# Pregnant Maiden Mare questions



## Arabian4ever (Jul 16, 2009)

Hello everyone, 

I will have many questions and will provide all of the information that I have. I rescued a 20 year old Quarter Arab mare 3.5 months ago. She was left out to pasture, and appeared to have a hay belly or possibly worms. I specifically asked if she was pregnant as I have horse experience, but DEFINITELY not breeding experience, and was told no she is just out of shape, and has a hay belly. I was told she was not pregnant, and that she had never been bred. 

I have been riding her and caring for her for the last three months and the belly never went down. NOW she is huge, clear liquid is coming out of her teats, and starting to turn cloudy, and she is *very* soft in the tail, and we have been seeing the baby move... (Obviously she is pregnant) My first question is her vulva seemed to be relaxing and we assumed the baby was coming... but now not so relaxed? Is that normal? Should I be worried? 

Also yellow cloudy liquid can be very freely expressed from one side (left) and only a little from the right side. On Friday 07/17/2009 I found yellow tinged goo ( not sure how else to describe it) on her vulva, in her vulva, and very slightly dripping down her legs. Vet said not an infection (Thank G) probably her mucus plug... wouldn't that mean the baby should come by now???... Anyone able to assist me?? 

I would like to have some kind of time frame when the baby will be born... the mare is eating normally, drinking normally, and had very slight bouts of loose stool at times, biting at her sides, carrying her tail off to the side constantly, stomping, no rolling, nothing violent, just kicking ... 

I LOVE this mare, we have bonded very tightly. In fact when I got off her a month ago (didn't know she was pregnant) to walk by some water. (She doesn't like water) I twisted my ankle. My daughter came to get her so that I could limp home and she refused pulling against the bridal to stay with me and walk along side me... I do not want anything to happen to this mare. And I do not have any horse breeding experience....


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## BrokenWings (Jun 15, 2009)

I don't have much in the way of breeding experience myself, but have seen some mares go through the process at the farm where I board.
Runny stoool, and slight leakage (plug) are signs that the baby is coming for sure. The problem is the plug can come out and baby can still be days away. If she is eating and drinking and seems mostly normal, I'd just let her be and let nature take it's course. Keep her walking (in humans they say that makes the baby come faster) and keep her comfy as possible, Good luck, please update!


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## reining girl (Jan 30, 2009)

It sounds like she is close to foaling, but im not a breeder either so im no expert. The ranch i work at, one of there mares was bagged up but that was it, so they thought it would be a little while longer, well moday morning when i went out into the pasture to feed her running along side of her was this super cute little bay colt. So you just never know. But it sounds to me like she is getting close, but i could be wrong.


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## FGRanch (Feb 9, 2008)

Definatly sounds like she is getting close? Is there still lots of foal movement? If there is I wouldn't be concerned. If the movement has stopped or decreased drastically then I would be concerend and call the vet out.


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## AlmagroN (Jul 19, 2009)

she definately sounds close. what you want to watch for is "waxing" this is where the colostrum from the milk builds up on the ends of the teets. it looks like little balls of wax. this can build up and fall off many times, but as soon as this is happening, you should have a foal within 48hours. our mare usually waxes the day of. watch for signs of labor- pacing, looking at her belly, getting up and laying down, laying against the walls, etc. 

im not sure how close you are, but most mares like to foal in private when no one else is around, and usually in the middle of the night. our mare has been with us for years and will foal with us in the barn. you can periodically check on her all night if you wish to catch her in labor.

if you think shes going into labor (waxing, and other signs) tie up her tail with something like an ace bandage, this is more cleanly for her and the foal, and its easier. 

if you witness the labor, leave her to it herself. most mares can handle just fine and dont need anyones help. DONT pull the foal out when it starts to come, it can really damage the mare. ive seen so many people make this mistake. 

after the foal is out, break the sac open and rub the foal with a CLEAN unscented towel (put it in the washer but dont use any detergent or anything) and rub the foal with it. make sure its breathing (if not, call your vet) and then step back. your mare will want to talk to her baby. this is SO IMPORTANT. DONT DISRUPT THEM, this is their time to bond and for your foal to know that is its mother. 

after the mare gets up tie the afterbirth in a knot so she doesnt step on it. dont pull it out. she will push it out on her own. save it in a bucket after she does to show your vet to make sure everything came out. 

within an hour your baby should stand and try to feed. if it cant get up call your vet. if you have time, before she goes into labor bed her in a lot of straw and bank the sides up on the walls. is you have a stall that has access to a paddock, leave the door open for her, she may want to foal outside.

have a shotglass and some benadine, dip the stump of the umbilical chord on the foal in it every couple hours or so. this can be quite a task!

thats about all i can tell you... good luck


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Yay, congrats on joining the horse forum baby boom!! And welcome to the forum.  I am a long way from an expert on foaling but I have learned a lot in just the last few weeks from my own experience and from the experiences of others here. A mare can fool you and you believe that "OMG, tonight is gonna be the night." Then nothing happens. She'll have it when she's ready and it doesn't sound too far off from the sound of things. She will probably have it within a week but sometimes it is hard to tell. With her being so old, how is her body condition? If she is in good shape, then she should probably be fine. However, if she is in kinda poor condition (being a rescue) you might want to keep a close eye on her and have the vet on standby just in case. Wishing all the best to you and your girl!! We would all love to have pix when she has it.


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## FGRanch (Feb 9, 2008)

Yes pictures for sure!


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## CheyAut (Nov 26, 2008)

Not all mares wax, so dont' think that just because she doesn't have wax, it won't be now 

Really, it's hard to say when she'll go. She does sound very close, but how close? Could be tonight, could be next week!  The joys of foaling out mares


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## Shalani (Jul 16, 2009)

Arabian4ever said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> I will have many questions and will provide all of the information that I have. I rescued a 20 year old Quarter Arab mare 3.5 months ago. She was left out to pasture, and appeared to have a hay belly or possibly worms. I specifically asked if she was pregnant as I have horse experience, but DEFINITELY not breeding experience, and was told no she is just out of shape, and has a hay belly. I was told she was not pregnant, and that she had never been bred.
> 
> ...


It sounds like she is very close . Do you have a small grassy yard you can keep her in at night ( weather proving) or a stable ( with clean straw)?
Its best you start checking on her at night between 10pm and 4am most mares foal in that time & most mares are fine doing it themselves but given her age she should be monitered .

There are many things that can go wrong. 
Its ok to handle her teats but dont express milk you could be depleating the supply of Colostrum ( first milk) that has all the immune boosting things for the foal. 
Once she is accustomed to having her udder and teats handled, regular checks can reveal when the udder begins to fill. This will first be felt near the belly, and then can be discerned in the mammary glands and nipples. As the mare gets closer to foaling, her nipples will thicken, hang down lower, and begin to develop a thick, waxy material. When the nipples “wax,” it is a fairly reliable indicator that the foal will be born within the next day or so.

Still, none of these indicators are absolute. Remember that mares approach foaling in their own individual ways. Some do not bag up at all, while others will produce copious amounts of milk and may even leak milk for days before the foal is born. Some mares will wax and others will not. Evaluate all the signs as an overall indicator of impending foaling, rather than relying on any one sign.

Other things to look for are signs of the rump and tailhead muscles softening. This helps to prepare the pelvic area to stretch during labor and foaling. The vulva may also become swollen and elongated. Be aware of changes in the mare’s behavior. This may indicate that foaling is imminent. Mares who behave more or less affectionately than usual, try to separate themselves from other horses, seem more nervous, may be nearing the start of labor. Also, loss of appetite is an indicator of approaching foaling. Foaling generally occurs between 10pm and 4am, so if a mare that normally eats well is uninterested in her dinner, she may be close to delivery.



Check out this site for more info Horse Foaling, Birth and Pregnant Mare Care

And maybe try and find a friend or ask around for some one exsperianced to be your foal hand. you'll be amazed how many people are willing to help when it comes to horses.


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## Shalani (Jul 16, 2009)

But like most mares you will check on her all night . you will go back to bed or to make a coffee .... get back to find a healthy foal on the ground and one proud moma. Hope all goes well.


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## AlmagroN (Jul 19, 2009)

so im dying to know if we had a baby, or if shes going to....


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## cayuseranch (Jun 13, 2009)

Arabian4ever said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> I will have many questions and will provide all of the information that I have. I rescued a 20 year old Quarter Arab mare 3.5 months ago. She was left out to pasture, and appeared to have a hay belly or possibly worms. I specifically asked if she was pregnant as I have horse experience, but DEFINITELY not breeding experience, and was told no she is just out of shape, and has a hay belly. I was told she was not pregnant, and that she had never been bred.
> 
> ...


Arabian,
My mare was a maiden as well, and I don't have much experience. But I would say that all of the signs can come or go for each horse. Mine had a little bit of wax about 3 days before foaling, and that could have been the yellow goey you saw. It can also happen, that one teat won't express milk as easy as the other, with my mare, it switched sides on me several times. For me, it was two and three days after the primary signs, wax, white milk and the ph test said go. I liked the test, but it also does not give a definate here is a link, scroll to the bottom... Foalingsigns

Having a foal is dangerous, but horses are resilient and most will be fine. You may want to read up on red bag since she has been on the pasture, just in case, but I worried about that with my mare and it never came to be.

Keep us updated and drop in the the foal watch 2009 and keep us updated.

Happy foaling.


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## Arabian4ever (Jul 16, 2009)

*UPDATE- More questions*

Hello Everyone, so here we go with an update. No baby. "Milk" has stopped, stomach has dropped, but she is not "preggie big" I am posting a picture of her as well. Big veins running under her belly, and at times she is quite sunken in front of her hips, then the next day not sunken, and then sunken again... she is a decent weight over her ribs and back. Again I have only had her for a three months. The muscles around her tail feel like jello. VERY squishy. She walks very slow except when its hay time  Alfalfa hay, and I have been feeding her Mare and Foal feed. She definitely has mood swings. Running up to me in the pasture to be petted and hugged (she likes hugs) and then looks at me and starts to flatten her ears and walks (slowly) away about 20 feet. Stops and then turns and walks back up to me does that off an on for about 10 minutes as I am checking the other horses, then comes up to get her brushing and "love". I will definitely post pictures of baby (if or when it comes). Any advice is much appreciated. Vet said to leave her be unless she is in pain (rolling and such) since we don't really know when she was bred (or if). Everyone says she looks pregnant, but maybe not due for another 2 months. 


Any advice is much appreciated.

Again I want what is best for her. I truly love this mare.


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## FGRanch (Feb 9, 2008)

Can you take a picture of her bad, pleaes.


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## Arabian4ever (Jul 16, 2009)

*Picture of udders*

Here is a picture of her udders.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Her bag does not appear to have any milk.

Did the vet 100% confirm she is bred?


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## Arabian4ever (Jul 16, 2009)

they haven't done an ultrasound, but yes they said she was pregnant.


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## Arabian4ever (Jul 16, 2009)

if not pregnant then I obviously need a better vet... any ideas what is going on?


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