pregnant or overweight?

[mandi]

I got this little girl two days ago. All other horses and minis on the property were pretty thin but her. Previous owner did not mention her being bred, but there is a stud on the property and with the poor fencing he could easily get out or her get in. Also, she mentioned putting her other mare in with him since it is no longer breeding season. So she could have been with him before with the owners thinking that horses have a season that they breed in. picture is

below.

 

[disneyhorse]

I can't be sure. I would wait a bit and then have my vet ultrasound to make sure! It's not something you want to not know for sure.

That said, she has some dwarf characteristics (such as large head and short neck) that a pot-bellied look could be attributed to.

It's so hard to say from one picture here on the Forum, I highly suggest calling your vet out. It's good practice to have your vet give a new horse an exam when you get them, anyway.

Andrea

 

[mininik]

My guess is she might be pregnant, and if she is that's too bad... I would get her vet checked to be sure. It doesn't sound like you got this Miniature from a very responsible individual. This mare is an example of one who should be a beloved pet, not a broodmare. I agree with Andrea's remarks about the dwarfism characteristics and she also has some other glaring conformational faults, but that won't stop her from being a wonderful companion. I'm curious if this is your first Miniature? What are your plans for your new little one? Welcome to the forum!

*Oops! Just noticed you only took this one mare, not the others. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[ctgponies]

Unless it is totally obvious is it almost impossible to tell from pictures. You can wait a bit and have the vet ultrasound or have your vet pull a blood estrogen test and that should tell you for sure and give you an approx. foal date.

 

[mandi]

I have called many vets in the area and they will not ultrasound or palpate a mini. Also, they said that the blood test is really not very reliable so they usually do not use it. And yes, I noticed most if not all of her conformation faults when I picked her up. I know that she is far far from perfect and do not plan on ever breeding her. I was going to use her for pleasure driving for myself and riding for my daughter when she is old enough. ( she turned one today!) Yes, she is my first mini and since she was free I took her... more out of concern for her health and that I didnt want to have driven the 4 hours for nothing. Granted, thats what you get when you agree to take a horse sight unseen. Thanks everyone for your comments they are greatly appreciated.

 

[Katiean]

I would say that if she is only 1 yr today she most likely is not pregnant. At least we hope she isn't for her health sake. I would worm her and see if you can't get some good nutrition into her. If she is pregnant she would not be that far along. I think she has a worm and hay belly.

 

[mininik]

She looks awfully mature to be a yearling... but if that's the case, it isn't likely that she's pregnant. That belly is probably just the result of malnutrition and worms, and could also be due in part to her build.

You'll find lots of information here to help get your girl shaped up. I think it's wonderful that you took her in and have plans for her future with your family. Good luck finding a good vet and farrier. The industry could certainly use more caring homes such as this!

 

[StellaLenoir]

I think the daughter turned 1.

:

 

[mandi]

LOL yes my daughter turned one today not the mare. The mare is 8. I know she was bred once as a three year old. We are working on finding a good vet that does minis the farrier part isnt a problem my fiancee is one and I at least know how to trim and he is teaching me about the shoeing aspect so we are alright there. Yeah she definitely needs to get into some major shape. At least she is a quick learner and extremely sweet . Didnt know how to lunge until today and has already got the walk and trot down by voice. I think that she is just loving all the attention she is getting that she never had before.

 

[Ashley]

She needs better food and deworming.

 

[Reijel's Mom]

Glad you got her - I'm sure you'll do great by her!

 

[mandi]

Yeah, we dewormed her when we got her, is on top quality alfalfa hay and sweet feed, and is excercised daily now. We will see how it goes. Hopefully she loses the pouch.

 

[High Meadow Miniatures]

I agree

:

 

[ctgponies]

Good luck with your new little one! I do not have too much experience with minis but you may want to be careful with giving her really rich alfalfa and sweet feed right away. You may be better off with a good quality timothy, grass hay, or alfalfa mix and a pelletted mini or senior feed. Worming and putting the mare on really rich hay and feed right away may lead to other problems. My experience has been with rescued minis and is to do everything with regard to feed and working the horse slow and steady. Again, good luck and enjoy!!!

 

[mandi]

Talked to my fiancee and he told me that the hay actually is an alfalfa mix and the feed is also a mixture. How much do you usually feed these little guys?

 

[ctgponies]

Here is a link to another recent post about feeding. Hope that helps. If you need additional help shoot me a PM and I would be glad to help and give you a few pointers.

http://www.miniaturehorsetalk.com/index.ph...&hl=feeding