Long Term Side Effects of Regumate

[scrbear11]

I have previously had mares in training on Regumate, but were not with me long enough to see the long term side effects. Can anyone tell me about the long term side effects of Regumate?

I have a very sensitive, flighty, young mare, who just needs help focusing. She can be fairly explosive, seemingly randomly. Her action of choice is to go up. 80% of the time she is fine, just reactive and spooky.

She’s been treated for ulcers, is on a gastric buffering supplement. She is on Quiessence, and a joint supplement and a low carb grain. She’s in a stall 12 hours, out 12 hours. In work 5 days a week. Saddle fits fine. I have a call into my vet to discuss the possibility of an ovarian cyst or something along those lines.

[Highflyer]

It can take a while to get them cycling regularly to breed once you stop. Other than that I haven’t really seen any side effects.

[merrygoround]

^^^^As Highflyer said.

[findeight]

None noted. But, anecdotally, show mares who have been on it for years, like 6,7+, seem to have a problem carrying to term. Now, these would be middle aged or better mares and many other things might be at work. But it makes sense if you disrupt the cycle over years, it could effect the hormone balance necessary to carry to term.

IME, they really were not any more difficult to get in foal then any other 8-10+ year old maiden, but lost it, some early, some up to 6 months. Repeat attempts yielded the same results. Mares around the same age and background that were on it for shorter periods, not for extended periods year in and year out, did not have the problem.

Totally unscientific here but if I wanted to breed down the road? I would still use it if needed but only for the shortest amount of time I could get away with and only for a few years, like 3 tops. I’d breed earler too, if you are going to anyway and it’s got a decent show record, why wait? It can come back.

But I never bred my mares and don’t think most single horse owner who board out should either, plenty of babies every year out of better mares then mine if you want one.

There should be some actual, scientific studies out there with control groups and long term monitoring.