Greetings Wise One,
My father says this was told to him by an “OLD timer” and presumes it to be true; “if you limit a mare to drinking water, “only” from a water trough with a sheet of copper placed in it, she will NOT come into estrus. ie:into heat and able to breed and conceive”. Please enlighten me, is he full of the proverbial horses–t, or is my Pop right?
Respectfully and with much admiration of your all encompassing knowledge,
JBDivmstrSorry, gotta tell you that your esteemed father was other than correct.
There are things you can do to limit the behavioral issues involved in heat, and in medicating mares to keep them out of the worst of heat, but copper ain’t a part of it.
I’m in the minority on this one, but my belief has always been that if you explain to your mare that, while she is entitled to her own opinion, she is never entitled to express it, you will never have trouble with a marish mare. Some say it’s wrong, but then my own mare is perfect. Never shows any attitudinal changes that anyone else can see when she’s in heat. I can tell, but then she’s mine and I know her best. Also, I don’t worry about the little ways she shows me that she’s in heat, I do baby her over them, and so no one ever sees us fight about it.
She’s therefore known as a mare with “silent” heats.
One opinion about heat, and a firm answer: ain’t got nothin’ to do with copper…
We were talking about HORSES, right? If that’s the case, how in the world do you prevent her from “expressing her opinion”?
And just for the record, have you tried the above mentioned?
How do you keep a horse from expressing an opinion? Easy, it’s a training issue. You remind her, consistently, that when you are with her, she has to listen to you. Consistent training will teach any horse that certain behaviors are not acceptable, and shouldn’t even be tried.
I haven’t tried the copper thing. I’ll stand behind my expressed opinion that it doesn’t work, though.