Moody Mares - How Chaste Tree Berry and Magnesium support hormonal fluctuations
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
If your mare turns into a different horse during her cycle, you’re not imagining it — hormonal fluctuations can affect mood, comfort, muscle tension, and behaviour. Our new look Sound Advice Moody Mare Mix pairs Chaste Tree Berry with Magnesium because together they support both the hormonal cause and the behavioural symptoms.
Why This Combo Works
Chaste Tree Berry (Vitex agnus‑castus) supports pituitary balance and helps stabilise hormones which influence mood and behaviour.
Magnesium supports muscle relaxation, nerve function, and stress regulation — all of which can worsen during oestrus.
Together, they naturally help reduce irritability, tension, hypersensitivity, and behavioural swings linked to the mare’s cycle.
Chaste Tree Berry
Hormonal Support Backed by Research
Chaste Tree Berry, also called Monks Pepper or Texas Lilac, is an adaptogen, meaning it helps the body regulate and normalise physiological processes. It has been used for centuries for hormone‑related issues in people - heavy cycles, hormone-related acne, menopause and normalising cycles after birthing.
Modern equine research supports its role in pituitary and hormonal regulation. Studies show that Vitex contains diterpenes that interact with dopamine D2 receptors, influencing pituitary hormones including prolactin, estrogen, and progesterone. These hormones play a major role in how mares feel and behave during their cycle.
Chaste berry is widely used to support balanced behaviour and hormone levels in mares, helping reduce “mareishness” and improve overall mood stability. While much of the published research in horses focuses on PPID (Cushings), the mechanism — dopamine‑mediated pituitary regulation — is the same pathway involved in mood swings and irritability during oestrus. That’s why many owners and practitioners see improvements in focus, attitude, and comfort when mares are supplemented with Vitex.
Magnesium
Magnesium is essential for nerve conduction, muscle relaxation, and stress modulation, and low or borderline levels can make horses more reactive, tense, or hypersensitive - behaviours that often intensify during hormonal fluctuations. Magnesium’s role in neuromuscular relaxation and behavioural calmness is well‑established in equine physiology and widely recognised in equine nutrition.
During oestrus, many mares experience increased muscle tension (especially through the back and hindquarters), heightened reactivity, and reduced tolerance to handling. Magnesium helps buffer these responses by supporting the parasympathetic nervous system making it a natural complement to chaste berry’s hormonal effects.
Why They Work Better Together
Chaste Tree Berry supports the hormonal drivers of mood swings, while magnesium supports the physical and behavioural expression of those swings. When combined, they help mares feel more comfortable, more relaxed, and more consistent throughout their cycle - without suppressing natural hormonal rhythms.
You will have noted that we included a chestnut mare as the image for this email. There is a stereotype that persists culturally that red mares are more difficult, but research and equine‑behaviour experts consistently state that coat colour has no proven link to temperament.
Note for our regular customers:
Magnesium is great for many horses - not just hormonal ones. Magnesium supports many functions in the body, and is generally deficient in forage. We include magnesium in three of our supplements:
Calm Mix is magnesium with a prebiotic, which is great for young athletic horses in work - particularly those that are spooky, short-strided, girthy or muscle tight.
Rosehip + is magnesium mixed with rosehips. This is suitable for teen horses in work for muscle function and preventative joint support.
Moody Mare is for mares that show distinct behavioural changes during oestrous. It is also suitable for metabolic dysfunction, as there is good evidence that it can be used for horses with chronic laminitis or pituitary pars intermediary syndrome (PPID) before medication is required. Read more about that here.
You do not need to buy more than one Sound Advice supplement containing magnesium.
If you are already buying Calm Mix or Rosehip +, we sell whole chaste tree berries on their own, and you can add that to your regime.
If you want to curate a diet specific to your horse, we are always happy to do that. Get in touch at info@soundadvice.shop
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