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  Discussion on Eratic Mare
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Member:
Dlmyers1

Posted on Wednesday, Feb 23, 2005 - 4:10 pm:

Hi, Dr. O.

I just got a 7 year old TWH mare in my rescue/sanctuary. I am usually able to figure out what is wrong and what to do about it. This time I am at a loss.

Roxanne had 3 former owners - all men. My daughter and I are able to handle her without too much trouble. She is rude and pushy and we are working on her stall leading manners. She doesn't appear to be afraid of every day items like ropes, rakes, a whip etc., until it is wielded by a man.

When a man approaches her, she will wheel and kick. If a man pats her neck, she squats and pees. She acts as though she is constantly in heat when a man is around.

Her last former owner tried to have her bred by live cover. Roxanne did every thing she could to get away from the stallion. Needless to say, she also tried to kick the stallion.

Roxanne has no interest in other horses. When turned out, she stands in a corner alone and avoids other horses at all costs. If one starts something, she will definitely finish it. She will then isolate herself again.

I didn't turn her out this afternoon. When I went to clean her stall, I put her in a different stall. She stomped around, kicked the walls and then struck at me. Evidently she has a very short fuse.

She had her head over the stall door last night. I stopped to give her a scratch. She squealed, pinned her ears and pulled back.

I had a chance to talk to an old friend this afternoon that has been around horses for 50 or 60 years. When I described her behavior to him, he mentioned that she may have been molested by humans. I have looked for any time of information regarding behavior of horses that have been molested, but I am unable to find anything.

I hope this isn't an inappropriate discussion for the site. If it is, please forgive me. I just don't know where else to turn to get information.

Donna Myers

www.dreamcatcherstables.net

Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Feb 24, 2005 - 7:34 am:

Hello Donna,
Just when you think you have seen all the questions possible...

If I understand your implication, I don't think a mare would "think" about it actually one way or the other. When you think about the routine procedures done when breeding horses to other horses, this does not seem likely. Is it possible this horse has been physically abused, yes, but not really in the way you suggest, and yes the mare may be associating this abuse with men.

However there are other possibilities. Some of the actions suggest a possible ovarian tumor which causes abnormal hormone levels. Because the hormones vary from effected mare to effected mare there is great variability in clinical signs, see Equine Diseases » Reproductive Diseases » Trouble Settling Mares & Stallion Infertility » Granulosa Cell Tumors in Mares.
DrO
Member:
Christos

Posted on Thursday, Feb 24, 2005 - 5:05 pm:

DrO and Donna,
I spent the last couple of years working with a mare pretty much within Donna's description, if not identical.
Though the possibility for a tumour is significant considering her behaviour (unfortunately there are no such diagnostic tools around here) I do believe this case was mostly a product of cruel breeding practices.
Whenever some moron thought she was in heat, they'd tie her up with all restraints ever invented and put a stallion on her. When she was falling down, they'd simply beat her to her legs and proceed with the business.
Being in heat, according to local specialists, included peeing in a "strange" way, whinning differently or simply trotting with her tail up.
Two years ago I hand bred her, untied and with no problems whatsoever, to a nice stallion. She was pregnant when they covered her again, tied up, a month later, thank God with no complications for the embryo.
It took a few months to shoe her hind legs, not because she'd kick but because every time you'd try to touch a hind leg she'd squat and pee, thinking you'll hobble and breed her.
On top of her breeding adventures, two years before I first met her, her brilliant owner tried to force-feed her newborn, choking it to death in the process. He says this put a definite end in her relation with people.
She did come around, after a couple of years' worth of hard work, to become a horse so magnificent under saddle that I can hardly describe.
However, she never came broken or submitted in any sense. I think she was simply fed up with me insisting, so she'd try to do everything in the best possible way so that she'd get rid of me.
Unfortunately, no matter how we tried, she wouldn't have anything to do with anybody else if I was more than 30ft away, and any new rider would still mean a fine rodeo class for a week or so.
And though I don't believe she was mean deep down, she still landed hooves on people she knew, in two occasions, completely unprovoked and not having the tiniest bad experience from these guys.
On top of everyhting else, one day she became so angry with her little colt socialising with people that she kicked him literally off the ground. The little one was 5-6 days old and had I not seen it myself I would not believe such severe punishment would ever be possible.
Thinking about her now, she certainly taught me a lot, but I may also be simply very lucky to be alive. I somehow (stupidly) enjoyed the challenge, but at great danger for other people and horses.
With all the smiles her memory brings on my face, I'd never try it again.

All the best,
Christos


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