Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Hey, thanks for that faulously easy to understand explanation!

But in a way my question still stands--the only other mare I've had did come 
into heat Big Time at her first ride and Suzy Kelly (whom I'm guessing has 
won more races [often w/ BCs] on her "home-grrown" mares than any other 
rider in AERC history) just responded to my same question then: "well when 
you go somewhere where there are lots of gorgeous guys, don't you go into 
heat?")  Hmmm....

   So, I'd love to hear some feedback on this: are mares more likely to go 
into heat at rides?  And, if so, is Regumate the answer--or does 
exposure/experience help?  Or what else?

--Dabney
(And Zena--"what kind of a mare-inexperienced human have I got here?"

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <heidi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <dabneyesq@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2005 5:21 PM
Subject: Re: [RC] 'Easy' mare <rated pg-13>


> > 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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