Regulate is one of the craftable items in the game. Users trained in the Pharmaceutical Sciences stream can craft Regulate using altrenogest, oxytocin and Depo-Provera.

Use

When used on a mare, Regulate gives her +2 to all stats. However, she cannot breed or be retired to breeding during this time, as she is no longer cycling. This effect lasts one game year.

Course Article

Regulating Mare Cycling

Mares are considered to be "seasonally polyestrous", which means that have a period during the year where they do not cycle at all, and a period during the year where they have multiple estrous cycles. Mares are in estrus (in "heat") for five to seven days out of every 21-22 day estrous cycle.

Sometimes mares can behave differently when they are in heat, which can lead to problems with training or competitions. Because mares are in heat for roughly one week out of every month, some owners choose to regulate their mare's heat cycles in order to get a more consistent behaviour from them. Mares on an estrus suppression program cannot be bred or get pregnant due to the medications they are administered.

One of the most popular methods for controlling a mare's heat cycles is altrenogest, which is a synthetic progesterone. It works by mimicking the natural progesterone the body would produce when the mare is pregnant, to prevent her from cycling. For this method, altrenogest is administered in the feed daily. There are also other forms of synthetic progesterone, such as medroxyprogesterone acetate (also known as Depo-Provera), that can be given via injection. Neither of these methods is particularly reliable at preventing mares from cycling, however they do work for some mares.

Another option for preventing cycling is oxytocin injected twice a day, 7-14 days after ovulation. This method is slightly more reliable, preventing mares from cycling for more than 30 days.

In Oxer To Oxer, the above drugs have been combined in the pharmaceutical product Regulate. When a mare is administered Regulate, she gains +2 to her stat maximum for all of her stats for one year. During this year long period, she cannot be retired to breeding or bred, so owners must weigh the pros and cons before using it!

1. Bradecamp, E.A. Estrus Suppression. American Association of Equine Practitioners. https://aaep.org/horsehealth/estrus-suppression