[QUOTE=mvp;7707793]
Hold up! I don’t want a gelding in mare form. See above where I said that I liked the adultness of mares. I agree, as I also said, that any question I had about teaching a mare to do her damn job while in season assumes she’s not in pain. Surely you shouldn’t be asking an animal to sublimate pain (though we do).
But I do want to know how much mares’ “breaking the rules” during ovulation has to do with the way she is handled and ridden. This is the horse version of the question that we used to have about women and jobs or being president. You all remember the joke about a female prez declaring nuclear war because she was PMSing. No one now would think that was funny or acceptable. And I wasn’t of any kind of generation or job where I got days off because of my period. If our species changed its ideas (and yes, some women really do have lots of pain or feel emotions more strongly), are there some horsemen who treat their mares like plain ol’ working geldings and get performance from them, ovulation or no?[/QUOTE]
This would imply that mares consciously make the decision not to comply because they don’t want to (or in spite) rather than because they are reacting to one of the 4 F’s over what you are telling them. A mare’s hormones oscillate when the come into heat unlike a stallion’s that are fairly level or a gelding’s that don’t exist. Mares tend to be more moody and sensitive simply because of the oscillation and the fact that you are sitting right in front of their ovaries.
I think there needs to be some level of ability to know when to back off and realize that you’re not going to win. I’ve worked with mares that get sluggish right around ovulation and will back up to things (in the stall and turned out) to try and relieve pain. I’ve worked with mares that get a little more expressive with their hind end when in heat. I’ve worked with mares that flip their tails over their backs and call out, present to EVERYTHING, rub their butts on the walls, and are almost unrideable because it’s like their brains have fallen out their heads.
I currently have a mare that has about two bad cycles a year where I’ll actually put a chain on her nose to make her easy to handle on the ground. I generally choose hacks and lunging around that time but she’s pretty obvious when she’s in those cycles so I know ahead of time. She has a LOT of try though.
I think what I love about mares is that they all start out with a lot of try. I’ve ridden some that have been kicked along and manhandled that lose that try along the way and become miserable old nags but I think they all start out with a lot of try. I’d like to note that sometimes the try might not be in the sport you want but they’ve got it when you find what they want to do (like my pony, thought she would make a nice large pony hunter… she wanted to be an eventer). You have to know that with a mare you can only push so hard before you have to back off or you break the try. Maybe because they come with higher stress levels from the oscillating hormones? I’ve found that an argument or CTJ is unproductive at best. With mares it’s better to quit while you’re ahead and when you miss the opportunity, find something easier to end on and push the issue again on a less stressful day.
Horses can’t talk so I generally take “overreaction” as a cue that all systems are not go and leave it at that. My current mare doesn’t always overreact; but when she, has she has either been in one of her two yearly RAGING heats or had been suffering from debilitating ulcers.
If it’s really a constant problem there are things like Depo that suppresses the symptoms or regumate to stop the cycles. I’ve met some mares that needed it to keep them from being lethargic with sudden bolts. If my mare were in heavy competition I’d probably put her on regumate so I wouldn’t worry about showing her during her more difficult cycles.
There aren’t “Bad” mares though, there are just mares that struggle with what their body is telling them VS what their rider is telling them. If their body is sensitive during their cycle and you are asking with your aids it may be perceived as yelling with your aids. If your horse gets sensitive in the back and you’re trying to really sit and collect you may find your horse hollow and resistant or even a little “light in the hind end”. They may get sluggish because their hormones are wreaking havoc on them. They may be less reactive and then suddenly and swiftly overreactive. They may bellow like a stallion and need a chain to be lead while in their heavier heat cycles. They present to everything including other mares in heat. They may not give you much of a difference between in heat and out except a little winking when hosed.
That is going to be based on the mare and how well they are able to cope with their hormones rather than training.
And her nickname is still “The Evil Princess,” but that’s with other people (like the farrier, barn workers, and vet).