Pouty Mare Syndrome (PMS)

Yes, that's correct. Izzy has Pouty Mare Syndrome (PMS) and tends to be a very irritable girl when this happens. The first time we didn't expect it and she sent DS1 flying as she got him in the rear. Today she was PMSing again, but she didn't get the great response she wanted. However, it was interesting to watch DS1 bring Izzy across the field to get up to the house to be saddled. She tried to rear, buck, and bite. However, this time DS1 was prepared and keep his rear end pushed against her shoulder and keep a close hold of the lead rope to hold the head down so she couldn't bite or rear. Once saddled she was actually not to bad to ride. She had a couple of irritable moments, but over all she was good.

Tini seems to not have Pouty Mare Syndrome quite as badly. However, running water is a totally new experience for her and she is having to learn how to go over it. Getting her out of the pasture and up to the house requires crossing a stream (normally dry except when we've had rain). Today I bribed her with a little food in the food bucket I was carrying. While riding she wasn't bad through the boggy areas and even went over the first creek ok. But the second was one that she refused to go across for any reason. So after way too many tries we ultimately walked her up stream until we found a place she was willing to go across. Her bad luck really because it meant she had to cross 3 more streams her way versus one the way I originally intended. The only thing with her is she's now decided to jump over streams, which wasn't what I wanted as I was taking her back to the field. She jumped right at me after I crossed the creek and I had to jump quickly out of her way.

The joys of living on the homestead.

-Myrtle