Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

> What is a "transitional heat"?  (And if, as I'm guessing, it is when a
> mare  is transitioning into new surroundings, doesn't it then happen
> also at  rides?)
Transitional heat is the normal occurrence every spring when mares go from
winter anestrus (not cycling, or non-fertile cycles if they do cycle) to
normal spring and summer cyclic behavior.  When the extra light from the
lengthening days starts to "turn on" the reproductive hormonal axis, the
inactive ovaries go into high gear and produce a whole bunch of little
bitty follicles (feels like a bunch of grapes when one palpates the ovary)
that in turn produce the hormone estrogen, which is the one that causes
heat behavior.  These little follicles will tend to come and go for up to
a month or more, madly producing estrogen to the point that the mare is
often an utter hussy, but they don't go on and mature and ovulate, so
there is nothing to shut the system off, so to speak.  After this goes on
for awhile (can be a month or more, as already stated), one follicle will
finally sort out of the pack, go ahead and ovulate, and the remaining
tissues will start to produce progesterone.  At that point, the mare
finally goes out of this hussy behavior and starts to cycle normally.

Heidi



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