The very essence of mare-ness is that they know exactly when spring arrives!

Mares experience their reproductive cycles in tune with the seasons – spring, summer, and autumn, resting in winter, nature's way, guided by the circadian rhythm's influence, and as the days get longer, their hormones kick in and start telling them to find a mate!

But as we all know, this also brings out their unpredictable side, everything from moody and distracted to plain mean and aggressive. - a natural, if challenging aspect of mare care.

Wild vs. domestic - a tale of two lives

Here's an interesting point though. Consider our wild mares – they live in the company of a permanent herd with a stallion; they come into season in early spring, they find a suitable mate, they’re then in foal for 11 months. They foal, they nurse, then before you know it spring's back round again - it's time to yet again seek out the best stallion to produce the best foal.

This is how it's meant to be, and for our wild mares their year from spring to spring usually involves only one ‘season’. The rest of the time they're busy doing what nature intended for them, with the physiological state that causes repeated menstrual symptoms simply not occurring.

Contrast this with our domestic non-breeding mares, who face repeated cycles without the outcomes nature intended. They’re neither in the company of stallions in spring, nor are in foal for the entirety of the summer, autumn and winter. So, factor in a continuous rolling 21-day oestrous cycle throughout pretty much 3-seasons of the year, plus all the day-to-day changes in a domestic regime - workouts and exercise, performance and competition, stabling and restricted turnout, feed and management changes, horse companions moving on etc etc - and it’s no wonder that their hormones are disrupted, which will inevitably lead to behavioural shifts.

Nature expects only one or two fertile seasons, followed by pregnancy, birth, and nursing. The more seasons our mares have without a pregnancy, the more chance there is that they will have seasonal behaviour that us humans consider 'challenging'.

For most of our domestic mares, they also have either very limited, or no access at all to any male horses. In any domestic herd, one horse will take on the role of boss, and in our mixed domestic herds, it can be either a gelding or mare. It doesn’t necessarily mean bullying the herd; it’s more about keeping the herd safe, dealing with intruders, moving the herd, standing guard while others sleep and so on.

A mare will soon recognise that the geldings in their herds aren’t behaving like stallions, and leave them alone after a while. However, come spring, it's said that the sex-drive hormones are so strong in mares that she will actively search for a stallion. Rather than being a wallflower she’ll check out every new gelding she meets, and very often that gelding will be able to bring her into season unexpectedly.

(And no – it’s not just about stallions gatecrashing after midnight! Statistics show that mares kept in same-gender herds escape more often in search of a stallion, compared to their mixed-herd peers.💘)

Managing mare care – a balancing act

We don't want to change the natural process but more to work with it, ensuring our non-breeding mare’s comfort and well-being, and thus making life more manageable for us. Integrating them naturally into a stable, mixed herd, will significantly benefit her biorhythms. That said, I completely get that we can only work within the environment that we have, me included.

Practical tips for hormonal support

• Diet can be the foundation that helps balance our mares’ hormones, and the first step involves removing the bad stuff, i.e. for us human girls, we know that sugar, caffeine, alcohol, stress and lack of exercise all contribute to worsening PMT and the menopause. It's a cast-iron given that imbalances in our hormones are triggered by bad food. If we eat sugar, we’ll produce more insulin, more estrogen and more testosterone. Then there are food sensitivities; many horses are sensitive to alfalfa, and antibiotics - plus environmental chemicals such as pesticides in the air and in food - act as powerful hormone disruptors. Keep a check in case your mare's been exposed to local crop-spraying.
  
  
• There’s plenty we can do to supplement intelligently. Vitamin D and the B-vits help balance estrogen, so make sure there's plenty of skin exposure during turnout, and adlib meadow hay to nurture the hindgut biome, in order to produce the vital activated B6 and B12 the equine body needs.
  
  
• Ensure calcium levels in grass/hay are balanced to phosphorous and magnesium – calcium needs magnesium to balance the energy, with too-high calcium meaning fizzy and unpredictable, which could easily be misinterpreted as mare-ish. Prebiotics, natural antioxidants, and the anti-inflammatory omega-3 (by way of linseed), can all help to balance hormones.
  
  
• Consistent herd dynamics - maintain a stable herd to support psychological well-being.
  
  
• Understanding and patience - recognise the signs of oestrous and adjust handling and training accordingly.
  
  
• Exercise - it’s well documented for us human girls that when we exercise, PMT symptoms lessen, so a gentle, stress-free trail ride, with a bit of fun thrown in, could go a long way to improve symptoms.
  
  
• Stress – chronic stress can trigger or exacerbate hormonal imbalances, and it doesn’t stop there. Any kind of ongoing stress, whether mental or physical, compounds upon itself, resulting in significantly affecting the immune system where every systemic response is linked. This triggers a negative cascade on the whole system, which finally ends up in a poorly functioning state.
  
  

Our own mares

We’ve been so fortunate with our mares. Cookie was as mellow as they come - she didn't blink at spring, and Pops came to us deeply stressed, but settled so well after responding brilliantly to MellowMare, and we never looked back. But Carmen? Our TB herd queen? Let’s just say, spring made her... expressive! Especially when she was near handsome boys!  Thank all the goddesses for MellowMare and a fearless husband, while I stayed well back!

That said, it seems those days are gone now, as Carms is now 19 and so snuggly, without showing any signs that she's interested in a fabulous selection of very handsome chaps on our yard!

Final thoughts

Our mares are incredible beings – powerful, sensitive, and deeply attuned to the rhythms of nature. While seasonal shifts can stir up some challenges, with a little insight, smart nutrition, and calm, consistent care, we can help them feel more comfortable and settled.

If your mare needs a little extra support during her hormonal highs and lows, we’ve got you covered:

🌿 MellowMare – our go-to hormone-balancing herbal blend (also available on subscription)
A soothing daily blend designed to help balance hormonal behaviour without dulling your mare’s spirit.

• Helps manage seasonal hormone swings
• Supports emotional and behavioural steadiness
• Contains traditional hormone-calming herbs like chasteberry and cramp bark

🌿 Valerian Tincture – for fast-acting calming and antispasmodic support
A handy liquid herbal to ease acute stress or tension.

• A potent supporter for anxiety, tension, muscle spasms
• Useful as a gentle sedative
• NB: check your regulatory guidelines for Valerian use if competing

The good news? Whatever your mare’s temperament, there’s always a natural way to support her.