whore-type. She actually tried to stop to flirt with a gelding while I was on her on Sunday. She got a swift kick and a job to focus on, and didn't try it again...she was great after that.