Do mares act like this???

Question

I have a horse, she's a Percharon mare. She's in heat for the first time and she's acting crazy! She has charged at my dad, and me already today and this morning she got out. She was bucking, rearing, and the whites of her eyes were showing a lot! It was really scary! My dad wants to know how long they stay in heat and how to keep her calm, and do they normally act like this when they're in heat?

She is all by herself so I know it's not because of other horses or the weather because she wouldn't charge after us if she was just a little happy about the weather change at all. She was plain mean!!!! and trying to kill us...well mainly my dad, I told him just to not go in there till she's not in heat anymore. She tried bitting me when i stuck my leg in the fence to go in to clean her barn! I jumed out really fast and almost fell backwards! But I'm worried about her and she might hurt someone or herself when she's mad and crazy again. Before when I was playing with her the past summer she used to act like that but she and I were playin' I used to call it her "Foal Frenzey"! But she ain't no foal anymore she's a mare and a crazy one right know! She's gotten to the point when even if she's not in heat she Hates Me, and LOVES my dad to death! she is twice as mean to me now and only half as mean towads my dad, she;s gotten me to the point where I I'm afraaid to go in there with her!!!!!

Answer 1

As someone else said, she's only in heat for 3 days, but they come back into heat after 21 days. Seems like there's a whole lot of time she isn't going to like you.
She seems to have got the idea from last summer that she's the boss. Horses learn most things in their foal years, so although this seemed like play last year, she remembers it as her dominating you.
Get her into the round pen asap and start teaching her who is boss. Send her away from you. Right now, she's being the alpha mare who's pushing you and your Dad out of the "herd". If you can get a hold of some Monty Roberts training videos you will see what I suggest.
In the round-pen, you be the alpha mare, push her out of the herd (send in circles) and don't let her come near you until she accepts this (licks lips, soft eye), then allow her to come in. Horses won't take long to learn this because it's their language. If you don't you put yourselves back in the dominant position, you, your dad or your mare is going to get seriously hurt.

Answer 2

If she is young it might just be one of those "young mare things"

Horses normally only stay in heat for a week at longest but they will come back into heat every 21 days

If it is that important to you and you are sure this behavior is from her being in heat, ask your vet about a product that keeps mares out of heat. Racehorse people use it alot. However, it is very expencive so you'll have to make your own desision about that....

How mares act during heat varies from mare to mare. My horse is just as good, you can hardly tell shes in heat but she runs around her paddock more. Some mares are much worse than mine but i have honestly never heard of a horse acting THAT bad.

Try keeping her in a paddock with another mare or two maybe it will help? I have not had a horse be that drastic in heat.







I don't know where you live but if it has been unusually warm in the past couple of days, she might just be feeling very frisky (changes in temperatures can make horses act like that)


Good Luck!

Answer 3

I think the best thing to do at the moment is either leave her alone until she comes out or call the vet.
If you leave her, she should come out of heat within a week. Write down what she is eating and what her behavior is like each day so you will be able to notice the slightest change.
Call the vet and have him do some blood work and a complete physical. She may be in some pain that is or isn't related to her heat cycle.
Good luck and be careful.

Answer 4

Sounds like she's a bit on the wild side, but no worries - this should only last three days or so unless there's a breeding male in the vicinity, in which it could be a few days longer than that. There's no way to 'calm her down' and make her the sweetie she was before heat as it's an instinctual behaviour short of sedating her. Keep her out in a pasture and away from breeding males for a few days unless you want a foal in about a year and she'll calm down. But, unless she's bred in about a month it'll happen again every month or so until fall.

Answer 5

They can act this way. I had a barrel mare that went totally physco for the week she was in heat. To the point that she would run you out of the pasture. And she did this until she was about 10. Otherwise this was a mare I gave lessons on and was a super barrel horse. You may want to contact your vet to see if there is some mild tranquilizer that he can give her, and you may want to ask about giving her something to suppress her heat cycle if you are not wanting to breed her.

Good Luck!

Answer 6

By playing with her in this way, as a foal, you have taught her this behaviour. It is now being enhanced by her natural hormones.
You say she is alone. If you and your Dad are the only company this young mare gets, she will be very confused and frustrated. She is looking out for herself, with no herd mates to take the pressure off. You need to let her be a horse, to play with other horses. It will teach her discipline.
I know of a stallion that had to be shot because his handlers taught him, as a foal, to put his front legs on their shoulders (as if giving them a hug). When he reached full maturity, he continued to try to play this 'game' and was deemed aggressive. The poor horse was so frustrated at being chastised for what he had been taught was desired behaviour. He was confused and did indeed become aggressive. Once a horse has been trained to do something, it is very difficult to 'un-train' them.
Please don't let this happen to your horse.

Speak to your vet about hormone balancers and let her out to play! This horse needs a leader who is unafraid of her, and you are NOT it. You need to learn techniques to give your horse confidence in your abilities as leader. A good leader is steadfast, without aggression, is firm but fair, and has self confidence. Every time you move away from this horse because she threatens you in some way, you have re affirmed to her that she cannot trust you.

All this may be a bitter pill to swallow, but I mean you no malice. If you want a happy future with this horse, all these things need to be addressed...

Answer 7

She may just be this because this is the 1st time she has gone into heat..but after her heating is finished if shes still acting like that get a doc.

she will be in heat for around 3-5 days.

Answer 8

Sounds kinda scary...she's probably is having a hormonal surge and doesn't quite know how to act. My mare certainly acts different from her normal self when she is in heat but not to that extent. Hopefully she will be back to normal in a few days. If she does this everytime she goes in heat it is "normal" for her, however you might want to have her hormone levels checked, just to be safe.

Answer 9

This is NOT hormonal ... it is a mean a$$ horse. She has been allowed to bully people and needs to be handled by an expert. This horse, especially of her size, can kill you. Get rid of her or get a pro to work with her, but you and your Dad ought to steer clear.