Can it be real?

[minister man]

I bought a miniature mare and a stallion......... let them run together the summer before last, expected a foal in July of 2017, that never came.

I had kept the mare and stud separate in case they might fight and hurt the foal.....

By the middle of June I was afraid she wasn't bred, and teased her every morning and let them out together in the day time. Can't really remember when I started doing that.

I never saw the stallion do anything, and I sold him August 3, 2017.

I know the mare is pretty round, but last Sunday I was brushing out the hair she is shedding, and reached under her and checked her udder. Last summer her udder sort of swelled like a "hand ful",

But I was surprised to realize this year both sides of her udder is hanging lower than usual, maybe 2-3 inches, and the bottom of each side is hard, ( I don't mean rock hard)...........

It is a week later from the first udder check, and tonight it is bigger than last sunday, but it's still not round or filled out like goats udder or anything.........

Would I dare hope that she is in foal? If that means she is, how close to term do things like this happen?

 

[Magic Marker Miniatures]

Get a picture from the side and behind at her level. Also a picture of her milk bar. Roughly takes 6 weeks for the bag to fill but not always.

 

[Mona]

It sounds VERY possible that she is going through normal changes of udder development of a mare in foal.

 

[minister man]

My pictures are too big to upload. I guess I wil just have to wait.

 

[minister man]

After spending a couple of hours trying to post pictures, there will be no pictures. Bu, I brushed he out hits afternoon, and after I let her loose, she went off and rolled. gave me a good look at her udder, and it definitely larger than usual.

 

[Magic Marker Miniatures]

I kbow there is a way to resize pictures, I just don't know how. Maybe someone else will let you know.

I know how to resize pictures on my phone, which is what I use.

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Sounding like she could be in foal for you

Standing , looking at her from behind, does her stomach look lopsided ?

 

[Taz]

This might help you to post pictures, I got it to work and I'm awful with anything techy.

Downloaded 'email pictures' app from the play store to my phone. Took pictures then opened app and selected and resized them to small. I then emailed them to myself and opened them on my chromebook and downloaded them. Posted those files here and it worked great. Sounds like a lot but didn't

t take very long.

Good luck!

 

[minister man]

It my mare is starting to udder up, should I be feeding her a mare and foal ration?

 

[chandab]

It my mare is starting to udder up, should I be feeding her a mare and foal ration?

Probably wouldn't hurt. What's her current diet? What does she get, exactly? And, how much? How big is she? What condition is she in? [Lactation is one of the hardest jobs a horse will ever have, and some lactating mares will just about eat you out of house and home.]

 

[minister man]

These pictures were taken while heavy shedding and playing in the mud was the order of the day. I think I have brushed feed bags full of hair out of her since then.

 

[minister man]

I have just been feeding her good hay. no grain.

 

[chandab]

I have just been feeding her good hay. no grain.

She will likely need a bagged feed of some sort to support the energy, vit/min, protein that lactation requires. Mare and Foal or Growth feed is first choice, but if it's not readily available to you, then senior feed is a good second choice. I'm feeding my lactating mare senior topped up with a ration balancer; we had a drought last year, so our hay sucks; she's getting 1/2# ration balancer, 1# senior, 3/4-1# hay pellets and some grass mix hay (that's daily, divided into two meals), she's 35" tall.Since your girl hasn't been on anything extra, slowly work her up to the amount suggested on the bag.

 

[Ryan Johnson]

If she will let you , try and grab a pic of her udder.

I really agree with Chanda, Increase whats been advised "slowly"

 

[minister man]

I am picking up a bag of "mare and foal" ration from Purina tomorrow, and I am going to start giving her a little bit each day.

I will try to get some udder pictures, but I can actually see it now when she is walking away from me and twitching her tail. I couldn't see anything before. It is bigger now than it was last weekend........

Got some baby supplies gathered together, a bottle of Iodine for the navel, a child sized enema, Ivomectine liquid to worm the mare after the birth. Straw seems to be in very short supply locally, and I haven't been able to put my hands on any, but am going to make some calls tomorrow.

Must pick up some long plastic arm gloves,

I grew up on a dairy farm and raised sheep for 15 years, and had milk goats, so birthing is nothing new...... I have had stuck lambs, backward lambs, and had the bet do c Sections and everything in between........ It just seems different when it's your horse.

 

[minister man]

I am predicting that she will foal in June maybe.

 

[chandab]

Many foal out on grass hay, and it's fine if they decide to eat it.

I bedded my mare on grass hay, mostly. I did have a little bit of straw, but our straw for the cows isn't as clean as I'd like for the horses, so used the hay.

 

[minister man]

Tonight, while she is eating, I can see the foal kicking. I assume that is what I am am seeing. Every once in a while there is like a jab in her side, that moves her whole side, then stops, then in a bit it happens again.

 

[minister man]

the hay i feed is timothy mostly, I have been bedding her with shavings, but I don't know when to switch to hay or straw. I would guess she has a few or several weeks to go.

I know for sure that I sold the stallion on August 3 last year, so i figure she has to foal before july 3. That gives her at a maximum 8 weeks.

I first noticed udder development 2 weeks ago, so if that starts 6 weeks before foaling, that would be June........ but she is maiden so the internet says that they can finish uddering up and foal in hours. Of course that doesn't make it true.

 

[Magic Marker Miniatures]

To give you an idea.

This mare is a maiden and is 342 days. She has been growing her milk bar for six weeks. She shows no sign of foaling.