Chaste Tree Berry for Mares

[Pico_Banana]

I’ve searched the forums for previous threads on this, but the ones I found are pretty old.

I’m curious if anyone has seen any results from using chaste tree berries to help their mares during their heat cycles. Mine gets so uncomfortable that I don’t even ride her when she’s in estrus, which means she’s unrideable basically one week out of every three. And yes, she’s still cycling even in January.

I had been using MareMagic but when I ran out, I thought I’d see how she did not on it. I did see some worsening of symptoms, I think, but not enough to make me run back to MareMagic.

In a long ago conversation, my vet suggested going straight to Regumate but I think I want to give chaste berry a try first as some of what I’ve read says that Regumate doesn’t actually help with the touchiness part. E-Vitex sounds like it would be the one I would get.

Thoughts?

[IslandDQ]

I actually just put my mare on a mix which is herbal https://www.horseherbs.com/collections/horse/products/feisty-mare only I removed the Chamomile as it’s not FEI legal and added Raspberry Leaves. It’s early yet, but I am noticing a difference.

Regumate works without a doubt but there are feeding considerations for handling it and extra caution in the barn. It did help the one that was touchy when cycling I knew but herbal is worth a try to see!

[DarkBayUnicorn]

Just like women, all mares are different. That said, chaste tree berry works for my mare.

[Magicboy]

I tried chaste berry on a mare with no results at all. Probably individual differences…you might just have to try it.

[Scribbler]

Regumate shuts down heat cycles. It’s like birth control for humans, depo provera I believe.

I put my skanky mare on it last summer and it stopped a lot of behavior that I thought was training not heat. Definitely worth trying, though expensive.
I measured it with a syringe and put it in her mash. You don’t want to splash it on your skin.

[bitranchy]

You could certainly try chaste berry, it could work.

However, I will second Scribbler’s input. Regumate is, as far as I’ve heard and know, the most effective treatment. I, too, put it in mash and use the powder free one use gloves. It’s not cheap, so you may want to try chaste berry first. It worked out to approx. $3 a day for me IIRC.

[leheath]

I discussed this issue with my vet as my horse is unridable away from home when she’s in heat (and you can’t really tell if she is in heat until you are already away from home!), especially in spring and fall. He indicated that raspberry leaves (Mare Magic) and chase tree berries can work to reduce mild symptoms, but he’s never seen it be truly effective for really strong symptoms such as my horse experiences (and it sounds like your horse does too). We went straight to Regumate and I’m glad I did as it was very clear my normally cheerful, friendly horse was very uncomfortable. If you buy it on sale (online - Valley Vet is usually the cheapest) and get the generic version, it is effective and works out to approx. $2.00-2.50/day. You do have to handle it carefully, but I bag my feed and add it to the feed bags so the barn workers just have to dump it into my horse’s feed bin and there have been no problems.

[Pico_Banana]

Thanks all for replying. I will go to Regumate if necessary but I am going to see if the chaste tree berry will work first. For those who tried it – whether successfully or not – what dosage(s) were you using? It seems like there’s a big range in what people use.

[Scribbler]

@Pico Banana

Thanks all for replying. I will go to Regumate if necessary but I am going to see if the chaste tree berry will work first. For those who tried it – whether successfully or not – what dosage(s) were you using? It seems like there’s a big range in what people use.

I expect there is also a big range in active ingredients, as is true for all herbs (inuding marijuana and kitchen spices!)