aggressive | Horse Racing Free Tips

Trail Riders, Watch Out For Wasps In Cooler Weather

Though it's intuitive to think that cooler weather would slow the battle against flying insects, this isn't the case with wasps, reports EQUUS magazine. During spring months, wasps are focused on collecting protein-rich food for their larvae and don't spend much time bothering humans, unless their nest is in danger.

However, once the larvae mature in late summer or early fall, all the wasps begin seeking food solely for themselves – and the competition can get fierce. The wasps seek out sugary foods, and become more aggressive and resolute in their quest. Wasp stings to both horses and humans are more common in the fall.

If riders come upon aggressive wasps while trail riding, leaving the area as quickly as possible can minimize the stings. If the group is large, splitting into two groups, one that has passed the wasps and those not yet to the danger area. Horses that are stung tend to buck, so the possibility of being unseated and landing in the middle of the swarm is real.

Once all riders are safely away from the wasps, check over both horses and riders for stings. If a horse has been stung, he may have localized swelling at the site of the sting, and some may break out in hives. If hives appear, the horse's veterinarian may prescribe anti-inflammatories or steroids. Few horses develop systemic anaphylaxis to wasp venom, but if the stung horse is having trouble breathing, a call to the vet is in order.

Why Do Some Mares Behave Like Stallions?

Though it's rare, mares can occasionally demonstrate behavior that people commonly associate with stallions — acting aggressively, dominating herdmates and even teasing or mounting other mares. Dr. Patrick McCue tells the American Quarter Horse Association that there are several possible causes for these behaviors.

These include:

Ovarian tumors – The most common ovarian tumors are granulosa cell tumors. About 40 to 50 percent of granulosa tumors contain theca cells, which produce large amounts of testosterone and can cause a mare to act like a stallion. Testosterone levels will remain high until the mare has the tumor surgically removed.

Pregnancy – Pregnant mares have elevated testosterone levels while their fetus produces gonads; the testosterone crosses the placenta into the mare's bloodstream and can affect her behavior. Mares begin to have increased testosterone levels around their fourth month of gestation and these levels peak around month seven. By the last trimester of pregnancy, as testosterone levels decrease, mares tend to become less aggressive.

Mares that aren't pregnant can experience testosterone fluctuations during their estrous cycles.
Steroids – Anabolic steroids can suppress estrus and increase stallion-like behavior, including aggression. These behaviors resolve once steroid use is terminated.

Pseudohermaphrodism – Though rare, pseudohermaphrodism in horses occurs when a horse looks like a mare, but has the genetic makeup of a male horse. These horses have testes instead of ovaries; they are cryptorchids that don't produce spermatozoa, but the testes produce enough testosterone to affect the horse. Horses that are pseudohermaphrodites may have female genitalia. Removing the testes will eliminate stallion-like behavior.

How To Introduce A New Horse To The Herd

Stress in horses can manifest itself in a myriad of ways: some horses develop ulcers, while others begin to weave, crib or enact other stereotypies. Stressed horses can even become aggressive toward other horses, taking out their feelings of unrest on others in their barn or herd.

Aggression issues often manifest during turnout, when horses are free to interact with one another. Introducing a new horse to an established herd can be stressful to all horses involved, not just the newcomer. The introduction should be done as slowly and methodically as possible. This can be done multiple ways:

Place the new horse in a solid enclosure or field next to the new horses so he can see the other horses from a distance or “meet” them over a fence line. Once the majority of the drama has died down, turn the new horse out with the herd for short periods of time, slowly increasing the duration of time he is out with the herd. If the herd lives out 24/7, remove the new horse from the field at night.
Another option to safely introduce a new horse to a herd is to divide the herd into two groups, splitting the number of horses that can gang up on the newbie. Once the dust has settled with one group, the two groups can be combined.
If time is available, introducing the new horse one-by-one to every other herd member can make the transition as seamless as possible.

It's important to note that some horses may never be able to mingle safely with others. These anti-social animals were typically not socialized properly as foals or grew up in seclusion. These horses often become overly aggressive or become so timid they won't approach the feed or water. These horses will most likely feel comfortable being able to see other horses, but having no direct physical contact with them.

Why Do Some Geldings Act Like Stallions?

Some male horses, even when gelded, can act like intact stallions. These behaviors can cause issues when the horses are turned out or when they are being handled in the barn.

As most stallions are kept only for breeding purposes, the majority of horse owners have no experience with them or their hormone-driven behaviors; eliminating these behaviors is a driving force behind having a male horse castrated.

Gelding a horse removes his testes, eliminating the source of testosterone, but some of the greatest effects of testosterone occur when the horse in utero, where the fetus' testes pump out a plethora of male hormones. This early influence may cause geldings to act like stallions, fighting with other geldings, mounting mares, acting aggressively with people, attacking foals or herding mares.

Interestingly, many geldings that exhibit stallion-like behavior are in their teens, though it's unclear why they act this way more than their younger counterparts. One theory is that a tumor on the geldings' pituitary glands secrete extra hormones. Another theory suggests that the increased confidence and social rank that comes with age may encourage the stallion-like behavior.

Some geldings may act stud-like because they were not gelded completely; they may have a retained testicle that has failed to drop into the scrotum. A blood test can determine if the horse has a retained testicle, which can be removed surgically.

Stallion-like behaviors can include:

Fecal marking. Some geldings will pass manure on other horse's fecal piles as a way of making others aware of his presence. Stallions in the wild do this as well.
Flehmen response. A horse raises his head, curls his upper lip and inhales to better smell mares he is near. This is a harmless action, but can accompany more troublesome actions.
Mounting mares. This can be a dangerous as mounting can injure the mare or the gelding if he is the recipient of a kick.
Fighting. A gelding acting stallion-like may fight off male horses to keep them away from “his” mares, potentially injuring himself or other horses in the process.
Herding or guarding mares. A gelding may continuously move mares away from people or other horses in the field, keeping them just out of reach.
Acting aggressively with people. Anyone working with or near a gelding exhibiting this behavior will be at risk of being bitten, charged or struck, especially if mares are present.