# marbling, regumate or implant?



## wigton (29 February 2012)

I have been trying to do some research regarding marbling as my mare is very hormonal most of the time.It's difficult to tell when she is actually in season as she is grumpy all year round and never likes her belly touvhed/brushed. I have tried several herbal/natural remedies including frisky mare, oestress etc. Last year I tried Hormonise which did seem to take the edge off although not altogether.
I am now considering marbling. Some posts say try regumate first and if this works have a marble put in but I have also seen posts mentioning an implant? does anyone know any more about these?

I would be grateful for any info regarding all three methods including typical costs.

Also can anyone tell me if she had gastric ulcers when I got her(4 years ago) could they have healed by themselves as I changed her diet to high fibre as soon as I got her. I don't know if she had ulcers just speculating as she raced and I have been told most racehorses have them. ( she doesn't display any of the behaviours other people have mentioned with ulcers)


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## little_Christmas_monkey (29 February 2012)

i have the same problem with my mare  shes gettin worse tho the older she gets and i dont no if its to do with the fact that she had a foal 2 years ago as she has def got worse since.... She is also grumpy towards other horses so would b interested to c if the marble implant would help with her 'moody' attitude towards the other horses... shes turnin 13 this year


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## wigton (29 February 2012)

Thats one option out then! I have been advised to let her have a foal as this would 'sort her out'! 
The implant mentioned that I have found said it needed doing every three months, anyone know what this is?


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## little_Christmas_monkey (29 February 2012)

my mare never showed the typical signs of being in heat before she had a foal i knew her so well (having owned her 10 years) that there was subtle signs but since havin a foal shes def showin more signs and tends to b alot grumpier... obvisously wen she was in foal i had no problems with her being 'moody' she was so mellowed out  people have said to me bout herble remedies but problem i have there is that my mare is extremely fussy wen it comes to her feed!! and she tends to b allergic to a lot of different things and shes the kinda of mare that would leave her bucket of feed if she didnt like it and even if she was hungry she still wouldnt eat it so that option is out the window for me  all i can say is thank goodness her foal is male!!! lol


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## popularfurball (29 February 2012)

I would first be going the scan and scope route - then based on that a decision.

Much better to look first and then treat - like us taking steroids for feelin unwell but no idea why


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## little_Christmas_monkey (29 February 2012)

am goin to ring an equine specialist tomorrow and talk to him about the options for my mare  and hopefully sort something that works for her..


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## beehorses (29 February 2012)

I have not had any experience with these but my friend has.

My friend has a lovely mare who suffers badly with her seasons she had the marble in when they bought her. They have scince had it removed and all truth be told they have seen no change marble in or out. They then tried the regumate which again had no effect whatso ever. They have had all the examinations available and spent a lot of money on the mare trying to sort it out but nothing has worked. They have now left her alone and she is still exactly the same. 

Never tried the implant. They have also been told the same thing about putting her in foal and that may sort her out but there is no guarantee it will work.


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## wigton (29 February 2012)

little_pink_monkey25 will you let me know what he says the options are? and costs if he tells you!!
Thanks


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## little_Christmas_monkey (29 February 2012)

of course wigton!!  as far as am aware the vet is one of 2 in N.Ireland that deals with this sort of thing... ive used him in the past but for different horses and different circumstances and hes been brilliant in the past so hopefully well sort something out and will find out the costs


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## cellie (29 February 2012)

You described my mare couldnt bear to be brushed grumpy seasonal generally unhappy.We tried  regumate which worked so vet was happy to use marble.She had scan  and vets are happy to leave marble in long term now.I thought marble had fallen out as she has been very grumpy just lately and little unsound but it  appears that she has  tweaked her back and mc timoni is coming out monday  before I call vet.Marble stopped bucking too and I could start using  my legs on her without explosive results.She has had hers in two years now.
Cost was around £80 inc scan which is much cheaper than remedies


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## little_Christmas_monkey (29 February 2012)

cellie do u know if it changes their behaviour towards other horses?? my mare tends to b alpha in a herd and can b grumpy and does tend to kick out once in a while if other horses tend to annoy her!! everyone is very quick to blame her as she can b grumpy!! so if i could also get her behaviour towards other horses calmed down as well would b such a bonus!! i dont want her to b isolated as she prefers company


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## popularfurball (29 February 2012)

It really depends on the cause of Te aggression - it could be totally not related to seasons - my pony is grouchy on sugar (mollases, grass). Scans are really cheap and better safe than sorry on this front  I would then try regumate and if successful use a marble. Sometimes it's better to try marble first (eg my mare has severe skin problems which may have been aggregated by synthetic hormones).


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## applecart14 (29 February 2012)

wigton said:



			I am now considering marbling. Some posts say try regumate first and if this works have a marble put in but I have also seen posts mentioning an implant? does anyone know any more about these?

I would be grateful for any info regarding all three methods including typical costs.
		
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http://www.google.com/#hl=en&gs_nf=....,cf.osb&fp=3b781ad305109a2c&biw=1300&bih=670


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## miss_wilson (1 March 2012)

I have just spoken to the reproduction expert at Leahurst this week about my stroppy mare! i asked about the marble as i dont like the idea of  regumate!
She said that there is little evidence that the marble has any effects on the mares oestres cycle and it has been shown to be more of a placebo effect, i personally don`t fancy spending £200 on a proceedure that probably won`t work!


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## little_Christmas_monkey (3 March 2012)

Wigman I spoke with the vet and he was against the marble and implant... His reason for the marble is that ur trickin the body and it and cause problems to which he wouldn't take the risk... The implant doesn't last as long and some horses can take reactions so only tends to use this it the regumate doesn't work... I am takin up in the next week or 2 (when I get a day off work) to get a internal exam done to rule out cysts or anything else... Didn't get cost for it but he said it wouldn't b dear but will let u know how we get on


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## little_Christmas_monkey (3 March 2012)

That was for Wigton sorry on my phone and it corrected the spelling lol


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## rachi0 (6 March 2012)

The marble is apparently only meant to be left in for 3 months and as someone else said... its more of a placebo effect. (was talking to our vet today after having a mare come through the crush today that had come from Japan to be covered with a marble in her... god knows how long its been in there because its now under a separate membrane in the uterus and the mare will have to have an invasive procedure to remove it - it was very bizarre to feel!! Poor mare.


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## kizzywiz (6 March 2012)

little_pink_monkey25 said:



			Wigman I spoke with the vet and he was against the marble and implant... His reason for the marble is that ur trickin the body and it and cause problems to which he wouldn't take the risk... The implant doesn't last as long and some horses can take reactions so only tends to use this it the regumate doesn't work... I am takin up in the next week or 2 (when I get a day off work) to get a internal exam done to rule out cysts or anything else... Didn't get cost for it but he said it wouldn't b dear but will let u know how we get on 

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I have used a marble in 2 mares with great success, it works out much cheaper than Regumate, I think the last one was about £75 including the visit, scan & sedation & insertion, my mares have suffered no problems at all.  There is a slight risk of infection & also a small risk of making them sterile, as I don't want to breed from them & as I trust my vet to keep everything sterile, I don't see these as major issues.  Perhaps some vets are unfamiliar with the marble procedure & some would offer Regumate as its more expensive?


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## cellie (6 March 2012)

little_pink_monkey25 said:



			cellie do u know if it changes their behaviour towards other horses?? my mare tends to b alpha in a herd and can b grumpy and does tend to kick out once in a while if other horses tend to annoy her!! everyone is very quick to blame her as she can b grumpy!! so if i could also get her behaviour towards other horses calmed down as well would b such a bonus!! i dont want her to b isolated as she prefers company
		
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sorry for late reply marble stopped my mare flirting but she is still grumpy around others.I think hers  grumpiness  is due to events of past she has two bad kick scars .The only horse she ever went in shared paddock with was my tb who was kindest gentlest horse ever.There has been improvement and I drea having it taken out but will enquire again this spring.feel free to pm


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## wigton (7 March 2012)

wow kizzywiz that seems really cheap! Waiting for vet to call me back but I think £75 has only covered call out and examination in the past so scan, marble ,sedation etc would be on top. Does it have to be done at home or can I take mare to vets to save call out fee? (how long does sedation last? Don't want her falling over in trailer!)


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## Ilovefoals (7 March 2012)

Regumate wont suddenly make your mare nicer towards other horses.  In fact, mine has been on it 2 weeks now and hates everyone!  Before, she was constantly in season and loved everyone, wouldn't leave them without getting herself in a state, constantly squirting and peeing etc.  She was also sensitive about being saddled and girthed and hated her belly brushed and was stiff over her back.  Now, she couldn't care less who is leaving the field, she'll happily stand in by herself where before she'd have demolished her stable to get back to her mates.  She's no longer sensitive to the saddle or girth and has stopped napping in the school.  I wish I'd thought to put her on it a long time ago!


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## kizzywiz (8 March 2012)

wigton said:



			wow kizzywiz that seems really cheap! Waiting for vet to call me back but I think £75 has only covered call out and examination in the past so scan, marble ,sedation etc would be on top. Does it have to be done at home or can I take mare to vets to save call out fee? (how long does sedation last? Don't want her falling over in trailer!)
		
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My vet is a fully mobile practice so therefore the procedure is done at home, you could travel to your vet if he has the facilities to carry out the procedure at the practice.  Not sure how long before you can travel your horse after sedation, couple of hours maybe?  Check with your vet to be sure.  My bill was definately around the £75 mark, I think it was a shared call so would have been more if I had to pay the whole call out.


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## wigton (12 March 2012)

Update for all who are interested...
Took my mare for a scan this morning, vet said ovaries are fine, a little small if anything? Asked me what made me think it was a hormonal problem, as previously said, I can't usually tell when she is in season as she is grumpy all the time but seems to have symptoms others have mentioned ie hates being brushed, cold backed and bit me! (which she has never done before.)
He said he thinks she's fine, probably just a cow in general! but recommended I try the regumate as otherwise I would never know. Didn't seem overly keen when I mentioned a marble, asked me if I had seen her in season as he thinks her ovaries are not doing much at all, and she needs to be in a certain stage of season to have the marble. He also asked if maybe she was just a bit too much for me and said I had to think of the safety issue.
Have opted to try the regumate, vet has given me 2x 150ml bottles as he says I need to assess if its working, this will last approx 23 days at 13ml per day. Very expensive, bill was £173 and I had previously been quoted £29 consultation and £30 for the scan, this means a small syringe and the 2 bottles of regumate have cost £114!! I did ask about a prescription but I think it made him cross! said they charge £40 for prescription so no didn't think i would get it cheaper and its not worth their while doing a scan for £30!


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## popularfurball (12 March 2012)

Yeah £60 or So is right for regumate. The only cheaper way is the version used on pigs.

Hope it gives you some answers.


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