My theory about the late foals this season

[schutzandwhinnies]

I have been reading a lot lately about the mares foaling so late, not just mini's but full size horses too. So I am thinking that is has a lot to do with how our seasons have been changing so much and the winters have been running long and late. Now us humans go by our calendar so we have labled our seasons by dates and they are so off from our dates now that there has been talk about hopping a month back at the time change instead of just an hour to try and get our seasons to match with our calendar. Now the animals on the other hand are intune with their enviroment and not a calendar. I bet all these mares have just adjusted to the way the seasons are going and we have not??? So what I don't know since this is our first foal and I have never paid attention to the seasons until now, is what the history has been in years past. So you lifers with the minis would have a more accurate account of the seasons and if this happens a lot or just every decade or so???

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[nootka]

My opinion is that we haven't been here keeping records long enough to know what and why.

Mares' cycles may well be dictated by a number of factors, but until we have actual confirmable facts for statistics, we won't know for sure what causes it.

My pet theory is length of daylight, given a correct breeding date.

That does not change but marginally from year to year.

I just think if people are scientific and sensible about it, they will see that there may in fact be no pattern at all, and no known link. Perhaps some mares naturally carry longer. Perhaps she has an infection that causes the gestation to shorten or lengthen. Perhaps it is the stallion, the foal itself or what the mare is eating.

Liz M.

 

[Minimor]

Thing is, our mares haven't been going late. More like early--this year our foals were born at 300, 315, 306 and 328 days--no late ones at all. Last year we had 297, 305, 335. 340 and 325--again, either right on time or early, none late. Same was true the 2 years before that. It also seems we can't count on any one mare being consistant--mares that "always" went 335-340 days other years this time around went at 306. The mare that used to always go at around 305 days this year went at 328 days. The Morgans would always go longer than these minis do, but they were always pretty consistant at 335 to 340 days. Only once did we have one go a full 365 days & we know the reason for that--it was 1991, & we had some problems with congenital hypothyroidism. That does often cause a longer gestation; in 1991 the researchers didn't know much about it yet, but now it is believed that it is due to a mineral and/or nitrate issue with feed.

 

[kaykay]

what you have to keep in mind is this. sometimes the fertilized egg floats and doesnt attach right away. It can float and be viable up to around 40 days. this is why you are required to wait that long to rebreed a mare to a diff stallion. So actually the mare isnt late, the egg just wasnt attached and growing until later.

 

[schutzandwhinnies]

I think all of those things make sense. Maybe it seems I read more about the late foaling because folks tend to talk about it more than the early ones. I guess the early ones just happen and folks are posting "the foal was born" and those of us with late ones are posting in the agony of waiting :bgrin I guess when the bun is done it will come out :lol:

 

[wcr]

Michelle at Wesco, Sandy at Eclipse and myself have watched dates and compared and last year we averaged 328. This year we are sitting at the 340 and longer dates.

 

[yankee_minis]

I hand bred a mare who is now at day 353.

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So far the one other mare I bred myself went 30 days over her last foaling. (She went early last time.)

The rest I bought bred and were pasture bred (which I think should be outlawed because it drives me crazy!! LOL)

We're in the northeast.