Question for those who breed small mini's

[Tammie]

I have a 28.5" mare that was bred in mid-june last year she never seemed to come back into season and by fall seemed to be getting a bit chubby so I thought for sure she was pregnant. Then one day she just really didn't look chubby anymore so I assumed she wasn't pregnant although I never found a aborted fetus, which I might add she aborted her 2005 foal in October of 2004 at about 4 1/2 months. That was her first pregnancy. I did not do a pregnamare test on her this time cause when I did it last time it came up negative when in fact she was pregnant. Anyway to make a long story short she seems to be looking a bit chubbier than normal but I'm not sure if she is big enough to be having a foal in about 80 days which is when she would be due. So I am wondering if any of you who breed the smaller one's have ever had one fool you into thinking she wasn't pregnant when she was? Or do the tiny one's always look enormous when they are pregnant? I am told that the maiden mares sometimes do not get very big and I can see that being true for a larger mare especially a B size mare but I just don't know where this little girl could hide it at.

I appreciate any input from anyone with any experience on this topic!

Thanks!!

Tammie~

 

[CountryHaven]

I'm kind of curious to see what answers you get here too. I have a very tiny mare bred to be due in about 30 days. She looks thicker than normal, but with all the winter hair, it could be just that too. She just doesn't look like those little walking round bales you see some of the really small ones looking like, especially for a mare so far along. She never did come back into heat though last year, and this would be her first pregnancy. But like you, I just don't know where she'd hide it. Although she was bred to a teeny tiny stallion as well, so maybe the baby's just super small.

So, okay all you small experts here. Fess up, anyone with little maiden mares that hide it fairly well. I know my big girls have when they were 1st, and even second timers (although even they in their third time start to not be able to hide it much anymore.)

 

[Vicky Texas]

Hi Gang

Okay, I will bite.. yep. It can happen.. had two last year. Was not sure either way.. no heat cycles.. both

girls 25 inches.. One mare has had one foal, and the other one has had two. No problems with foaling.

Honey, started bagging up, and that is when I knew.. foaled a blue roan colt. I helped deliver him. Easy

birth, I just really watched.. Dances, well look a little chubby, but a lot of mine do. Dances, did not bag

either, I had her in foaling barn just incase. She is the one who had one baby before. So I felt she would bag.. But nope.. no bag until baby came. But I missed the birth.. I had been checking another mare,

when I saw the foal come walking out of the corner. Dances stall is where you can see most of the stall,

but not all of it.. Guess where she foaled.. Baby was dry, up and nursing and was great. It was a tiny

14 1/2 inches Grulla filly. And a major keeper.. She is just perfect.

I have a 30 inch in the foaling barn right now. I am trying to figure out what she is doing. She is a madden mare, looks like a baby, in there. No heat cycles from mid Spring on, of last year, our other mares are cycling now, and she is not. And she is one you know when she is.. So she is under the camera and I am checking on her continuously. Just in case.. She is not really huge, but looks like a baby.. she does not have a great Winter coat, so easy to see belly. She is doing lots of signs to. Rubbing butt on fences, wants me to scratch her belly, but then goes nuts, bites, kicks, at her belly and pens her ears back, She will even snap at me. But yet she drives me crazy to scratch her. I have cleaned her udder, so its not that. She loved having her belly scratch untill about a month ago. So any ideals.. So yep it can happen.. And not with just the maidens.. This is just what happen to me..

Wishing you Best Wishes with yours.

Vicky

 

[coopermini]

Last year we had our first maiden mare due. She is 30" and was 4 years old. She was a litle fat all fall and into winter. About 60 days from her due date she had us convinced she was not bred. Every mare we looked at had huge bellies and she had none. About her due date she began to show she was definately bred but no huge wide belly. She foaled on day 357. She is due again and is showing a little better than last year but nothing like other mares we have seen. Some definately hide those foals better than others.

Mark

 

[Vicky Texas]

Hi Gang

I thought I would show a couple of pictures of mine in foal, maiden mares with little bellies

and see what you think.

Cashmere - 30 inches, first baby, foaled 2 weeks after this picture

Danielle the mare I am watching now, looks like Cashmere (the mare above) right now, and

she is the maiden I am watching. Waiting to see is she in foal or not???

She is driving me nuts

: trying to figure her out. She is doing a lot of the signs

but no bag.. but Dances foaled with no bag last year on her second baby. Any guesses??

This is Honeysuckle 25 inches and about a week before foaling with her first baby.

Cashmere's baby was 17 inches at birth, and Honeysuckles baby was 16 inches at birth, both

were foaled out a foaling center at the time.

Hope this helps

Vicky

 

[Miniv]

Lots of things to consider with those small maidens......First, their muscles are still tucked and not streched from previous foalings. That will hide things a bit. The other thing to consider is the horse's conformation. Is she short or long backed? A long-backed young horse can hide a "multitude of sins" (so to speak)!

To be honest, when we had a 28 inch maiden mare (she was moderately long backed), we opted to have her ultra-sounded TWICE throughout her pregnancy. This was a great help in determining, first if she WAS pregnant, and later how she was progressing.

We have reached those numbers in our herd that ultra-sounding every single mare would be cost prohibitive, but with a mare like you folks have, we do go those extra steps both as a precaution and for our own peace of mind!

MA

 

[Relic]

We only have 2 mares under 30" and when they were in foal both of them looked like tanks around the 8th month more wide then tall and wobbled around. Some of the bigger 32/33 mares do hide it well right to the end with a surprise foal we didn't count on. l noticed some of our mares have a lot of water and others only maybe half that much when they foal. Anyone notice that to...

 

[capall beag]

My 29" maiden mare is enormous and she is due the second week of April.

Here she is about 2 months ago! She is much bigger now!

 

[hairicane]

We have a 29" mare that does not show she is pregnant even after several foals and she will even flirt and stand for a stud in late pregnancy. She is a small refined mare so go figure! Some of our other small ones get enormous.

 

[RJRMINIS]

WOW! I am glad this topic was started, I have 3 little mares, all maiden that were pastured bred, and I swear none look bred, but after seeing some of these pictures, It is VERY possible they are and are hiding it....I have been checking them for udder development everyday, but nothing, they wouldn't be due till March/April at the earliest and latest would be into summer.

SO I will definately keep a GOOD eye on them!!!

:

 

[_minihorses4ever_]

My 29" maiden mare is enormous and she is due the second week of April.

Here she is about 2 months ago! She is much bigger now!

:new_shocked:

: :lol:

 

[capall beag]

Yeah she is pretty funny isn't she!

My Fairy has to be THE sweetest mare alive!!

She looks like a little blimp right now and although it isn't really bag development, her bag is definately changing and it is warmer to the touch now!

Very exciting and anxious time for me!!

:

 

[Tammie]

Thanks for all your input guys! After seeing some of your pictures I am more convinced she could be in foal as I said before she is a little chubby just not huge. I have decided to have her ultrasounded on Monday to find out for sure. She is also exhibiting signs of being in foal as she has been rubbing her butt on the fence constantly and she has been doing alot of side biting. I have tried and tried to feel for movement but so far no luck.

Thanks again everyone!

Tammie~

 

[CountryHaven]

I really appreciate all the input too, everybody. I felt pretty sure my little girl was, but since I couldn't feel any movement (I'm really bad at that) I kept waivering between, she's pregnant, and she's just fat, lol.

 

[Loess Hills]

We had a little mare, 29", who had her second pregnancy, which came as a complete surprise to us all! Little Jo-Jo was bred in September, we had her ultrasounded in March and vet said she was open. In August she delivered a healthy tiny little colt which we were not expecting! During her pregnancy she never filled out, was a little overweight, but really no noticable bulge. She was a long-backed mare and that probably hid her pregnancy. But these little gals can be sneaky, and you just can't always tell!