Hi my mare is due to foal Aug. 4 2003. already she is looking quite "round" i am feeding just timothy/alfalfa hay 2 flakes 2X per day.she is 15yrs old and this would be her 3rd foal (that im aware of) ive only had her for 2 years so i dont know the foaling history on her.she is outside 24/7 with a run in barn for shelter and about 3 acres of pasture to roam in with her gelding buddy.
this mare is an easy keeper, so my vet recommended not increasing her feed and giving a vitamin supplement until
l december and then in the last 3 months prior to foaling put her on a preg. mare feed my question is, would she be starting to show already? or could this be a hay belly im seeing? she would be 60 days along right now.
Ivy (152.6.24.71)
Posted on Wednesday, October 30, 2002 - 09:53 am:
Kelly, My two mares are now over 120 days into their pregnancy and they are not showing yet, so your mare should not be showing at 60 days, either she has a hay belly or she might need to be dewormed. Be very carefull about her weight, several years ago I had a mare that was an easy keeper and she was 9 mo into her pregnancy she foundered....it was terrible. IJR
ELizabeth Hardy (12.38.198.125)
Posted on Wednesday, October 30, 2002 - 12:00 pm:
Kelly I agree with Ivy..
she should not be showing ie getting signifigantly larger at this time.
Have you wormed her yet? if not do so just do not use Quest.. it is not safe for pregnant mares.
My Mare did not look pregnant event at 5-6 months I have pictures of her and no one could tell she was pregnant. She did not start to really show until her 7-8th month and she delivered on the 324th day.( A really nice heathy filly on 9/13/2002) Her breeding date was 10/23/2001 by AI.
Your mare is an easy keeper and sounds like she is doing well on pasture and alfalfa/timothy hay you are giving her.
Are you feeding her any grain? if so you could reduce the grain
Your vet recommended not starting her on supplements til Dec and not putting her on a pregnant mare feed til her last 3 months. Unless her condition changes I would follow his advice
Overwght mares can have a more difficult delivery and the developing foal will not have as much room to develop normally if the mare is too fat. So it is wise to feed an easy keeper enough to meet her needs but no so mucy she gets "fat"
Also keep her on a good worming schedule and light exercise will do her good as well.
good luck
kelly (216.208.58.123)
Posted on Wednesday, October 30, 2002 - 01:02 pm:
ok, so she has a hay belly so now, i shouldn't decrease her hay intake right? since winter is coming, and both my horses are outside 24/7.they will need all the warmth they can get. she is not getting any grain until december when i introduce the vitamin supplement she seems to do well on the hay we are feeding now. i guess more exercise is in order she is due for deworming next week so i will do that. right now my deworming schedule is every 12 weeks with Equavlan paste. anyone have any different recommendations? and thank you for the reminder about the Quest worming gel, i have not heard good things about it recently. hopefully her weight will not increase, as i do not want her to founder,nor do i want her to have difficulty foaling. if you can think of anything that i can do to decrease her weight-aside from light exercise please let me know. thank you again
gloria (136.2.1.101)
Posted on Friday, November 01, 2002 - 10:28 am:
may I join this conversation. When I had my mare U/S July 10th approxmately 40 days after the 2nd breeding, her size had already changed. I bred her first at the end of March and was told that she did not settle, the first U/S was did at 17 days, 2nd U/S done at 27 days and nothing. She was short cycled with Lute... vet said she was 22 cm and should cylcle within 3-7 days, nothing happened, no cycle. By April 30th she was at day 31 of 1st breeding. She did not cycle again until May 27. So I bred again until the 1st of June. Had her vet ck at around 40 or so days, however, we were able to notice a change in her size just before that. Could she have been in foal and it was just missed with the u/s. The picture on the u/s sound showed a kidney shaped mass and you could see the cord attached. The reason I didn't think the 1st breeding took was because it looked as if the stud deposited everything on the ground, as he pulled out. After reading stuff regarding weight gain, I wondered could my mare be in foal even though it appeard that the sperm went on the ground. Her background - she is a easy keeper, and she is exercised, I ran barrels on her until October 5th. She now "waddles" like a women in her 8th month when she walks. Her back legs are gapped. When I talked to the vet about U/Sing her 2 months ago, beginning of 3rd (based on the June breeding) he said she was too far along and it would not show on the screen. How can I determine if she is further along. Her food has been up'd by 3/4, she gets 1 3/4 scoop twice a day, 2 flakes twice a day. Haven't started Mare Care
Jos (63.185.72.105)
Posted on Friday, November 01, 2002 - 11:48 am:
At 40 days the fetus is a mere one inch long, so weight gain in a 1,000 lb or so horse will not be visible!
If weight gain is this significant, and in areas where it would occur during pregnancy, it is possible that the mare conceived on the first breeding and maintained the first pregnancy despite the Lutalyse and rebreeding, although from what you describe of the ultrasound taken at 40 days (rather than 130 days she would have been if she had conceived on the first breeding in March) I suspect that the pregnancy is indeed from the second breeding. Remember too that the pregnancy is not reachable after about 90-100 days as it descends over the pelvic brim into the abdomen and remains out of reach until it is large enough to be reached again (usually around 150-180 days).
Semen loss from the mare after breeding in the manner you described is most likely gel fraction not sperm-rich fraction. The stallion ejaculates with the glans of the penis in the vagina hard against the cervix, which is downhill from the vestibular seal of the vagina. In order for significant semen loss to occur therefore, the mare must have a serious conformationa l defect - serious enough that it in itself will usually be unable to establish pregnancy.
In the event that the pregnancy can still be reached, there is a process using ultrasound that measures the diameter of the eye socket and that measurement can be compared to a scale that will establish a rough fetal age. You do however need an experienced ultrasonographer who has a suitable ultrasound to do this.
Do not automatically increase feed simply because your mare is pregnant! Feed her to keep her in good condition, but be aware that the most fetal growth (60%) occurs in the last 3 months, so there is no need to increase feed substancially prior to that, and indeed, some mares will metabolise feed better during pregnancy, so it may be necessary to decrease feed not increase it! So, feed her to look good, not simply because she is pregnant - and a fat pregnant mare has a harder time both during the pregnancy, and delivering.
As far as comparisons between human and equine pregnancies, you can't! Completely different rates of growth and conformation.
Ivy (152.6.24.71)
Posted on Friday, November 01, 2002 - 12:03 pm:
Gloria: It is possible that your mare may be in foal. I had a mare in for breeding for the third breeding (mare's first breeding was in March too), the vet missed it on the U/S on the second breeding, and was palpated at 50 days in foal...and in standing heat for the third time. More than likely, unless you had your mare under lights (also depending on where you live...and how cold), the mare didn't take on the first breeding because March is early spring and not producing a breedable folicle. If this is the case, and she took on the second breeding in late April, then your mare is approx. 6 mon pregnant and could be showing her pregnancy. Around the 4th month (possibly earlier) the fetus is heavy and falls into the uterus behing the pelvis and can't be felt by palpation. As far as the spirm being deposited on the ground, my stallion always has post ejaculate fluid on the ground and he has gotten all his mares in foal, so don't let that fool you. From all these breedings, you are going to have a hard time determining which one she took on. My guess would be the second breeding, and it sounds like she is over weight. Have you talked with your vet about her size, her food rations and such? For the first 8 mo. she doesn't need to eat any different from any other non pregant horse. Please don't make the mistake I did several years ago, I wanted a healthy mare and foal, and in the end so got fat and foundered and I could have lost them both. My two mares are of average size, after weaning them from their foals, they only get 2 lbs (1/2 scoop level) Omolene 100 (10% protein), electrolites and a handful of beet pulp twice a day. For hay, they get 2 - 3 flakes of hay, depending on weight of each flake, twice a day: That is it. 8th month, I increase their grain by 1/2 lb (2 x day) each month, slowly up their protein level to 16% (Omolene 300). I may or may not add Mare Care because I don't believe in overly supplementing, and Omolene doesn't require it. If your mare is an easy keeper, I IMOHO think you are over feeding your mare. Please get advice from your vet. IJR
gloria (136.2.1.101)
Posted on Friday, November 01, 2002 - 03:03 pm:
My vet said not to increase her food unless I saw a change in her weight, rib showing and such. I saw this/have seen this on at least two separate occasions. The first increase (1/4) came after seeing her weight drop to the point of her ribs showing. The next increase came for the same reasons, ribs showing, not just one day, but saw this for at least a week or so. When I say the sperm was on the ground, it was not from her pushing it out - the stud actually got off of her as he was ejaculating, so I was able to see him deposite on the ground, but he could have started inside of her, thereby, causing the pregnacy. So it wasn't a lot of breeding, just two and approx. 2 1/2 months apart. Remember she did not cycle again until the end of May. I may have caused a confusion by saying day 31 of the first breeding. I should have said that it was 31 days past the first breeding and she had not cycled at that point. So from March 30th her last day in cycle she did not show another cycle until May 27th or so. She had her first cycle of the year in February. (she was never under lights- it was not that cold her in Mich) In March she cycled again. After that cycle, the vet short cycled her on the 27th of March and she was bred on the 30th. From that point she was u/s'd at 17 days, April 16th. That one showed nothing. She was then u/s'd again on the 26th of April, just to be sure she was not in foal, and then short cycled again with Lute... - she did not come back into cycle again until the end of May (not even after the lute shot). So she was only bred twice. But like I said could she actually have been in foal from the March 30th breeding, but simply did not show. I will have the grain backed off, but I am concern about her ribs showing. The vet felt that with two cycles passing (Feb and Mach) and the follical being of breedable size that short cycling her was ok. Like your stallion, I wonder if he ejaculated in side but slid off at the end thus putting some on the ground. The comparison that I made to humans and equine was just that, I realize that the two are different but that is what came to mind to see her walking away from me
kelly (209.226.247.96)
Posted on Saturday, November 02, 2002 - 01:20 am:
should I get my mare checked again, say... in the spring sometime just to make sure she is still in foal? is that what most people do? at what month should it be done? (her due date is Aug.4 2002)
Posted on Wednesday, December 18, 2002 - 07:32 pm:
My mare also showed signs of major weight gain very early in her pregnancy!! She was only 3 months along, and already started to gain weight and bag up! She was on a great exercise schedule, was an endurance horse, so that couldnt be "it". I realize there is absolutly no way the weight gain can be due to the foal inside, but it CAN be due to the hormones changing! She was getting FAT on air!!! I just kept exersizing her (not as hard as before the pregnancy) and her weight got stable at about 5 1/2 months in the pregnancy. Ofcourse now she is almost 9 months and really showing her pregnancy.But now, no FAT, just baby!
Anyway, it is possible a mare gains extra weight, but its not "the baby growing", its hormones!
Sandy (64.158.70.129)
Posted on Tuesday, December 24, 2002 - 01:17 pm:
So, when would be the most common month for a mare to start showing a pregnancy? And is it common for a mare to show more in her tummy along the bottom line than it is to the sides? I have a mare that is 7 1/2mos into her pregnancy and she is showing a "hanging belly" but absolutely nothing to the sides. I was unable to have the mare confirmed in foal by the vet because she totally freaked out when he tried to palp her, even with giving her a sedative, but she never came back into heat, so that is why I am assuming she is in foal. But my other 3 mares that are about the same amount of time in foal as she is, that were confirmed in foal by the vet, are definitely looking pregnant, hanging belly and out to the sides. I'm thinking this mare just hides her pregnancy well. When I bought her at the first of this year she was 9 mos in foal and didn't look it then either. So I guess I'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced a mare not showing out to the sides?
My mare, the 3/4 arabian has a major "hanging-belly", its her first foal, but she looks like a ols broodmare, ist almost haning to her knees!!!
So yes, that is normal, but it can change as the foal moves around.
Figure the baby grows about 80%(!) in the last three months, so that is when you will really see the pregnancy!
Sandy (65.58.179.18)
Posted on Saturday, December 28, 2002 - 01:27 pm:
You are so right about the mare's tummy looking different as the foal moves around. Since my last post on the 24th this mare defintely is looking pregnant now! She has started to jut out to the sides and I did feel the foal moving just slightly the other day. So, I am now positive that she is in foal. Thank goodness! I sold my stallion after this year's breeding season, so this will be my last foal crop out of him and this mare is one of my best bred mares and it will be her first foal out of this stud, so I was really hoping she did get in foal by him. I'm also thinking that this mare may not "show" like the other mares do at this stage of pregnancy because this mare has been known to have a gestation of at least 365 days. Last year she didn't foal until 375 days, so I think she takes a little longer to "bake" than the others. Corine, how far along is your mare that is hanging so low? I have noticed that is something I have seen quite often in Arab mares. I bred my stud to an Arabian mare this year that when she was about 5 mos along she looked like she could foal any day because she was hanging so low. I'm just hoping that it's not a totally huge baby because my stud was a lot bigger than this mare. Anyway, that's the scoop, Thanks!
It looks like you will be in for a long wait then!? I once had a mare go 365, and I went nuts!! Plus I did not get much sleep!
I talked to some more arab owners, and they also said the mares have such a low hanging belly! This is my first arab foal, I used to breed Paints, they dont show their pregnancy quite as much!
What breed are you breeding for?
Sandy (65.58.177.206)
Posted on Tuesday, December 31, 2002 - 01:15 pm:
Corine, I breed Appaloosas. All of my mares that are in foal are Appys except for one, and she is a Thoroughbred. She too is just huge in the belly right now. And my stallion was an Appaloosa also. Beautiful black with big spotted blanket on the butt. I know what you mean about not getting much sleep. The mare that went 375 days drove me nuts! I keep wondering if her previous owners were wrong about her breeding dates. 375 days seems like an awful long time to me, and the foal wasn't exceptionally big or anything. Everyone around here had a bet going that the foal would be born with teeth already because of how far over due it was. But, the filly didn't have teeth when she was born. She was a totally normal sized filly, so that's why I wonder if they were wrong on her breed dates, or if like I said in the last post, this mare just takes longer to bake them!
Everything I have read and heard says that when a mare goes late, it just means the baby is not "done" yet. They never grow more than normal inside the mare, even when the mare carries a month longer!! My 365 day mare also had a normal size filly!
Ahh, appy's dont you love breeding horses of color!? I swear, after breeding Paints, its just not near as much fun when breeding 2 solids! I love wathing those spots being born! The thrill is just unsurpassed. Ofcouse having the solids is part of the "deal" and the main thing is to breed healthy, beautiful horses...
sandy (65.58.177.159)
Posted on Saturday, January 04, 2003 - 02:09 pm:
I do love breeding "color" horses, I always say, just like in Forrest Gump,"it's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get!" I also breed Miniature Paints, so we have a lot of guessing going on around here when it comes foaling time, will we get color or not? But as long as the babies are healthy and correct, that's all that matters. You must be getting excited with your mare getting closer to her foaling date. I still have a while to go. My first one (the Mini mare) isn't due until the end of Apr. I have also heard that a mare will not have a bigger foal than what she can handle. But it's still scary when they go so far overdue.
deanna griffore Posted From: 64.12.116.22
Posted on Friday, May 07, 2004 - 04:40 pm:
can somebody tell me, I bought my first horse in July, it's now may, through the winter her size did not look as though she gained or lost weight, now starting to get a belly and her udders are a little swollen. is she pregnant? trying to avoid extra vet bill if possible, husband not working due to broken leg, money tight. thanks.
Sandy Posted From: 4.228.252.250
Posted on Friday, May 07, 2004 - 07:58 pm:
I'd be wondering too if I were you. I would definitley think it is a possibility, especially if her udder is starting to swell. Just keep an eye on her udder, plus considering you bought her in July, if she was bred just right before you bought her, then she would be about 10 mos. pregnant....so you could be looking at having a baby in the next 4 to 6 weeks. If her udder keeps getting bigger, then my bet is she's pregnant....also you might want to start paying attention to her flank area to see if you can notice any movement.
Posted on Saturday, September 04, 2004 - 06:08 pm:
Hi! I am new to the breeding business as well. We breed horses of color. "paints" that is. We had one solid quarter horse that just foaled in August and she was bred to a paint stallion. she had a gorgeous baby, but when he was born they called him a dummy foal. 2 days later we had him put down much to our dismay. Is this just something that happens or is this hereditary or what? we havetwo other mares due in May of 2005. not bred to same stallion. we are very excited.
Sandy Posted From: 4.227.172.176
Posted on Sunday, September 05, 2004 - 01:20 pm:
Beverly Yes, this is something that just happens, it is not hereditary. It is due to a lack of oxygen to the central nervous system either during or after delivery.
Beverly Posted From: 64.53.77.167
Posted on Tuesday, September 07, 2004 - 10:23 am:
What is a good age to stop breeding a mare?
Beverly Posted From: 64.53.77.167
Posted on Tuesday, September 07, 2004 - 11:51 am:
We have a 19 yr old quarter horse and she is in great shape. healthy not too fat, but healthy after a baby. this was the horse that we just lost the baby to. (dummy foal) We were wondering if the age thing comes into play because this is my daughters horse and we dont want anything to happen to this marebecause she is such a great horse. any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Posted on Thursday, September 09, 2004 - 08:39 pm:
I have a big question for you all. I just bought a mare she is 19 year old and I really thing she is pregnant. I have call the vet around here but no one want to come out to see her. So I'm turn to here for help. See I have ask the owner if she could and they have never give me a straight answer. See when I get he she had not come in heat "may 1" And the last time was Nov 14 last year. She is now fat and has to round thing afront of her udder that is slowy moving back "is that her bag?" She as hold her tail up and hardly never put it down. her moody is so differnet that two month ago. She doesn't like any other horse by her and will kick and bite at them to get them to move. Do you think she is pregnant or just mean. And is there a site that show the development of the udder? Thank you so much!
It certainly sounds like the mare COULD be pregnant. The swelling in front of the udder is an indicator as is her mood change (although neither are conclusive.) Is she fat all over or is it mainly belly - and does the belly appear to be larger low down? Surely you can find a vet to check her over?
Sandy Posted From: 4.228.243.221
Posted on Friday, September 10, 2004 - 01:18 pm:
Angela B You say you can't find a vet to come and check her? Then you need to find new vets! If the vet won't come to you, then you should just take the mare to the vet. You say she didn't come into heat on May 1...is there any reason why you think she should have come into heat on that date? How do you know that she had a heat in Nov last year? That seems pretty late for a mare to be coming into heat. I guess that depends on where you live though. If she IS pregnant, you should be able to see or feel some foal movement by this time. I do not know of a site that shows development of the udder as each mare will differ somewhat in the development. Some mares won't develop an udder until after foaling. Considering this mare's age, I would think it wise that you take her to the vet if they won't come to you. And then find a good, dependable vet that will come to you when you need it! If your mare is pregnant, and she has complications during foaling, you need to find a vet that is willing to come to your place in case of an emergency. Good luck.
Beverly Posted From: 64.53.77.254
Posted on Wednesday, September 15, 2004 - 07:37 pm:
Hi! I have a 12 yr old mare and she came into heat at the first of june. Our stallion bred with her and two days later wanted nothing to do with the stallion. so we figured she was in foal, well....the next month at the beginning of july she came into heat again, but this time was only in for a day and then had no intrest in the stallion, so when my vet came out to palpate all of our mares, she said unless they were at least 60 days or more she could not tell by palpation, but when she palpated the mare I am speaking of she said she is about 3 to 4 months along, could this be correct. dothey sometimes come into a false heat when they are already in foal? Thanks! Anyone's help would be appreciated. I dont know whether or not to go by the first breeding or the second.
Sandy Posted From: 4.227.172.83
Posted on Thursday, September 16, 2004 - 07:11 pm:
Usually by 30 days you can determine pregnancy with palpation. As for mares exhibiting heat eventhough they are in foal, yes, it does happen. But I should say that most mares who exhibit heat while pregnant usually will not let the stallion mount and breed them. And I also know that it is not unusual during the latter part of the summer for mares to have shorter heat cycles, although one day does seem rather too short. Did she let the stallion breed her on that day? I'm assuming she did or else you wouldn't be wondering which breeding to go off of. You may want to have your mare ultra sounded to be sure she isn't carrying twins. I would just be worried that with the second breeding she could have ovulated again therefore causing twins. And if she didn't get pregnant on the June breeding and it was indeed on the July breeding, that would mean she is only 2 months along and your vet obviously feels she is further along than that.
Could she possibly be pregnant with twins? I did not realize that if they were already in foal that they could get pregnant again. I have been reading up a little on this, but how long before it is too long to ultrasound? Yes, she did let the stallion breed her again. Thanks so much!
Sandy Posted From: 4.228.249.105
Posted on Friday, September 17, 2004 - 01:20 pm:
Yes, twin pregnancies actually do happen more than we think. If she had got in foal on the first breeding, but her other ovary had a follicle on it that ovulated with the second heat, that one could have been inseminated and possibly attached to the uterus also. That's how twin pregnancies happen, but it is usually within the same heat cycle. There will be two ovulations, one off of each ovary and both will be fertilized. As for ultrasounding, you usually want them ultrasounded within the first 16 days to be able to terminate a second pregnancy if there is indeed twins. So, I would think in your case it would already be too late to do anything about twins at this point. But you could at least find out so you know what you're dealing with. Most mares that I have seen that are pregnant with twins usually will not carry them to term. And this is just my opinion here but: Considering your vet obviously isn't experienced enough to be able to determine pregnancy by palpation prior to 60 days, I don't know if I would rely on her findings of the pregnancy feeling as though it were 3 to 4 months along. So, if it were me, I would have the mare ultra sounded to rule out the twins, and then probably go off of the July breeding. Because as I said before, it is very unusual for a mare to let a stallion mount and breed if she is already pregnant. I've been breeding horses for 12 years, and have never seen one do it yet! Good Luck!
Beverly Posted From: 64.53.77.254
Posted on Friday, September 17, 2004 - 05:39 pm:
Thanks sandy. i appreciate it. She is a new vet. just recently out of school, but most of the vets around here are not accepting new clients. And the ones that are,.......need i say more? LOL. anyway thanks for the info. what kind of horses do you breed? we have started breeding this year and we breed paints. we only have two this year though. a palomino and white and a dark bay(almost chocolate ) and white. And our Staalion is a big bay and white and will mature to 16 hands. big, muscular and correct. He has foundation quarter horse in him too, which "I" think makes him look even better. Thanks again!
Sandy Posted From: 4.228.243.122
Posted on Saturday, September 18, 2004 - 01:17 pm:
Hi Beverly, You're welcome for the info. I know how hard it can be to find a "good" vet, one that you can trust and rely on their evaluations and treatments. I breed Appaloosas, so it looks like we're both into the colored horses! And I just love breeding the color breeds, it just makes foaling time that much more exciting. How old is your stallion? One of my stallions that is a 2 year old this year I expected would reach a mature height of at least 16hh also, but I'm really beginning to wonder. His sire is 16.2 and his dam is 15.3, but as a 2 year old he is only standing at 15hh. His full brother at 2 was standing at 15.2, so that's why I'm kinda wondering if he'll really reach the height I expected (and hoped) he would. He is a gorgeous snowcap (which makes him a homozygous Appy) and black and white to boot. And he has the best disposition I could ever ask for in a stud colt.
My other stallion is 4 years old, a fewspot Appy (which is also homozygous) and a blue roan. We are trying our best to produce black and whites.
Anyway, I hope it all works out for you. Breeding horses can be very rewarding but it can also be really stressful too.
I am new to Horse breeding and even having a horse. When i was a Kid my parents had two but we didn't ever breed that mare she was with foal when they got her. My question is that i just bouth a horse and it might be in foal she is 14 years old due in April if she took. The owner of the horse before me said that thye were two of their stallions hanging around her when she was in heat but they were gone most of the so don't know for sure if she is or not in foal. She is hanging will low in the belly like she did with her other foal thou. ( i also got me a stud that is 6 months old and he as brown and white spots on him i am hoping that when it gets big enough i can have a foal off him. (How old do the studs have to be before they can breed with a mare.) thanks janet hurd
S Smith Posted From: 65.118.224.162
Posted on Thursday, October 14, 2004 - 02:58 pm:
Please don't breed your horses 'just because you have a stud colt and a mare". There are sooo many horses in the country that need homes. My first question to you would be are your horses registered? Do they have some fantastic conformation or do they have excellent bloodlines? Are they show horses or performance horses? If you can't answer yes to most of those questions, you definitely should not be breeding just to get a baby. Please think long & hard about that. Foals are extremely expensive to raise and harder to sell. That being said, a colt can breed when it is a 2 year old, but another year older would be better.
Jos Posted From: 63.189.168.88
Posted on Thursday, October 14, 2004 - 10:52 pm:
Janet:
I would recommend that you have the mare checked by a competent veterinarian to determine whether she is pregnant or not. You need to be present at the foaling if she is, and you don't want to be spending lots of nights in the barn waiting for a foal if she is not pregnant! Although most foalings go ahead without problems, if a problem arises, it can become very serious very quickly. If you are not there, you may find yourself getting up to a dead foal and/or mare in the morning - not a good way to start the day!
As far as how old a colt will be before he may be able to breed - some may in fact be able to breed as early as 9 months of age. That's not to say they should, and often people end up with unwanted pregnancies because they are not aware that some colts are fertile that early. If you do not want a mare that he is in with (e.g. his mother) bred by him, separate him from mares (or fillies) before he is nine months old. If you want to breed the colt, then waiting until he is at least two, and probably three will result in a better success.
I do have to echo S. Smith's words somewhat too. Whenever one breeds a mare, it should be with a view to improving the quality of the offspring - making them better than the sire or the dam - not simply because there happens to be a mare and a stallion on the farm. There are a lot of passable stallions out there that would make excellent geldings! Where you are new to breeding, and in fact horses, you may want to have an experienced breeder evaluate your colt to determine if he is in fact "stallion quality" or not before breeding him - it would be too bad to breed your mare and then find out after there's a foal on the ground that he really wasn't of suitable quality to reproduce his genes.
Eagle View Arabians Posted From: 205.188.116.21
Posted on Friday, October 15, 2004 - 09:42 pm:
Janet, if you are new to horses I would try to get someone to help you with just the basics. Personally I would recommend gelding your colt, only because horses in general are a lot of work and a stallion is twice that. Even experienced "horse people" are learning new things and horses will always surprise you. If you want the best relationship possible with your horses (and also lots of fun ) enlist in the help of someone experienced.
JAN Posted From: 211.26.69.12
Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 07:38 am:
How far into a horses pregnacy before you can see obvious movement from the foal.
outlawpaints Posted From: 64.53.77.245
Posted on Tuesday, March 08, 2005 - 08:42 am:
I would say around the 7th month. Of course there are those that might go a little earlier or a little later, but defnetely by the 7th month. Try feeling the belly while they are eating their grain in the morning or after they take a drink of cold water. that is usually when they are the most active...Good luck!
Someone please help me my mare is ninemonths pregnant and she is huge,she is palomino, and bellgin mix i think she has a quarter bellgin in her,her udder has stayed flat in till today it has swollen up some not alot but a change in it.she is sweating behind her frount legs on her stomach it is to early for my foal she is 267 days pregant she was bread on the 4/8/2005.is this normal at this time of pregnacy.one side of her neck is sweaty to but she is not in any pain she semms to act fine.she got out of her stall and got into my feed she ate about 10p of sweet feed the vet said to only give her hay and no feed for three days,she acts hungry when i go out to feed my stud hors she winnies alot wanting me to give her grain she acts normal, just sweating and her udder has swelled alittle is this normal?please help.
What is your weather like? where are you located? If it is winter then she may be trying to abort. most abortions are in this time slot I think...
did your vet say anything about trying to make sure she doesn't colic? tube her? Since she ate so much grain I would also keep an eye out for founder. It is really dangerous for horses and lots of mares founder when they are pregnant..
I would keep an eye on her. She could be trying to abort. Has she had many babies? if she is a very seasoned mare then her udder would be fine. If not, she may have placentitus and that could make her loose the baby also..
I hope your mare is ok...
Jan H (Unregistered Guest) Unregistered guest Posted From: 68.45.224.165
Posted on Tuesday, January 03, 2006 - 10:35 pm:
You may want to listen for gut sounds, if she is silent I would worry more about colic, is she passing stool regularly? Can you post a link and upload some pictures of her udder as well as her stomach to look at what you mean by huge? When in doubt always seek professional help IE: a Vet.
Please note that opinions, product information, advice or suggestions posted on this bulletin board are not necessarily those of the management at Equine-Reproduction.com nor does the maintenance of the post position indicate an implicit or any endorsement of that information, opinion or product.
Further, although we have the greatest respect for the posters offering assistance here, you are advised to seek a consultation with your veterinarian prior to using information obtained from this board if it is of a veterinary nature.Proud to be sponsored and supported by:
Closed: New threads not accepted on this page
