Are we getting close?!?

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healinghoovesfarm

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Good morning! We bought a mare back in August and were told she would foal in September. After thinking we had been lied to enduring the roller coaster ride with my kids waiting for a baby, I think it is finally close. If I post some pictures will you help me with how close we are getting? This will be our first mini birth on our farm and I am a little nervous. Our kids are so excited I would hate for something to go wrong if I could prevent it
 
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Oh yes please do post photos! Diane and the members here will be happy to help you with all your questions. Welcome to our forums.
 
Please take a picture broadside at mares level and from behind at mares level. Also a picture of her privates. Lets the more experienced people gage her better. From her bag, she looks very close. The other pictures will help with other signs to look for. I would be keeping a very close eye on her, especially nights. There are tags at the top of this forum that will help you with the birthing. and what you need to look for.

I would definitely read over those because miniatures can sometimes have difficulties.

Welcome!
 
Unfortunately, having trouble posting pics. Today, she has been leaning forward a lot and stretching out her back legs. I am assuming she is working on getting the baby into place?
 
Udder is looking great, but can you take pics like this? Try to have camera at mares level. Angle helps determine better. I am no expert but from what I've learned here, vulva will elongate more, get more puffy, and butt wil get more soft/relaxed.

Excited for you!! Who is she bred to?

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Also if you have trouble loading pics, Diane will be here soon and you can email them to her. Are you taking pics from a smart phone? if so, I use a collage maker (Free app) called Pic Stitch and never have a problem loading them.

And look at the other foaling threads below yours, lots of pictures and helpful information you can read until the experts get here.
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Hi and welcome to the forum, what a lovely mare you have
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You look to be definitely in the final stages. When did she start developing her udder ?

If you are able too , could you get a pic standing behind her and take it from down at her level, this will give us a chance to see how the foal is currently positioned.

In the meantime , whilst you become sleep deprived waiting for this little one to arrive, you can find some really good pinned threads at the top of this section of the forum.

Ask as many questions as you like , no question is seen to be silly here.

Wishing you the safest of arrivals
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Oh what a pretty little momma-to-be. Yes, please post more pictures, squatting down right at her level. It gives us a better perspective on her. And if you have ANY problems uploading pictures, just send them to me at : [email protected] and I'll be happy to upload them for you!!

Can't wait to see more!

Since she's growing an udder for you, which looks very nice -- by the way -- you will see more udder filling, the nipples filling and pointing straight down.

Please go to the top of our forum here, to a pinned thread about preparing for your baby. It has some great information on how to help your little momma should she need your assistance. Many mares do fine on their own, but we need to be prepared to help if it's necessary.

We're here to help in any way we can, and PLEASE feel free to ask ANY question(s) you may have. No question is "silly" -- all are important to get answers to, and that's what we love to do here. You will get answers with NO attitudes, just help. We are all friends here, and love learning from each other. Everyone has something to offer.

I'm so glad you joined us here! There are lots of wonderful "Aunties" here -- and a few very special "Uncles", too!!
 
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She elongating just perfectly
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How is she within herself ? You will find that she will rub her behind on just about anything and everything. The closer she gets the more you will notice that she is uncomfortable, with less room for the foal to move around.

Are you seeing plenty of movement from the foal? you will notice this more around feed time and may even feel a little kick or two .

Do you know if she has had a foal before ?

Ryan
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Yes. She has had a couple foals on her own. We have seen a few kicks while she is eating her grain. She rubs her butt on the fence all of the time. She has seemed very uncomfortable- she has been laying down, being grumpy, and not being her friendly self. She started developing her udder about 2- 2 1/2 weeks ago.

Thanks, Healing Hooves Farm
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Udders can take 4-6 weeks to develop. Most of my mares took no longer than 4 weeks from the start of udder development, to delivery. So, it sounds like there won't be a long wait, if her udder is moving ahead. She looks like she's "dropping" and baby is moving into better position. You will see baby move a bit "forward-of-center" when you look at her side views, and as baby lines up for delivery (matching baby's spine to momma's spine) she will start to look a bit more "slab-sided" and sometimes these little ones look like they're not even pregnant if you view from the rear.

With baby poking out the sides, realize that momma can move that baby into position with a few good rolls. So, watch for her rolling as she moves this little one into position. She's a pretty girl!! Can't wait to see what she's hiding in there for you.

So, who's the daddy?

She doesn't look like she has long to go. Get out the toothpicks, because you want to be watching her carefully now. Mares don't always like to make our job easy -- they like to be tricky! Many a mare has foaled while an owner went for a cup of coffee, or a bathroom break! LOL But it's important you keep a close eye on her, as you just can't be sure whether the little momma will need your help or not. So, we like to be very careful and lose a little sleep to ensure baby comes to the ground safely and healthy.

Very excited for you.....and us!!
 
Thanks for the great advise everyone. My hubby and I, and even kids, have been watching videos and reading your posts to try and learn all we can. The whole reason we bought this mare was for my kids to get to have his experience. We have other horses, a pony and another mini on our farm as well. Our other mini is a therapy mini that we take to local nursing homes and hospitals and are in high hopes of training this new little one to do the same! Unfortunately, we do not know a lot about our mommy or the dad. So, the foal will be a total surprise!

When you say close......what does that mean exactly. Days/weeks? I know it is impossible to know for sure, but what do you think. We sleep inside with our baby video monitor looking at her in the barn:) We have 5 kids and 2 of them being babies so we are up a lot at night anyways. Last couple of nights, the older kids have been waking up coming to sleep by the monitor to keep an eye on her as well:) What a great family adventure we are enduring!
 
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Here is our pretty little therapy Lilly. Here she is in her winter coat at on of our winter visits. We dress her up in build a bear shoes, which is always a favorite with the ladies! I am so proud of my daughter who thought if this service project on her own with her love for horses. I couldn't be more proud of her and the love she shares of her horses with others! Praying this new little one will be a good addition to our healing hooves farm!
 

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