Can Buck Off Help a Marish Horse?

Yes — Buck Off can be a really useful option for mares that become tense, sensitive or over-reactive, including those whose behaviour changes around their seasons.

“Marish” can mean lots of different things, though, so it's worth looking at exactly what changes in your mare.

Why does my mare's behaviour change?

Hormonal fluctuations are a normal part of a mare's reproductive cycle, but some mares seem much more affected by them than others.

You might notice that at certain times your mare:

• Becomes more tense or sensitive
• Is noticeably spookier
• Struggles to concentrate
• Becomes easily distracted
• Over-reacts to things she would normally cope with
• Feels more on edge when ridden
• Has noticeable changes in her mood or behaviour

If that's what you're experiencing, Buck Off may be useful.

How could Buck Off help?

Buck Off has been formulated to support horses that are tense, sharp, spooky or over-reactive.

Its ingredients provide nutritional support for some of the systems involved in mood, stress response and normal hormonal balance, so it can be particularly interesting for mares whose behaviour seems to fluctuate at different points in their cycle.

However, the aim isn't to suppress your mare's natural cycle or completely change her personality.

We're looking for a mare who is better able to cope with those changes without becoming quite so tense or reactive.

What if my mare is uncomfortable during her seasons?

This is where we'd make an important distinction.

If your mare simply becomes more sensitive, distracted, tense or reactive, additional nutritional support may be appropriate.

If she appears to be in pain, shows extreme behavioural changes or suddenly develops behaviour that's unusual for her, we'd recommend discussing it with your vet.

Buck Off shouldn't be used to mask an underlying physical or reproductive problem.

Does she need Buck Off all the time?

Buck Off isn't a sedative. It typically takes around 7 days to start working, so we wouldn't recommend giving it for a day or two when your mare is particularly reactive.

If your mare is generally sensitive and her seasons make that more noticeable, we'd usually recommend feeding Buck Off consistently.

That provides ongoing support rather than trying to catch individual changes in her cycle.

Look at the individual mare

Being a mare certainly doesn't mean a horse needs a calmer.

But if your mare's hormonal fluctuations seem to coincide with changes in her mood, tension or reactivity, Buck Off may be a useful addition to her management.

The goal isn't to stop her being a mare.

It's to support a more balanced response when she finds things harder to deal with.