Mean Mare!

[sbwinde]

I have a 9 year old mare that has become overly aggressive towards my two geldings. They have been herdmates for about 6 months, and she recently (in the last couple of weeks) has bit and kicked the crap out of both of them. They are in an open area and get fed separately, except for hay- previously they were on a round bale, so she had full access all day, now its “waiting for the feed lady”. We had to do this because of all of the rain we have had in Texas- round bales were going to waste with mold.
Between feed changes, and her being in and out of season, she has been really grumpy with them. She has bitten one gelding several times in the same spot which now is missing a 12 inch by 4 inch patch of fur and he tries to stay away from her as much as possible.

I tried Mare Magic, which hilariously, had her half asleep while I saddled her, but she was back to her grumpy self just a few hours later.

My question: is there some way to modify her behavior and teach her that this is unacceptable behavior? Or should I just keep the boys separate until we are back to round bales and she is out of season?

I have had her for 3 years, and she is a rescue who was emaciated, so she has always been pushy when it comes to feed, but this is by far the worst I have seen. Also, she is not angry toward me, nor does she ride or act differently in performances. She just dominates them and if she wants what they have, she pins her ears and bites at them (even though she has her own).

[SCI]

If this is a new behavior for her I’d talk to your vet and possibly have an exam done. I know a mare who started to act like this and she had an ovarian cyst.

[Pocket_Pony]

Has anything else changed with her feed? Any new supplements or grain or complete feed-type products?

[candyappy]

Sometimes they just don’t get along. The competition for food is not bringing out her better side. I would separate until things go back to normal and then see what happens when you put out a new bale.

[sbwinde]

Nope, she is getting less hay than she had in her round bale, as she is an easy keeper. Otherwise she only gets a couple of handfuls of Strategy to keep her occupied while the others eat. This is her first time in season with this herd, so it makes me wonder if they are just more tolerant of her behavior and they let her push him around. Mare magic calmed immensely and immediately, but we have only been on it for three days. I ordered her a grazing muzzle (keep her consumption down and biting to the minimum) until I can identify the problem and remedy it.

[Texarkana]

I agree with everything said above.

“Waiting for the feed lady” is a huge trigger for aggression, sometimes out of anticipation or sometimes from stomach irritation. I totally understand having to remove the round bales in the weather, but maybe you could put their hay in some sort of slow feeder or slow feed net/nibble net so they never run out between meals. Might be worth a try.

[Ambitious_Kate]

I had a song for a mean mare. “Mean Mustard Mare, sits in the park, sheds in the dark, she’s a go-getta! Take her out to make sure she’s clean. Pins her ears and looks really mean. Always snaps like something obscene. She’s a mean old mare! Just a nasty old mare!”

[quietann]

As others said – slow feeders are your friend. Gives her something to do besides dream up ways to torture the geldings, and if she’s not terribly smart you can give her one with smaller holes so she spends more time eating than they do.

[sbwinde]

Thanks for the responses. I am leaning towards this being a result of changes in feed amount and her being in season. I like the slow feeder idea, but since they eat hay together I would have to stall her (which I hate doing). Hopefully a grazing muzzle will keep her occupied with food and maybe break her from biting at the boys. Hopefully, as quietann stated, she will stop dreaming up new ways to torture the boys.

[Flash44]

I find that keeping genders separate does wonders for aggressive behavior issues and hormonal mare issues.

[Lady_Eboshi]

[QUOTE=sbwinde;8201684]
Nope, she is getting less hay than she had in her round bale, as she is an easy keeper. Otherwise she only gets a couple of handfuls of Strategy to keep her occupied while the others eat. This is her first time in season with this herd, so it makes me wonder if they are just more tolerant of her behavior and they let her push him around. Mare magic calmed immensely and immediately, but we have only been on it for three days. I ordered her a grazing muzzle (keep her consumption down and biting to the minimum) until I can identify the problem and remedy it.[/QUOTE]

What you’re seeing I would call “food aggression.” While she may be getting plenty to eat now, at some point in her “rescue” past she may NOT have been, and the experience stuck with her. It’s possible she was raised on round bales, and lacking one feels she must fight for her food. My solution would be to turn her out, or at least feed her, separately. I doubt it’s hormone or estrus related.

[sbwinde]

Yes, she was emaciated when when rescued. She has been on round bales with me for three years, so the lack of one is definitely a factor. She is turned out, and I will just have to deal with it until Texas dries up. Update on Mare Magic: I swear that stuff puts her in a trance. Not sure I like the effects if I plan to ride that day, but it has calmed her when she is around the geldings.

[Pennywell_Bay]

Why can’t you give her a roundbale? It seems like the behavior is linked to 1. not having enough to forage on so she is taking out frustration on the geldings 2. is fighting for whatever hay is in the paddock.

ETA: I have always mixed my genders and never had an issue. A mare is just as likely to kick the hell out of another mare as a gelding. And a mare will bond to another mare just the same as a gelding.

[sbwinde]

[QUOTE=Pennywell Bay;8202633]
Why can’t you give her a roundbale? It seems like the behavior is linked to 1. not having enough to forage on so she is taking out frustration on the geldings 2. is fighting for whatever hay is in the paddock.

ETA: I have always mixed my genders and never had an issue. A mare is just as likely to kick the hell out of another mare as a gelding. And a mare will bond to another mare just the same as a gelding.[/QUOTE]

Because we have had entirely too much rain and it is just molding before they can eat it all. If you read back, I plan on going back to them as soon as it dries up in Texas. Also, her paddock is 3 acres. I agree, they co-existed just fine before all of this.

[cayuse]

Ambitious Kate, Mean Mustard Mare! LOL
Have you been lurking in my barn??? Did I buy HER from YOU???

[Texarkana]

[QUOTE=sbwinde;8201735]
I like the slow feeder idea, but since they eat hay together I would have to stall her (which I hate doing). [/QUOTE]

Just curious, why would you have to stall her? Slow feeders and slow feed nets can be used in the pasture, and they aren’t a bad thing for even the hardest of keepers. The idea is just to make the hay last longer.

[Real_Rush]

Another vote for the slow feeder hay nets. That’s about all I use for my guys, anyways. I specifically buy round bales, keep them in a shed and just peel off and place in hay nets. I always hang one more bag than the number of horses (3 horses/4 nets, etc), just like you would if putting out piles on the ground. Over the years I’ve noticed that the horses actually prefer the nets over loose hay. I hang some in the morning, then again at night. If there’s ever any leftover hay in the bag, I’ll shake it out on the ground right under where I hang the nets, and 99% of the time the horses will start pulling at the new stuff instead of the loose stuff. I think it’s because the act of pulling the hay through the small holes simulates grazing, which gives them a type of mental satisfaction. I’ve had both easy and hard keepers, and everyone has done well on the slow feed nets. Not only does it slow their consumption and make the hay last a lot longer, but this cuts down on waste DRAMATICALLY. And if you decide to give them a try, the absolute best way to fill a hay net is to put the bottom down in a clean muck bucket, fold the top down over the rim of bucket, stuff as much hay as you want in, then pull top of net with drawstring back up and cinch tight as you pull it out of bucket. EZ-PZ. Good luck!

[candyappy]

A muzzle is going to limit her ability to eat her hay and give the boys the chance to eat hers. This will make her more hungry and aggressive at protecting her hay. She may not bite but can still kick. Being in heat or not will not make any difference.

[Ambitious_Kate]

[QUOTE=cayuse;8203239]
Ambitious Kate, Mean Mustard Mare! LOL
Have you been lurking in my barn??? Did I buy HER from YOU???[/QUOTE]

I usually am singing a song under my breath around the horses. This old mare just inspired one sung right out loud. Heh.