What do you think??

Miniature Horse Talk Forums

Help Support Miniature Horse Talk Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Black Magic

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2004
Messages
388
Reaction score
1
Location
Ocala, Fl.
It happened about two mos ago... one of those freak cold nights. We lost Frosty.. (that's what the kids named him).

Our mare was with the stallion for two full yea.rs and I was thinking there was no hope of her ever having a baby at our house. I felt her the day before she lost the baby and she was no waxing over, she was tighter in her belly then usual and my hopes soared that maybe we'd have a new foal due soon. (No clue it would be that night).

I blanketed as usual (supposed to go to 40 degrees) and I put her in our little barn. She hates it, and so I didn't lock the door. Often her habit was to sleep in the barn a few hours and in the wee hours of the morning come knocking at my glass door.. (she liked to eat while it was still dark). We have three french doors and two hugh glass doors and the least little crack, she'd be in the house at the frig begging for popsicles or carrotts. She'd get her treat and go back to , the barn. Lol.. She is quite the house pet when permitted.

Anyway next morning, she wasn't at any of the glass doors... calling like she usually does. I got up to see where everyone was.. (we have seven horses)... and there on the ground was this little foal..

He was silver, with a white stripe down the middle of his back and a white butt... obviously a tobiano like his Dad.. never have seen a white stripe before down the middle... Frosty's teeth were in.... but he had littl bece or no fuss on his little body. He had the best little head... and the most refined thin legs Ive ever seen. but of course.. the fact he had very little fur could of made them look so refined and so thin.

A friend said he was a preemy because of no fur... another friend said he was late because of the teeth...

What do you think??

Oh, and my friend had a little black and white tobiano filly out of our stallion two weeks later... she looks so nice... I'm just sad... we don't have little hooves in our back yard right now. I did a repeat on her foal heat.. but.. if you all have any suggestions.. (except to keep her in the barn).. please let me know. At least I know when she's due..

God Bless,

Lynn W
 
Hi Lynn,

For all of us that breed there is a great responsibility. Having the right equiptment certainly helps. One of the foaling alarms and cameras can provide a lot of security. Some of our mares LOVE their foaling stalls. Some mares are anxious initially and then they settle down and nest. they are in there at night and not allowed outside. That way we can see them on the cameras and know what they are up to.

I know some of our mares this this year have foaled with out having any significant bags. And trying to tell by their belly varies from mare to mare and is changed by the number of foals she has had as well as her body condition.

Getting a mare pregnant in a miniature horse is certainly no guarantee you will have a live foal. It is sad, but a reality.

I am sorry for your loss. Hopefully by next year you will get additional aids to help you have a live foal.
 
Very sorry for both you AND your little mare.
default_sad.png


The foal could have indeed been premature, but it's hard to say without seeing.....

Do you have a camera system? That would be your best thing for next year's birth.
 
Hi

I am so sorry about your loss. I surely know what and how that feels. I pray each time a mare foals that each one will be an easy delivery and healthy foal. I sure did not know all the heart ache when I first started breeding them.

We watch them closely, and use all the available monitoring systems available. Even that is no guarantee of a live foal. My mare that foaled two days ago was under visual observation as well as camera, alert and she did NOTHING other than lay down and foal when it was time. No pacing, no yawning, no pawing etc. Those symptoms she had for a couple of weeks prior but a few days before she foaled all those symptoms stopped. I knew she was close tho., so stayed up and watched her.

Again, I am so sorry this happened.

Beth
 
Is your mare on fescue grass? If so that could of made her abort early and also made the foal develop teeth early. If you have fescue grass you should take your mare off the last trimester of her pregnancy (about the last three months). Fescue poisoning is not good and affects mares in different ways. Like not producing milk when the time comes, early abortion, or even longer pregnancies.

It sounds like it might of been from fescue poisoning to me, and if you don't know I would have your pastures checked.

Sorry about your loss.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top