Mare In Heat Complete Guide To Their Behaviour And Treatment

Has your mare been acting a little bit odd lately?Is your mare going through estrus? Mares breed seasonally, which means that they do not go through the estrus cycle continuously.A normal cycle lasts for up to seven days and is followed by fourteen days of complete diestrus every year between May and October. Going into heat is a natural process and should be properly understood by the owner in order to be able to take good care of the mare. The owner should stay up to date with the cycle.Estrus can cause your otherwise obedient mare to behave differently and become distracted. It can pose a problem if you have a show or a race, but you need to understand that this behavior is completely normal and all your mare needs is a little care. This behavior will not be continued into the winter season, as during the winter, mares do not go into heat and their behavior comes back to normal. There can be other causes of your mare’s bad behavior that can be related to any underlying disease. The best way to find out if the changed behavior is due to estrus is to track your mare’s cycle.Some of the diseases that can produce symptoms similar to estrus can be ovarian cancer, bladder infection, or colic pain. Ovarian tumors, or ovarian cancer, is one of the leading causes of changed behavior in mares as tumors can cause the release of various hormones that can cause your mare to behave as if it is in its reproductive cycle. Although symptoms may differ for each individual, the discomfort caused by the tumor can also cause your mare to be excessively aggressive towards the stallions, which is odd behavior for a mare going through the heat period. Prolonged changes in the mare’s behavior can also be an indication of a medical complication.Bladder infection, or urinary infection, can be caused due to a variety of reasons and can cause extreme levels of pain and discomfort in the vaginal area that can cause the mare to squat and urinate frequently and display aggressive behavior that might resemble mare behavior in heat. If this happens in the wintertime, then you must take your mare to the veterinarian at once. In the summer, take notice if the discomfort goes on for more than seven days.Some mares might go through colic pains or painful ovulations that can inflict great levels of pain and discomfort during movement. The discomfort and distraction while working can make the owner think that the mare might be in heat, but you must look closely. if the mare shows such behavior only when she works and not while resting, then chances are that she might be going through colic pain.After reading about your mare’s estrous cycle and sexual behavior during heat, also check out how long can a horse live and how long can a horse run.How long do mares stay in heat?The change in a mare’s behavior is normal during the estrus phase of her cycle, but you may wonder how long this changed behavior is going to last. Read further to find out.The reproductive drive is one of the basic drives in animals. Your mare also goes through it every year in a particular breeding season, as her body compels her to reproduce. The duration of the cycle might differ from individual to individual. A mare goes through multiple heat cycles in the breeding season. The cycle consists of two major phases, namely, the estrus and the diestrus.It is vital for horse owners to understand that this process is natural and force won’t get you anywhere. In order to ensure that your mare’s cycle does not interfere with a training session, race, or showing, it is essential to understand how the cycle works and how long it lasts so that the owner can better schedule the mare’s routine and events. The mare will go through the estrus cycle at a particular time, even if you don’t want to breed your mare.Estrus: The cycle begins with the estrus phase, in which the drive to mate is at its peak. You may notice several changes in your mare’s body and behavior. This is because, at that time, the main focus has shifted from the owner and performance to mating. There are small hair-like structures known as follicles in the mare’s ovaries, which until the reproductive age and heat season remain inactive. As soon as the estrus sets in, a follicle matures and prepares the body of the mare to support a pregnancy. Just like humans go through the cycle of ovulation, mares ovulate during the estrus cycle. This cycle typically lasts for about five to six days but can even stretch to seven to eight days depending upon the mare’s body. This phase is then followed by the diestrus.Diestrus: In the diestrus phase, the mare loses all of its earlier reception to the stallions. This is the reason it is also known as the ‘cold out phase’. Unlike in the estrus phase, the levels of progesterone rise in the body during diestrus, bringing the mare’s behavior almost back to normal. Ovulation does not take place during this period, although in the case of a twin pregnancy, a follicle can mature during the early days of diestrus. The diestrus cycle lasts for about 15 days, which is almost two weeks, but sometimes can stretch up to three weeks depending upon the mare’s reproductive health.How often does a mare come in heat?Now that we’ve slightly understood how the mare heat cycle works and how long it lasts, you may be wondering how often mares go through this cycle, as it can be troublesome to horse owners as the change in behavior disrupts normal activity and training.A normal estrus cycle lasts for about 22-25 days, which includes an estrus phase followed by a longer diestrus phase. This cycle repeats itself over and over again during the summer months from April to September, that is, early spring to early winter. However, as soon as winter commences and the days start getting shorter and colder, the mare stops going through this cycle and cannot conceive during the winter season.Most mares enter their reproductive age at two years of age and start going through the heat cycle until they are about 20 years old. That’s when a mare’s reproductive phase ends and she stops cycling. The presence of a stallion in close proximity can speed up the process, while the absence of a male horse around can slow it down. The duration and frequency of the cycle can also differ depending upon other factors like climate and location.The cycle of the mares that are native to the northern hemisphere where the climate is colder have heat cycles that are shorter and less frequent, while as we move closer to the equator, the cycle of the mares becomes longer and more frequent due to the warmth in the climate. The cycle stops in case the mare becomes pregnant in the first cycle and doesn’t come in heat until the next mating season.How to handle a mare in heat?In order to properly understand how to handle a mare that is going through its heat cycle, it is essential for the owner to first understand the basic biological and physiological functions of a mare’s body.There are some artificial methods to halt this process if the owner feels that the cycle is interfering with important training sessions and events. Some of the things that you can do to help your mare get through the cycle are:Do not try to touch or approach your mare from behind, as it might startle her and make her think you’re a stallion.Avoid grooming your mare in the back as it might be sensitive due to the swelling up of the clitoris and other sensitive flanks. If you absolutely feel the need to groom your mare, go slow in smaller portions, starting from the front.If you notice that your mare is becoming excessively irritated, then it might be a sign that your mare is in a lot of pain and distress due to ovulation. You can give your mare pain relief to soothe her discomfort.Try altering her training sessions in a manner that does not require a lot of physical activity, as movement might produce pain in the mare’s body.Do not hamper her natural cycle continually. Try to halt the cycle only if absolutely necessary, as it is very important to understand that it is a natural process, and altering it with drugs can have various negative implications for the mare.There are ways through which you can halt the natural heat cycle of the mare, either by using age-old farm tricks or hormone therapy drugs and medicines. There are a variety of reasons why the owner might want to halt the mare’s natural cycle, especially if there’s an important show lining up. Due to the heat cycle, the mare can exhibit unnatural behavior, like peeing more often, being noticeably attracted to male stallions and calling out to them, and being fierce and aggressive towards unknown people who might try to approach her.Medications can be one of the easiest methods to halt the estrous cycle in mares and are much more reliable than any other manual method. There can be a lot of medicines that can be used to achieve the desired results.During the estrus phase, the quantity of the hormone progesterone decreases and increases significantly during the diestrus phase that follows. Thus, introducing artificial progesterone hormone therapy can help skip the estrus phase. This process is known as ‘oral altrenogest’.Injectable progesterone is another method of inducing progesterone in the mare’s body by injecting it. This has the same effect as oral medicine but works much faster. These injections should be given after regular injections, as suggested by your veterinarian.Injecting regumate is a particular injectable drug that is preferred by owners that do not want to ever breed their mare. This drug can not only halt the heat cycle but also induce temporary infertility in the mare that can go on for a long time.Injecting oxytocin, which is also known as the birth hormone and is secreted when a female is pregnant. This hormone is naturally secreted by the body while giving birth. Artificially introducing this hormone into the body can make the body believe that the mare is pregnant with a child, thus halting the heat cycle.The marble trick is one of the oldest tricks in the book to help halt the heat cycle of the mare. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this trick has a success rate of about 40%.This method is comparatively less safe than the other methods on the list. In this method, a sterile marble is gently placed inside the mare’s uterus in order to resemble a fetus. This fools the uterus of the mare into thinking that she has conceived a baby. Sometimes the body might perceive the marble as a dead fetus and slip it out of the vagina through a normal miscarriage procedure. If the body accepts the fetus, then it might halt the estrus cycle for about three months. Leaving the marble in for a very long time can cause a lot of infections in the uterus, which can have various negative implications on the reproductive health of the mare. In severe cases, it can also cause lifelong infertility.Typical Signs Of A Mare In HeatWe know how the estrus cycle works, how frequently your mare has to deal with it, and the ways in which you can handle or avoid the situation. The primary step now is to identify if heat is the main cause of the changed behavior and discomfort in your beloved pet mare.As we discussed above, there are a number of diseases that can induce symptoms similar to those of estrus. Here are some signs and symptoms that can help you determine if your beloved mare is in heat.Some signs are different for every individual based on the level of ovarian pain, age, locality, and the pain-bearing capacity of the mare. Some mares are calmer and more docile during this phase, while others can be highly irritable and furious. All breeds exhibit some common signs.Tail Raising: During the estrus period, you may notice your mare raising its tail over and over again after short intervals in order to display its outer reproductive organs in the direction of the stallion.Clicking Or Winking Of The Clitoris: In addition to raising its tail from time to time, the mare might also wink its clitoris, which might get a little swollen during the estrus phase.Frequent Urination: Another sign that your mare is in estrus is that she is urinating frequently, excreting small amounts of urine along with mucus in an attempt to communicate to the stallion her desire to engage in mating.Heightened Anxiety: During estrus, you might also notice that your mare might display excessive anxiety and won’t let you ride her, or get easily startled or distracted. It might be a sign of her estrus heat cycles setting in.Increased Interest In Stallions: if you have other horses in the stable along with the mare, then you might notice a novel, heightened attractiveness towards the stallion. The mare might continuously stare at, yell at, or even run towards the stallion when she gets the chance.Less Active: Another sign that your mare might be going through her estrus cycle is that she might be a little less actively leading and excited than she normally is. This is because ovulation can make movement painful and uncomfortable. It is best to let your mare rest if she feels uncomfortable.More Sensitive: You might notice that your mare is more sensitive to touch and might not like any pats or rubs on the lower part of her abdomen. This is because, as we mentioned earlier, ovulation can make the reproductive system weak and sensitive, which might get painful due to the swelling up of the region.Excessive Squealing: You may also notice that your mare is making more noise than usual, as mares tend to become louder during estrus in an attempt to attract the male stallion’s attention. You may also notice a lot of squatting and mimicking of the mating posture.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for a mare in heat, then why not take a look at how do horses sleep or race horses facts?

Has your mare been acting a little bit odd lately?