Continuous Heat???

[cretahillsgal]

I have a question for everyone about a 15 yr old mare that I brought home about 2 weeks ago. She is "supposed" to be bred (pasture for 60 days earlier this spring). She was never preg checked. Well after the required waiting time, I put her in with my stud just to "cover my bases". My stud is a young stud and immediately tried to breed her. She resisted his advances and he seems to have learned some manners from her too.

Well about a week ago she started showing all the signs of heat. I thought "OKay she must not have been bred and I am glad that I put her with my stud" It is now over a week later and she won't leave my boy alone. He will finally breed her then wander off and graze. But she follows him and just keeps sticking her rear in his face. Eventually he runs off and tries to get away, but she slowly and dilligently follows him around trying to get him to breed her again. Is this normal behavior for a mare that is bred or even for a mare that is not bred? Should she be showing signs of heat this long?

I know that is alot of information and I may be may be worrying for nothing. But I also know you guys can give me some great advice or tell me that I should not be worrying.

 

[PromiseAcres]

There have been serval postings on this, I think people are ignoring them, which is what happened to mine. I did search "heat cycles" and "continous" and found some interesting thoughts though. I just finished breeding a mare that did a similar thing, I ended up breeding her every other day over a course of 10 days. Finally yesterday she'd had enough! I have my fingers crossed that she took this year. We didn't try last year but a was exposed during 1 heat cycle 2 years ago w/o luck. Now that I have my own stallion I am hoping she took. My preference would be to ultrasound her in 2 weeks... but due to gas prices that isn't going to happen this year so will keep watching for her to come into heat again. We will probably have blood drawn at 45 days also. Depending on your situation I'd just keep her with the stallion until she's gets tired of him, but watch her close for the next heat cycle. I am starting to think some mares just cycle longer??? Just a theory..

Feel welcome to IM me as I'd love to hear how your "problem" mare does.

Danielle

 

[cretahillsgal]

Thanks Danielle. For now I am just going to leave her with the stud. They really seem to do okay together and I can tell that he is much more content with her there. (Except when she is chasing him around the pen)

Maybe she has just decided to take him under her wing and let him "practice"

I do want to add though that most of the time my stallion doesn't actually breed her, just mounts and then stays there for a few seconds. Would this maybe indicate something wrong with him?

 

[Contessa]

I have a mare who is due in August (she had been blood tested in foal). Last week I had to get all the horses out of the barn so I could hose it down because of dust accumulation. I put this mare in the paddock beside my stud and to my surprise she started to show heat. She was squating and pushing her butt up against his fence and he was going nuts! I called my vet and she said some mares will do this and that it is just her way of being friendly. Last year she even showed heat to my lead mare! We have a name for that in the people world (which I won't mention here) so I guess they have them in the horse world too. OH! Your mare could in fact be already bred and is just "extra friendly".