Mares...what have you noticed that they do they do differently just before foaling?

[TPs flat rock acres]

I thought this would be interesting to see if anyone elses mares do the same type of things. What is the last things you remember your mare doing the day/night she foaled.

Mine had all signs for weeks then the night she went I noticed she wasn't laying down to sleep, hours passed she started pacing, kicking at her belly and would kind of bite at her side then toward the time she was going to go in labor she would pacing more and more til she stopped tail went up and she went down to start pushing. She also started eating less.

 

[txminipinto]

So far, I've noticed a "concerned" look to their face. I've had them pace, swish their tails, kick their bellies, etc weeks before foaling. The concerned face is always right before labor. Have one now that's giving me fits at work. Very active, pressure is dropping, and her vulva was dark red when I left this morning. I hope this is stage 1.

 

[TPs flat rock acres]

My black mare last sat had that very concerned look and the stinker never had her foal. My other mare the palo had a dark vulva about a week ago and still no foal. Both are so pointy in the butt you can almost mistaken it for the end of a pencil lol

Last Sat my black girl even had that very glazed look in her eye and nothing. Now I am waiting for the pacing to see if thats something common at least with my girls. Just wondering instead of all the little signs we all get if there was just somethign really abnormal that you noticed the day they foaled. They are real stinkers aren't they!

 

[Jill]

Oh, I am probably silly... but this thread needs a new title or an addition like "Mare's Last Act Before Foaling". I'm superstitious when it comes to jinxing things.

I've noticed mine get cow pile poops sometimes, don't finish their dinner sometimes, start rubbing their butts usually a week or so prior, the night of are noticeably restless, and sometimes they are more friendly / loving just prior than is normally the case for them.

SO happy our foaling season is over. It just gets me in knots. I worry so much and even though we have cameras and halter buzzers, I stay up so many nights because I have to look at that TV (in the bedroom) "just once more" but it turns out to be a long, long look and the just one more peek is x10 or so.

NOW, I like that on the "foaling" cameras, I just get to watch the new foals being stall monkeys. They make me literally laugh out loud with how they will run circles around their moms and buck, rear, etc. They all sure think they're what's happening

 

[TPs flat rock acres]

Well Darn how do you change the topic heading now you got me thinking

My mares have had all of these signs I wasn't sure if there was something totally out of the ordinary but its looking like they have all of the same signs which really can mean they can go anytime and then again weeks later. One day my black mare had really really watery poop so wasn't sure if that was the cow patty they were talking about as she has had others that look like mud pies. Thats whats nice about dogs you take their temp and withing 24 hours they have their pups.

 

[txminipinto]

2 days ago both mares I'm waiting on had cow pies. Now its back to normal. I have to say I'm sorry and there's no neon sign. Wish there was!

 

[Mona]

Through all the years of my using the BreederAlert and cameras, one thing I have noticed (aside from the "usual" tell tale signs), is that they lay flat out sleeping a LOT, setting off the alarm a LOT, and then the night of or before foaling, they seem to sleep standing up. It has been pretty handy in knowing they are getting close when they stop setting the alarm off when they have been doing it for many nights on end previous to that.

 

[TPs flat rock acres]

Mona you know what is funny is the night my shelby had her filly she didn't lay down at all she stayed up that night then passed. That is what type of answers I am looking for the very odd thing they might do just before foaling. Its funny as that is what happened with my girl. The two girls I have that are due anytime now have been sleeping alot laying down haven't seen them not lay down yet so who knows maybe thats one of the signs

Your an admin? how can I change the topic so I don't Jinx myself? Like things mares do just before foaling or something like that.

 

[TPs flat rock acres]

thank you for changing it

 

[Mona]

You're welcome.

 

[Sandy B]

I am on "foal patrol" too. Since the first mare we expected to foal was lost along with her unborn foal (30 days pre-mature & dystocia) the other mini we are waiting on is shaping up normal but we are unsure of her due date since we pasture bred and I never caught her being bred. Her udder is tight and big but I can express anything from it, which is weird to me as large horses I have always been able too. She is sitting on walls and rubbing her buns. She is biting her legs and sides (I have had full sized horses do this just days before foaling), and she had cow-pie poops one day but now they have been normal for a couple days. Her tummy has dropped and looks like more of the "V" I have heard some of you mentions, but I admit, she is probably a bit heavy and its harder to tell. She was also off her feed the other day but now is pounding down the groceries again. Her vulva is relaxed some but not what I would expect in a mare ready to foal. My full size horses also lay down a lot, both on the sternum and flat out and she is doing the same thing. My full size horses seem to lay down the night/morning they foal but only for short periods and not within the few hours before they foal. The recipient mare(full size) I had that foaled this year was psycho the hours before she foaled. She swung her head and trotted her stall, acted very agitated. It drove me nuts. I have never had one that agitated before.

The fun continues for many of us.......

 

[HavingFun]

I've never had a horse foal before, I've only bred goats. However I have to say, waiting for your mare to foal is affecting my housework!

I find myself walking by and looking at my computer an awful lot these days.

Thanks for the link, since I don't plan on breeding this is the next best thing!

 

[anyssapark]

Most of mine do all the usual. Not laying down for the night or two before they foal, flehming, pacing, kicking and biting at belly, butt rubbing, loose poops etc etc, all the usual.

BUT i had two last year that i thought had a quirky little thing going on.

One mare kept sitting like a dog. She'd never done it before, and she never did again, but she'd sit down and wiggle around with a look of enjoyment on her face, she was scratching her butt/hoo hoo that way lol

Another mare just kept backing up everywhere lol Around corners, all over the place in reverse. Then she'd stop, and carry on doing whatever, and then would back up again later lol It was really funny to watch.

Both foaled beautiful healthy babies

 

[Contessa]

Most of mine do all the usual. Not laying down for the night or two before they foal, flehming, pacing, kicking and biting at belly, butt rubbing, loose poops etc etc, all the usual.

BUT i had two last year that i thought had a quirky little thing going on.

One mare kept sitting like a dog. She'd never done it before, and she never did again, but she'd sit down and wiggle around with a look of enjoyment on her face, she was scratching her butt/hoo hoo that way lol

Another mare just kept backing up everywhere lol Around corners, all over the place in reverse. Then she'd stop, and carry on doing whatever, and then would back up again later lol It was really funny to watch.

Both foaled beautiful healthy babies

I am watching a mare right now that has been doing that backwards thing. She swings her butt backwards, walks backwards and then goes back to either eating or sleeping. It's kind of funny looking but weird. This is her 3rd foal for us and I never saw her do that with the first 2 foals. Crazy mares!

 

[Sandy B]

Ok, now thats funny- the dog sitting one! I guess if there is no tree branch around, thats the next best thing. LOL!

Most of mine do all the usual. Not laying down for the night or two before they foal, flehming, pacing, kicking and biting at belly, butt rubbing, loose poops etc etc, all the usual.

BUT i had two last year that i thought had a quirky little thing going on.

One mare kept sitting like a dog. She'd never done it before, and she never did again, but she'd sit down and wiggle around with a look of enjoyment on her face, she was scratching her butt/hoo hoo that way lol

Another mare just kept backing up everywhere lol Around corners, all over the place in reverse. Then she'd stop, and carry on doing whatever, and then would back up again later lol It was really funny to watch.

Both foaled beautiful healthy babies

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yay, I'm not crazy! Well, no more than usual!

I have a mare who could foal at any minute, and she's been doing that backing up thing the last few days. She's had 7 foals for me, and I've never seen her back up for anything! She'll come in the barn for a drink, then back all the way out to the hay bunk and resume eating!

 

[TPs flat rock acres]

With my two girls that are due anytime now they are doing all of those little normal signs so not really looking at it as "the time" So when I see something like who knows dog sitting

or something more weird I will think twice that finally it "might" be the time. My shelby did alot of backing up that night but she didn't lay down that much that night either. Days before she did alot of laying down. She also did alot of pawing at the ground

 

[bannerminis]

My mare slaney does the cowpats, gets very clingy and would rather come into the house. Demands to go to bed and sits on her butt like a dog and pushes back and forth.

 

[TPs flat rock acres]

today working out in the paddock the two mares that are due are stayin close to me the black mare is breathing a little heavier but know theres little room in there so could be that. One thing I did notice is at the bottom of her vulva its opening up a little. any thoughts?

 

[Sandy B]

My mini mare kept me up the night before last, not laying down and restless, yawning, and head bobbing. But no foal! Then last night, all was back to normal- quiet & laying down. UUuugh!!! I am pulling my hair out!