Grants Pass Auction Minis - Katya - colt born June 22

[Crystallos]

My family got two mini mares from the Grants Pass mini auction last weekend. I was wondering what would be the best way to tell if they are pregnant. The mares are 17 and 2 years old and were running with a bunch of stallions. The older mare has had foals before and the younger mare is a maiden. The last possible date they could have been bred is September 14th.

I've heard of blood tests, urine tests, palpations and ultrasounds. Is there a type I missed? What is the method you have the most success with and find the most cost effective? We're having the vet out on Thursday. I believe he plans on palpating or doing ultrasound if the 2 year old is too small. I have someone nearby who will help be midwife with me and has a stall with camera. She put one hand just before the udder and used the other to put gentle pressure on the flank opposite from her. She said she didn't feel a foal kicking her hand. At what time in gestation does the foal start moving?

Thanks for any insight you can give.

 

[countrymini]

Hey there

I've used a urine test on my mare, showed 'NOT PREGNANT' and she wasn't so it worked for me. My other mare is a maiden and I'm not sure of her due date (was running with stallion for 4 months) but I could see kicking before she started to get bigger.

 

[Crystallos]

Thanks! After looking around the forum more, I decided to use the Wee Foal 120 test if either of the mares come up negative or borderline at the vet exam. Just to double check.

My only experience with pregnant mares was a BLM yearling we adopted that was born in the holding facility. She shouldn't have been bred and we didn't know it. We thought she was just getting fat. One day I noticed she was bagged up and looking particularly pregnant. We had the vet out to palpate the next day, he confirmed and she gave birth that night to a healthy colt. No time for us to get prepared or worry about being there.

The mares we got are #37, who we have named Bridie, and #49 Knights Star Katyanna, Katia for short. Katia is an experienced broodmare and we know has had at least two foals. Bridie was auctioned as 12 years old, but we strongly suspect she is only 2. It's hard to be exact in their height as they desperately need their hooves trimmed, but I'd say Katia is 34-36" and Bridie is 30-32". Neither of them look pregnant to me right now, but I know they could be only three months along. Part of me doesn't want them pregnant, especially Bridie, because they've been through enough, but another part really wants to see babies.

It's hard to take pictures of them because Bridie doesn't trust us yet and Katia is overly friendly.

 

[countrymini]

Aw cute and furry

They look like they could be pregnant but my Sweety is the most pregnant looking horse I've ever seen, and she's not

(Don't tell her but she's staring an exercise regime today) Can't wait to see what your vet says!

 

[Crystallos]

Thank you so much for looking up information about all the horses. It's nice to know how many foals Katya has had. If she is pregnant, will it be possible to register her foal or do we have to know who the sire is? With the breeder running about 35 stallions and colts loose with the mares, it's a crapshoot as to who the father is. Katya came with both AMHA and AMHR papers, both with the same name, Knight Stars Katyanna.

Her name is Bridie (bride-ee). I have a habit of naming animals after other animals, so Birdie wouldn't be out of character for me, but it is Bridie. My sister thinks she's a "Bunny". She didn't come with papers and I was told she was probably CN LTD Bitsy Overo Babe by OHenry's Miniatures, but I was wondering if she might be CN LTD's Bit O Magic Baby. Then, after hearing the second filly wasn't registered, I was wondering if perhaps they are the same horse and the woman got confused on her website. They are both the same age, color, the names are very similar, they have the same sire, and the descriptions of the dams sound similar. Also, after comparing pictures, it looks like the pattern on my horse and the picture of Bit O Magic Baby are the same. Also, I don't know how accurate the breeder was when she registered, but Bridie has only one blue eye on the right. Either way, she is very cute and I love how her winter coat looks pink in person. She's like every little girls dream, a pink pony.

 

[AnnaC]

I hope you can find out if she's Overo Babe or Magic Baby - she's really cute whoever she is!!

Sorry, should have said WELCOME first!! So glad you managed to get two of the minis from that sale and lovely to be able to follow their progress here. If Bridie is in foal, lets hope she holds the pregnancy well into next year when she will at least be 3 years old. Will be interested to hear what your vet thinks or what any testing results give you.

Good luck with the girls - they really are an attractie looking pair.

 

[targetsmom]

Congratulation on your new minis!! I am Mary and have used the Wee Foal urine tests, but if your vet can do an ultrasound that is the BEST way to find out if they are pregnant, because then you can also find out about how far along the pregnancy is. With the Wee Foal tests, there is one that can be used early in the pregnancy (Wee Foal 38) but I have had very poor luck with that one. The other one (Wee Foal 120) only works from 120 days of pregnancy and beyond, so you need to have a good guess to start with. That one has worked very well for me, but I only use it to confirm a pregnancy on a mare that was already ultrasounded, or if the vet had trouble USing one (it does happen, especially since my vet doesn't sedate for US).

Just re-read the posts and see that you already decided to try the Wee Foal 120 if needed. Great idea!! It is really better for all involved if you can find out IF a mare is pregnant and about how far along she is. Being surprised may sound like fun, but believe me, you are also likely to find a dead surprise in the stall, and that is no fun at all. Ben there, done that, and have the haunting memories to show for it. But let the folks on this forum help you; we had three healthy foals this year, with everyone watching and helping (and calling!!).

 

[Crystallos]

Thanks for the welcomes and congratulations! Our vet appointment is today and I'll be very excited to see what the vet has to say about their possible pregnancies. Here are some pictures from yesterday when we took them out for a walk.

 

[Crystallos]

Unfortunately, the vet hasn't confirmed pregnancies on our horses. Bridie isn't handle-able for palpating or ultrasound yet, she's still very nervous of people touching her. She's better than when we got her though! Katya isn't as bad, but would have still needed to be sedated. Also, the vet feels that palpating and ultrasound on minis in only accurate during very early pregnancy and our mares are at least 90 days. He prefers to wait with miniature mares at this stage of possible pregnancy and see if they show signs like bagging up and turning pear shaped. I'm not that patient and I don't know if the hay we grow has fescue, so we are going to get the Wee Foal 120 tests and try that next month.

On other health news, they have been approved to meet our other horses! The vet confirmed Bridie's age around 2-3 years old. She has a healed ulcer on one eye and a locking stifle.

 

[Crystallos]

The big horses were very interested in the new minis. We have another mini mare, Smokey, and she is their favorite. The Fjord is Fluki and the Arabian cross is Beau. Katya and Bridie could care less about the other horses, there was grass to eat.

 

[Crystallos]

Not horses, but I thought some of you might like seeing some newborn kittens. My sister's Sphynx just had her second litter, six boys. She was huge at the end of her pregnancy.





(Please let me know if this is inappropriate.)

 

[countrymini]

So tiny!

 

[Danielleee]

Oh my goodness how adorable are those kittens and mama is gorgeous. I'd love to have a Sphynx one day.

 

[rubyviewminis]

I am a kitty person! That xray is so neat! I remember your posting on facebook with the girls you bought. They look so good! If I was able to go to the auction the splash/sabino roan was my choice. So glad you gave her a happy home!

My first and only urine foal test was the 120 one and I did what they suggested on the website and it worked beautifully for me. I bought a sport drink, cut and taped it and then tied it to a blanket like they said. I got tired of waiting so checked on her every 30 minutes in her stall so she couldn't walk far. It didn't spill and the test popped up a positive almost immediatly and yes she is due March/April. So for me it was easy and reliable.

This is only my second foal, hopefully the last. Too nerve racking! So I am still a newbie, reading and asking, waiting and pestering Missy. Love feeling that foal everytime, and it is as active as Jewel was, hope it is another filly.

 

[Crystallos]

We got our Wee Foal 120 tests in the mail a few days ago, but have to wait until January 15th to test. We're going to try the maxi pad and duct tape method of urine collection. I'm pretty excited to see the results.

 

[Crystallos]

Here are Bridie and Katya this morning. I'm leaning towards Bridie being pregnant. Katya just looks fat to me.

 

[Crystallos]

I've tried taking pictures of her from directly behind her, but her winter coat is 3-4 inches long and the color makes it really hard to tell what you're looking at.

 

[Crystallos]

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Hallo there, only just caught up with this thread. The Grey is long in the back, and I think that is what is confusing the issue- I would hazard a guess that both mares are in foal, it is a pity about the Sabino, it would have been nice to give her another year to grow up in, but there is nothing you can do.

As to the sire- you could DNA the foal and see if it, by any chance, matched to DNA of one of the stallions- I am not sure if AMHA or R are set up to do DNA searches, though.

The Sabino mare looks well enough grown physically, and she does have a backside on her, I have to say, so the chances are she will be OK....

 

[Crystallos]

Just a few more days until I can test and I'm really excited to see what the results will be. Rabbit - I agree that Bridie could use a year or two before this happened to her, but by the time the auction happened all the mares were at least 3 months pregnant. Too late for a morning after shot. And you may be right about Katya's long back hiding a baby. I was thinking that since she has had at least 4 foals, she would show more.

Here's a picture from yesterday when the sun came out briefly. The mini in the blanket is Smokey. She's from Southern California and never really got used to the winter cold here in Oregon. The Fjord is my mare, Fluki. She just loves the minis, especially Smokey. I think she thinks they are foals that smell like mares, both her favorite type of buddies.