People say: “I have a crazy mare. Crazy mare. When she is in heat, she is horrible. I can’t do anything with this mare.” People like me laugh quietly inside when we read or hear this statement. We assume those people know nothing about handling horses. We have never had a mare like that. We love our mares. We choose to have mares!
My confession on the alter of horsemanship: “I am sorry about my assumption.”
Fancy is a left brain exuberant extrovert with hormonal pain problems. She resembles the above mare, but has been handled with knowledge and savvy by Tony and Jenny Vaught and Erin Patterson. I have been “handled by the same people also! Fancy is very lucky to have these horsemanship masters to look after her.
Fancy has exuberant ovaries and follicles that come to fruition in the Spring. The ovaries moving around make her hip lock up or go out of place. Her back muscles are tight and sore. Her ovary and follicles are so strong, they can move bones. This is painful. Back pain and a rider is not good.
In March I asked Erin Patterson to ride Fancy and develop her flying lead change ability. The timing was perfect as Erin got to ride and develop an argumentative mare. This takes a high level of skill. Fancy likes doing changes, but there is discussion and argument at the start of every ride. Very few people could have managed what Erin was able to get out of Fancy.
The guessed problem answers from vet and massage specialist were saddle fit, ovarian infection and kissing spine. These were are ruled out by modern medical tests by a veterinarian-chiropractor-accupunture specialist. We settled for “hormonal problem”.
Fancy was started on Regu-mate to suppress her heat cycles, March 26, 2020.
The medicine started reducing her overt signs of heat. She stopped lifting her tail up high. She stopped spurting the smelly stuff mixed with urine that attracts stallions and disgusts humans in an indoor arena.
Fancy also receives a monthly body adjustment from Dr. Randy to keep her hip bones and spine adjusted. She needs it.
The next month when her heat was supposed to return, we had three bad days of strong argumentative actions. The next time this happens, I am allowed to increase her dosage for 2-3 days.
It was late May when Fancy changed and became a mare that many people have, including myself. I’ve had many mares, none with hormonal problems.
Her loin muscles are still sore. She still flinches. As of today (6/16/2020), the left side flinches and the right doesn’t.
As of the last couple of days, I can get her on a left lead with no counter canter.
I’ve started giving her a drug called Summit in addition to supplements Platinum Performance and Quiessence.
https://summitjp.com/equinemechanix
She will have her chiropractic session near the end of the month to adjust bones, muscles and tendons.
Fancy has made a huge change. Ninety five percent has been the Regu-Mate. I’ll tell you the rest of the change in another post.
Thank Gawd! I am having fun again.