Has anyone used mare magic?

[skip_rainy_shi]

If so have you noticed a difference in your mare?

I have a mare who is just nasty on trail rides if there are more then 2 other horses in our group, or if she is passed by horses on organized rides.

She thinks she needs to be the leader no matter what once we add a 4th horse to the mix. I tried relax her but I am having an allergic reaction to it. ( I am the only one who can feed ) the horses so need to find something in pellet or crumb form and figured I would see if anyone on here has used mare magic before.

[2horseowner]

Don’t waste your money. Mare Magic is nothing more than raspberry leaves in a fancy package. Just order raspberry leaves in bulk, so much cheaper. I bought 3 pounds from bulkherbs.com for around $16. Check threads for ordering raspberry leaves in bulk.

[MizzouMom]

Previously had two mares that were never a behavior problem. New mare went into big-time heat after arrival, and was witchy to boot. Put her at a training barn where she got only joint supplements with feed and things did not go well there, so brought her home in February.

Desperate, ordered the MM, and started using it end of February. As others on other sites have mentioned, didn’t notice a miraculous immediate change, but I have to say that combined with a weight gain (fatty) supplement and some spring grass, she is like a different horse now. Heat cycles are present but unnoticeable. To the point I’m afraid to stop the MM. Don’t know if it’s the raspberry leaves or the fat, but something is working.

I will try buying the cheaper bulk stuff when I run out, but I would give it a try.

[jenm]

Mare Magic smells lovely but did nothing for my mare. I use a product called Mare Ease that has been great for my mare.

Along with raspberry, it also has magnesium and chaste berry. My mare’s heat cycles are a fraction of the intensity they were before I started her on ME.

[Hampton_Bay]

It helps mildly on my very difficult mare. It’s eased the extreme touchiness to the leg, but nothing else. Magnesium in the form of epsom salts has done the most, with getting her off soy a close second.

I buy mine in bulk too. MUCH cheaper. I order about a year’s worth and keep it in the bags, in the house, so it doesn’t go bad or anything.

[skip_rainy_shi]

Thank you for the opinions I guess I am going to try just the rasberry leaves first see if that will help. Given some time on it.

If nothing after 2 or so months I will try the mare ease.

[Lone]

The Mare Magic didn’t help us at all. I used Mare Moods from Silver Lining Supplements and it was fantastic for my mare and several other mares in the barn as well

[skip_rainy_shi]

Thank you lone I will add it to my list as it looks like mare magic didn’t really help other mares.

[hollyhorse2000]

I’ve used Easy Mare with good success.

[cheektwocheek]

If you just gave the plain raspberry leaves from bulk what amouts would be given?

[Jumpin_Horses]

the raspberry leaves helped my mare a lot.

I give a firm packed heaping tbl spoon, 2x a day

I get mine from here $5/lb + shipping, still WAY cheaper than the same stuff that they put a “horse” label on

however, the stuff I get from here is human food grade, really nice. ive seen the “mare magic” and it looks like something they scraped off the floor after the good stuff was gone

http://www.herbco.com/c-204-raspberry.aspx

[Hampton_Bay]

[QUOTE=cheektwocheek;5703300]
If you just gave the plain raspberry leaves from bulk what amouts would be given?[/QUOTE]

I do 1/4 cup, loose packed of the cut leaves. It kinda clumps together just a bit, and I don’t worry about being exact.

[cheektwocheek]

[QUOTE=Hampton Bay;5704204]
I do 1/4 cup, loose packed of the cut leaves. It kinda clumps together just a bit, and I don’t worry about being exact.[/QUOTE]

Thanks HB, I just purchased a lb from the health food store.

[Ibex]

I’ve used Raspberry leaves both from MM and bulk (The MM comes in a smartpak… not hugely expensive regardless, less fussing around). Mare does really well on it… much looser and happier

[vtdobes]

[QUOTE=Ibex;5705306]
I’ve used Raspberry leaves both from MM and bulk (The MM comes in a smartpak… not hugely expensive regardless, less fussing around). [/QUOTE]

Mare Magic 8oz from SmartPak $16.95 + $7.95 shipping=$24.90
Bulk raspberry leaves 1/2 lb $5.95 + $6.75 shipping=$12.70

This is where I get my raspberry leaves:
http://www.bulkherbstore.com/Red-Raspberry-Leaf-Organic-Cut

[Ibex]

I put it in the smartpaks… still only about $10/month, no shipping fees. If I were feeding myself, I’d buy in bulk, but because I’m already getting stuff in the SPs it just makes more sense in a boarding situation.

That and the fact that locally Raspberry Leaf comes in a giant clear plastic bag and looks rather like another local crop (I live in British Columbia) :uhoh:

[vtdobes]

Right. My horse that gets the raspberry leaves doesn’t get anything in SmartPaks so I’d have to pay the additional shipping so would cost more for her.

[EauMare]

Both of my mares are on Red Rasp leaves (I order in bulk). It has made a HUGE difference in both of my girls. Sure, heat cycles are there but they no longer are a determining factor in what we can do on a given day. I also don’t see the dramatic squatting and peeing like I did before they were on RRL. In fact, my girls are pastured with another mare that is NOT on RRL, and it is VERY evident when she is in heat.

[Devoted]

Good results with disposition, but caution possible side effect with blood clotting

It worked well for my mare with irritable attitude and spookiness. Much more agreeable to work with. I wonder if it interfered with her ability for her blood to clot, after a serious injury. She cut the main artery of her lower back leg, after kicking through a particle lined metal shelter. The mobile vet unsuccessfully tried to tie off the vein. After calling a vet surgeon, he recommended a pressure bandage and assured us that it should clot after a couple of hours. It did not and she had to have emergency surgery to tie off both ends of the artery. She had to be on fluids and platelets for a day and a half, and stalled for 60 days. The surgeon kept repeating that this was highly unusual that a cut to the lower leg below the knee always clots with a pressure bandage, and wants to check her blood later to see her platelet count to see if she is a bleeder. M She received Banamine while waiting for the mobile vet, both vets said that was not enough to cause the profuse bleeding. I forgot about the supplement and failed to mention it. Later after researching, rasberry leaves cause blood vessels to relax, how ever in humans it is used for heavy menstral cycles. Apparently several herbs can interfere with platelets and clotting. I don’t know if this was the cause, but I do not want to risk it by giving it to her in the spring when I start working with her, even though I had good results with her disposition. Please be aware with this possible side effect.

[Scribbler]

I have a mare who is very much a mare and she has a distinct taste for blackberry leaves. Here in the PNW, the Himalayan Blackberry “rubus armeniacus” is a very enthusiastic invasive species, and she spent several years on a field bordered with big hedges of the stuff. She likes the berries off the vines in the summer, but also loves eating the leaves, thorns and all, in the winter. Partly I think because they stay green late into the year.

But I was reading this thread on red raspberry leaves “rubus idaeus” and started wondering. Blackberries and raspberries are somewhat related plants. Could she be self-medicating?

Does anyone know what the active ingredients are meant to be in raspberry leaves? And if they’d be in blackberry leaves as well? The various health food websites are not particularly useful or convincing