Pregnant mare question?

[KingsLuckyNight]

Okay, so where I work a mini farm. My boss starts penning her mares up 3 months or 2 months before they give birth. She says that they need to be penned up because the fescu grass or hay will harm or even kill the baby. As I have said before, I know nothing of mini's. I just own bigger horses. Even in bigger horses I know some people don't pen them up at all and if they do its only with a vets say so because they need it or something.

What do you guys do right before your mares give birth? What protocols do you take?

 

[stormy]

Fescue is a very real danger in pregnant mares and your boss is right to get them off it several months before foaling. Don't have fescue problems here but I do start bringing in my mini mares at the very latest when they are 300 days gestation. Mini mares don't follow the rules and early or late foalings are not uncommon. They do need time each day in an area where they can get some excercise to keep muscle tone prior to foaling.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I will always stall my mares if they will tolerate it- I have one mare who trashes it (I do mean TRASHES there are footprints on the ceiling) and then does not foal that night, she will have it the following morning, that's great, I can get a nights sleep. If you stay on this Forum through foaling you will begin to notice just how sleep deprived we all are at that time- I do not sleep for about six weeks, not properly.

About the Fescue- your boss is spot on, maybe a little would not hurt a BH- I don't know as we don't have a problem with it here- but Minis are very susceptible to it and, although it is fine for horses that are not in foal, you could have real trouble if it is a pregnant Mini. How does he "pen" them, are they up in stalls or small groups (my choice)?

 

[Bonny]

I agree with the others!

I have a separate paddock attached to my foaling stall, come day 300 my pregnant mares go in. We have a barn camera in that stall. My paddock shares fence line with both pastures so the Mom to be isnt truly separated from the herd, But has her own space.

I like to leave the door to the stall open so the mare can come and go at will into the paddock. However once she starts looking closer she gets stalled at night.

I like to attend all foalings, just in case. I like to let the mare do her thing unless she needs my help. I wait nearly a year for the wee one to arrive, no way I would miss it!

 

[supaspot]

mine come in at night all year round so no big changes for me, I dont even turn the cameras off as it handy to hear whats going on at night , I do put the heavily pregnant mares in a field of their own close to the house when they get heavy in foal and after day 300 we never go out anywhere together ...someone is there watching 24/7

 

[eagles ring farm]

We stall all our horses at night. and they are out about 12 hours a day. Our pastures are sparse this time of year as we keep them mowed during growing season so we don't worry about the grass out there during the day.The last 3 mos of their pregnancy we switch hay to no fescue. there is a pretty high risk in the last trimester on fescue of the mare not producing milk or possible abort. in some cases. At 300 days we have cameras in our foaling stalls and also use marestare. We haven't missed any at night this way and just a couple born daytime outside. We want to be there when they foal incase of any problems. Your boss is right to have them off fescue.

 

[Miniv]

Not sure what you mean by "penning up"...... But yes, fescue is a problem to pregnant mares, especially in the latter half of their gestation.... some say it's only a concern in the last trimester, but it doesn't hurt to be cautious.

We don't totally enclose them, but do bring them to our barn pasture (no fescue), and as they show signs their getting close to foaling, they get stalled at night. In our opinion, giving them the opportunity to move around freely has proven to be good for them.