She doesn't like me anymore . . .

[Devin]

If you are on facebook you know my good news I am pregnant!!! Its all good, right? Jeff has been riding JJ because he is still too much of a spaz for me to ride at this time, I've been riding Anya. But anya all of a sudden is the grumpiest pain in the rear with me She has nipped me twice recently. She rides just fine, but ground work has been aweful Not kewl since I am trying to give the kids lessons. Why would she act like that? And only since I became pregnant? I mean she has always been a MARE. But now she is a BUTT! And she is totally fine with Jeff, drives me nuts!

[Deleted]

Congratulations!!! How cool is that? When are you due?

I don't know if there is any correlation between you being pregnant and your mare getting ornery with you. My DD doesn't ride when she's pregnant, so I don't have anything to go on. ;-) I hope it's just a passing thing for you!!!

[Devin]

Thanks I am due Mid May My doctor told me that it was safe to ride for a little while longer. She said that even a fall won't hurt the baby while it is still in the pelvic girdle. My days are numbered though, I plan to quit soon, but the riding is not the issue! Its the daily handling. And it has only started since being preggers and she is still fine with everyone else . . .

[wjminwi]

HUGE Congrats, again, Devin! :-)
Maybe YOU are different?....are you feeling/acting tentative now that you know this news? Just a thought. Or, could she have a tooth or pain issue???...though it seems like she'd be grumpy w/everyone if that were the case?....

[ghostrider]

Wow big news!! Congrats to you and DH.

Frisco used to follow one of the women I knew around every time she'd visit the horses and he'd moon over her something awful. She was the only one he ever did that to and the only reason we could find was that she was pregnant. There were a lot of other women who came to the corral or we rode with and he never gave them a second thought. She moved before she had the baby so I don't know if he would have continued after she had the baby or not.

One of my horse friends told me that horses can sense when someone is pregnant and it's not unusual for a gelding to moon over her. Don't know about a mares behavior though.

[Devin]

That is interesting, JJ has been cuddly But we have a pretty good relationship anyway. He has been nosing me a lot. I wonder if Anya is jealous . . .

[cyndi]

Congrats, Devin!!

Well, if I hadn't experienced it, I would never believe it, but...

For some reason, starting around June of this year, I started having trouble catching my mare. She wanted absolutely NOTHING to do with me. Once I did catch her and put her halter on, she acted like nothing happened and was fine. The next day she was a bit hesitant, but didn't take as long to catch. Then the day after that she was her old self again.

Just before that incident, my barn owner was telling me (I don't know how or why this came up, since he's a guy) how a number of years ago he had to be away from home for a few days, and his wife, who never had problems with their stallion before, was having an awful time with him. I think he was aggressive. The only thing they could think of was that the wife was in her monthly cycle.

I told my husband that story, marvelling at how sensitive horses are, and then forgot about it.

When my mare didn't want me near, I grumbled and complained to my husband, of course, then all was well with her again. A month later, WHAMMO, she wouldn't let me catch her again! My husband, remembering my story from the barn owner, suggested that maybe that was the reason my mare was avoiding me. Two more months went by...just like clockwork!!! However, with me it was during PMS.

I am wondering, since I am pre-menopausal (my apologies to any men reading this! ), if my hormone levels are so high (higher than before I was pre-menopausal), she can sense it. And perhaps that is what's going on with you being pregnant. I wouldn't even be in the field yet - all she'd have to do is look at me over the fence at a distance - and she was already heading in the opposite direction! And yet now when she sees me from a distance, she starts ambling toward me.

There is a Standardbred mare at the barn that is kind of sketchy. She seems like she wants attention, yet comes at you with her ears back, she'd turn her butt to you and kick if you tried to "shoo: her away, etc.. I was finally at a point where I could go get my mare and the Standardbred would leave us alone, but the one time I had trouble catching my mare, this Standardbred was at least 50 feet away from my mare, yet as soon as she saw me, she headed straight toward my mare and parked herself right in my path. Things just went "south" after that.

So, maybe once your hormones settle down a bit, your mare will be more gracious toward you

[Devin]

Thanks for sharing your story! I sure hope you are right! At the moment I just want another gelding lol!

[Deleted]

I agree with you doctor, Devin. My DD rode with her first one. But she has so much trouble when she's pregnant, that her doctor doesn't want her riding at all now.

I hope the issue goes away, but if not....you can just dream of May!!!

[Devin]

True that! I did buy her for my hubby, and she is a great horse in most ways. She really does get along well with him, so he can have her! Ha! I actually have a lesson with one of the kids later today so we will see how it goes. JJ is too much horse for a beginner, so Anya is it, and she has been really great with them so far. Not necessarily happy about all their mistakes, but well behaved non-the-less.

You daughter is wise to not ride if she has issues!!! Its not worth it at all, it can wait . . . I am close to being done myself. I personally have had no issues so far, not even morning sickness (How lucky is that!) mostly I am just tired and hungry non-stop ROFL!

[Devin]

Wendy, I meant to reply to you and I forgot! I carry myself pretty much like always, I don't think I have changed in how I handle or approach the horses at all. As far as pain, she is older and does have some leg issues, not serious, just normal older horse stuff. I have meant to have a dentist come out as well, but havn't got to it, I haven't been feeding her grain over the summer, but had to give her some anti hist one day and noticed her dropping some grain. I think she might need a floating.

[ghostrider]

So Devin is this your first child? you're raising a couple though right?

I've never thought about the difference between horses and our cycles but sometimes Buddy is more stand-offish and sometimes it's like all he wants to do is hang out by me and will pin his ears at Boomer to keep him back from me.
I will have to pay more attention.

I haven't had a mare since I lived in OH as a kid. I love geldings.

[Devin]

I think I am a gelding person too. I've like a few mares, but never bonded with them. I seem to bond to geldings.

Yes, this is my first!!! I do have 2 boys in my care for now I work at a childrens home, and though we are not house parents, we couldn't resist these boys! We don't know how long they will be in our care, but really, what parent does know? All up to God.

[ghostrider]

You are right every day you can hug them is a gift from God.
I'll bet you are so excited. And they have all those really cute things now days too.

[Devin]

We are super excited! Went to a baby R us for the first time, though. I swear, I didn't know anything was more expensive than horses! I stand corrected, babies take the prize on most expensive LOL!