So - tired of all the "silver" pics??
I really hope for a healthy baby & Mama...then I really hope she has a girl. I don't want to think about them breeding & I don't know if horses are sneakey like dogs can be. If it is a Colt how soon can they be fixed? The thought of this being in my hands makes me really nervous. The lady I bought her from said tonight to call her anytime during her foaling & hopefully someone will be on here when it starts. Should I have a bottle and milk on hand in case she won't feed it? Not sure how long the foal can go with out eating & all stores may be closed.
"Sneaky"???
:rofl
This marks my 20th year of foaling out Shetland mares (I don't have any smaller, under 36", minis). I have slept in the stall, kept a cooler with water & soda in the stall while keeping a coffee pot hooked up outside the stall, used the stall itself as a "potty"; worked in close proximity to a paddock during the day when a foal expected and STILL managed to miss ALL of our Shetland mares foaling (though right there w/i minutes of a lot of them!! Both at night and during the day)...
I have been there for the births of MANY other breeds of horses - often owned by other folks. I've been there for many of the 1/2 shetland pony babies we've bred over the years (mares weren't shetlands). But never for one of my Shetlands. YES, I say SNEAKY!!
:rofl
Castration or gelding - I've known of vets to geld a colt at birth (Arabians and QHs - all foundation stock/preservation breeders). It's not a common practice, though. In the mid-west, I know of many folks that have had their colts born in the spring and then take them as geldings to Shetland Pony Congress in the fall - so yep, they are done early.
The earliest we've done one is 2 months (& my vet was not happy with me) and the one last week was 9 months. The mature stallion we are getting ready to do is 5 yrs old this year. Age depends on your vet and whether the testicles are both descended. Age doesn't affect the price other than use of less or more drugs if your vet charges separately for that.
If you join us over on the Foaling, Marestare forum - many of your other ?s can be answered.
There are vets that do carry Colostrum and can/will come out in the wee hours if needed. I have donated Colostrum to my vet(s) and one year, used some of it for a later foal the same year. With all the foals we've bred/raised, I've only had two that had issues. Both were treated via blood transfusions (one also got tubed w/ colostrum, while the other the mare was milked out and baby fed via bottle and bucket) - they were full siblings and the
mare was known to have issues after the 1st foal and the 2 subsequent foals were watched for.
IF you are still uncomfortable with foaling your mare out yourself after reading books, watching videos and reading the forum "stickies" about foaling & mare/foal care - check into having her foaled out somewhere else. A lot of vet clinics/hospitals would do so, a Vet school might or a large breeding facility/farm. You need to check around. Sometimes the peace of mind is worth every penny that it costs (have no idea what this would cost now and different facilities charge very differently depending on the services needed).
Mare's milk replacer is EXPENSIVE and if not used, could be a total waste of $$. Since you don't have other babies coming and currently don't think you will ever breed again (hmmm - minis & ponies r like 'tater chips, can't have just one!!), I wouldn't go that route. But that is ME. I think you can now get Mare's Milk replacer in more than one brand and in smaller containers, so maybe it would work for you. Also, realize that many companies that carry these products have OVERNIGHT shipping and you should get it in plenty of time - if needed.
If the lady you purchased your mare from said she had no previous problems, I honestly think you can educate yourself to foaling her out and be prepared... You and she will do FINE!! So take a deep breath and relax a bit. A glass of wine might help, too!
