Hormones Even Get The Best Of Horses

February 12, 2008

Therapeutic riding lessons were canceled at Pegasus last night due to the weather, so I decided to go ride since I was already bundled up for the cold.

Marahute, usually second in the herd pecking order, is typically easy to work with, enjoys grooming, and is a generally friendly horse. She likes to test, but isn’t completely resistant.

So last night when I got to the barn, the first indication that something was off was Marahute’s gray, spotted nose being the first at the arena door when I arrived rather than Midnight’s black nose. That was definitely a first. The second was her uncharacteristically nasty attitude when I was brushing her … constantly trying to bite and threatening to kick.  I was a little bit concerned that maybe she was sore in her back or somewhere else, but if she was sore it was everywhere, as she reacted to every spot instead of just one in particular.

I grabbed my helmet and bridle, and after warming up the bit and getting Marahute strapped in, I led her around the arena a few times before heading to the mounting block. Typically a decently well-mannered horse (if she respects you as the leader), this time she  spun around the mounting block, stubbornly refusing to stand still. Eventually she gave in and off we went.

Marahute has a nasty habit of testing me by refusing to move out at first, and eventually I can get her attention and we work well together for the rest of the ride. But this time she just didn’t want to move. She was taut, resistant, and unwilling to stretch her legs. After we had walked and trotted and done some trot poles, she decided she was ready to canter and was perfectly willing to move out for the rest of the ride. Once she cantered enthusiastically and soundly, I wasn’t worried about her being sore. After a good warm up and a few exercises, Marahute typically settles in and listens to my leg, seat, and rein aids. This time, however, she really tested me at the end of the ride by refusing to bend properly to the right or to walk in a straight line. She just wouldn’t listen!

After we finished up, Dave came down to the barn. When I told him about Marahute’s odd behavior, he told me that she had recently been in season. She’d been showing the characteristic signs to the geldings in the herd and had been extremely bossy with the other horses. As a woman (though I don’t get quite that irritable) I can understand the changes in attitude that come with those flowing hormones. I guess horses can be just as susceptible!

I guess that’s something to keep in mind: if your mare is showing an uncharacteristic change in personality or attitude and doesn’t seem to be sore or uncomfortable and nothing else in her lifestyle has changed, she could just be affected by those female hormones!

Posted in Riding and showing