# So, my mare is in foal...



## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

First off...Congratulations on getting the mare healthy. She looks wonderful in that last picture. She also is a decently put together mare, which is good.

Most mares start to bag up about 30 days prior to foaling. But with maidens, you just never. Know. My mare has had a bag since 290 days. Which was 7-8 weeks before her "due date" is supposed to be. Her hindend will loosen up and get vet jiggley. Her vulva will relax, swell up some and elongate but a few inches. Wax usually will appear on the nipples within 24-72 hours of foaling. Some mares never wax.

Also, their temperature will drop in the evening before a mare foals. Take her temp in the morning and evening so you can get averages of what is normal for her.

Do a lot of internet research! And when she is nursing, she is probably going to need a very large increase in food to maintain weight. Foals will suck the life out of them...literally.
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## WyndellaRose (Nov 7, 2011)

She's pretty. I have no advise to offer but wish you the best of luck. I'll be praying for a smooth delivery and health for both mother and baby for you.


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Thankyou both, I am doing a lot of research while I am stuck on the couch right now.

CLaPorte; thankyou, she's not the first mare we have rescued from a sorry state so we're getting pretty good at putting condition back on them.
Cool, I can get close enough to look at her udder, but nowhere near enough to touch is, I'm not sure whether thats because she's sore and doesn't want it touched or if shes just being grouchy.
Oh that's good to know! Means I will have a use for the thermometer in my vet nursing kit haha!
Yeah I'm saving up money as I go along for the bigger food bill that is bound to happen when she does foal, would she just be likely to need larger amounts of breeda or would I have to put her onto another feed?

Wyndella; thankyou  you and me will both be praying on that note then haha, but just in case, I have my vets number memorised and also written down in countless visible places


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Also, here in NZ Rye grass staggers is very common and can cause death in extreme cases, so you can bet your life I'm watching out for any signs of that too, but I have my own ways to deal with it as there is actually no proven vet remedies for it as of yet Ryegrass staggers: the danger to horses - Health - Horsetalk.co.nz


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

http://www.horseforum.com/horse-breeding/chillys-foaling-thread-due-mid-march-148489/

This is the foaling thread to my maiden mare. She is 324 days today. Ive been updating with lots of pictures and any other changes that ive noticed her having. Maybe something in there will help you along your foaling journey as well!

I look for foaling threads from some of the frequent breeders on here. Seeing the pictures and changes a mare goes through has been very helpful to me. FGRanch and CCH have foaling threads right now and their mares are super close to foaling!
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## KyMoMoF3CuTiEs (Feb 5, 2013)

Beautiful horse!! Congrats on the coming foal! Ill be watching and praying all goes well!!
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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Oh CLaPorte I love your mare!! I really wish I knew atleast an estimate of when DJ was bred, but since I don't I will be bald with stress by the time this foal gets here.
You can't see her foal move, but if you can manage to touch her for long enough, you can feel it moving around in there.


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

HaHa, thank you. Chilly is a sweetheart. She was a rescue too way back in the day as a 7 month old.

She has always been an in your pocket type of girl. The past month or so, shes been very "flinchy"...touch her butt or sides and she will flinch but not move. Id imagine shes sore or tender? Shes not saying so its hard for me to understand.  But, she normally isnt..."touchy"...ever! So its completely normal for your mare to not want to be rubbed and loved on.

Chilly is at the point where if you stare at her belly, you can see the baby moving. Feeling the baby move is an awesome experience.

The best advice i can give is take wayyy too many pictures so you can compare and visibly see the changes she is going through. I take morning and night pictures and the changes in 10 hours is sometimes just silly!
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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

I will take heaps of photos where I can, the challenge in this household is finding the camera chargers... My dad LOVES anything techonolically based, so you can only imagine how many digital cameras and video cameras we have around here (like 9-10) but that means theres just as many chargers and they never seem to match up! But when I can sort out a match of charger and camera, and I have energy, I will be out there all the time


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Your mom's mare is a very attractive horse, she will probably have a nice foal. Relax, horses have been foaling by themselves for eons. Sounds like you made her surroundings as safe as possible and are doing proper prenatal care. You're doing all you can do, and I am sure she will present you with a healthy foal with no complications. But have the vet on speed dial just in case.


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## existentialpony (Dec 4, 2012)

Subbing so I can follow along! Good on you for trying to do right by this mare & foal.  I wish you all the best.


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

waresbear said:


> Your mom's mare is a very attractive horse, she will probably have a nice foal. Relax, horses have been foaling by themselves for eons. Sounds like you made her surroundings as safe as possible and are doing proper prenatal care. You're doing all you can do, and I am sure she will present you with a healthy foal with no complications. But have the vet on speed dial just in case.


Thank you, I hope she does but she is a maiden (most likely) and I have no experience foaling mares, plus I have no idea of her breeding date, hence my idea of borrowing a foaling alarm off a friend.
I guess I'm worrying because I don't know who the sire is, there are 3 possibilities (that I know of) 2 are appaloosas, and one is a tb, and they were already the height of her when I saw them as yearlings/just over yearlings. I have a tendency to get stressed and anxious about situations I can't control, I'm just hoping I have everything finished by the time she goes to spit the foal out.


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

I mustered up some energy to go out there, the two at least needed to be fed so I took a camera out with me and got what I could.
Also made progress, seems little-miss-touchy has softened off a wee bit at least for tonight about being touched on her belly and her udder, so for the first time in my life tonight I felt a horses udder :lol::lol:

Pictures from tonight; (Is it worth putting up booby shots? they're in need of a baby-wipe and aren't very interesting, I'll put one up anyway)










































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## Army wife (Apr 29, 2012)

"CRAP" lol...story of my life
She's super cute!! good luck  Learn as much as you can before she foals. Learn how to pull a foal if needed. And how to best prepare for emergency situations. Nothing you can do at this point. Hopefully her behavior problems were hormone related


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Army wife said:


> "CRAP" lol...story of my life
> She's super cute!! good luck  Learn as much as you can before she foals. Learn how to pull a foal if needed. And how to best prepare for emergency situations. Nothing you can do at this point. Hopefully her behavior problems were hormone related


You and me both lol, the word "crap" seems to be appearing more and more often these days, along with other words I shall not make mention of :lol:

I am, it does help that I'm training to be a vet nurse, in an actual veterinary workplace, so I have vets right at my fingertips (though I don't usually use those ones for my horses because they're small and large animal vets)

I live on a dairy farm, so I've known how to pull a calf since I was born, assuming the technique is the same or similar I should be good. I can also spot the difference between breach position and non-breach position just by looking at the hooves as they peek out of mum.

I blimming hope her behavior problems are just hormone related cause the darn horse broke my foot a few months ago! But she was as sweet as anything tonight..

I gave her a good scratch on the head and around her ears until she stopped asking, at which point she shifted forwards and waved her big bum in my face.. Apparently bending around to get it herself is all too much effort now hehe :lol:

So many emotions from my side though, never expected that... I'm excited bt nervous, though also peeved off at the naiive-ness(for lack of a better word) of the previous owner.


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## CessBee (Dec 6, 2008)

Good on you for taking this mare on and also for getting her checked.

I would suggest sticking with the breeda, it's the best option we have here and my mare was on it for her entire pregnancy and still is while she is feeding Piper.

Where abouts in NZ are you? Feel free to PM me with any questions as I can help give some NZ based advice. 

It was my first time having a foal last year, so I know how you feel 

The internet and this forum is a wealth of advice.

Good luck.


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

CessBee said:


> Good on you for taking this mare on and also for getting her checked.
> 
> I would suggest sticking with the breeda, it's the best option we have here and my mare was on it for her entire pregnancy and still is while she is feeding Piper.
> 
> ...


I didn't particularly want a foal dropping out on me one day with either mum or baby or both in a bad way or worse so I thought I had better get her checked one way or another.

Oh cool, that's good to hear from another Kiwi then as I (obviously) haven't had experience having to feed broodmare feed.

I really should be asleep lol but I'm sick and wide awake -_-

It is and I'm glad everyones being so nice, cause I've done everything I can and I panic a little when I watch some of the other breeding threads on here but I thought i'd risk it anyway :lol:


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Well, tonight was a little different. No change in her body shape or size, but her behaviour tonight was seriously wierd for her.

Now, I've seen her bite at her belly when the foal kicks, but I have never seen a horse in my life, do what she did tonight, and I can't find anything on google or a video of another horse doing the same thing......

I fed her and Mitchell, DJ is getting 2kg of mitavite Breeda each day in total, and the two are separated at feeding time so I know wo is getting exactly what.
After feeding, her belly started going nuts and she bit at it a few times.... But then it started to rain and get cold, so I put a cover on each horse. Mitch was fine, carried on as usual. But when I put the cover on d, she stood there ****ed with her ears pinned giving me a death stare but standing still, so I carried on. As soon as I had finished putting the cover on and stepped back, she started rodeo spinning and biting at her belly.... But this was different.. She is a thoroughbred who has never done rodeo in her life, and when I say she was spinning, I don't mean the average rodeo spin, you know, planting a back hoof and pivoting around on that with the front end being the end that goes around.... No. She had one front leg planted firmly on the ground, and had her entire back end pivoting around her planted front end, while still biting her belly and swishing her tail, and still at the speed of a rodeo spin. I wish I had a camera on me now but I didn't.
When she stopped spinning, she kept biting her belly, so I walked up and undid the cover, and took it off, she had clearly just told me she didnt want that cover on. After taking the cover off, I stood and watched for a minute, while her belly still jumped around just in front of the flank at the bottom, and she kept biting her belly. When that stopped, she walked over to Mitch and huddled up to him and he let her.. Usually if I'm there he will not let her near him and will go in to full attack mode, but he stood quietly and tucked his head over hers..
I'm going to check on her before I go to bed, I just think its really strange what she did, so thought I would post.


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## SunnyDraco (Dec 8, 2011)

That is quite the reaction lol
Can you post up picture updates? Would love to see more of her


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## PreciousPony (Feb 15, 2013)

She really does look decently put together judging from the pictures you put up. Let's just hope the colts were pretty decent too and hopefully you'll get a nice little foal 

And well done with getting her healthy, she looks amazing in the last two pictures on the first page!


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## trainerunlimited (Jan 26, 2012)

Ooo, another foaling thread, yay! Even though it was a mistake that your mare ended up bred, I'm confident you'll be a wonderful home for the baby. =)

I wouldn't allow this mare to be witchy about you touching her, seems like she needs some daily handling where you can rub her all over and get her tolerant of that. If not I'd be worried that once she foals, she'll either be just as witchy with the foal or won't allow you anywheres near it or her, if the foal needs assistance with nursing, etc. I consider the showing aggression with you handling any part of her body a sign that she doesn't quite trust you all the way or thinks she doesn't have to submit to your handling, although others might have a different opinion. Regardless of why she is doing that, she needs to at least build tolerance and learn to stand there quietly whether she wants to or not. 

As far as her flipping out with the blanket, I think it had less to do with the blanket and more to do with the foal moving around in there, although the blanket likely aggrivated the situation. My mare had her first foal in 2012 and boy, was it an experience! 

She is very sensitive to pressure of any sort and one day, she was going from a standstill to a trot and trotting a small distance away and stopping again. She would cock her head and looked as if she was looking at something behind her(on both sides), running from one of those bot flies as she would reach back and push at times. I of course, tried to come to her rescue and, armed with flyspray, went out to find this erksome bug. Turns out, she was running away from a part of her, lol. 

I couldn't see her belly move from farther off, but that baby sure was having a party in there. My mare was very unsure of what was going on, as the foal (to my knowledge) has never moved with such vigor before. I reassured her and she got more quiet, but she never did look remotely comfortable with he would move so strongly again, lol. I only caught such HUGE movement a couple times after that. She would ignore small movement after a while =) 

Anyways, what I was trying to get at was that your mare might have been experiencing the same thing, and if she is a maiden, might have panicked a bit about it and reacted in a very different way about it. 

I would definitely have a smaller pen set up for them once the foal is born, some mommas don't want to be caught once they foal, lol. Also, with her being defensive with you, watch that she doesn't get aggressive about you being around the foal once its here. Keep us updated! What a story to come to such a wonderful family from a horrible situation and then surprise you guys with a baby!


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## Merlot (Sep 12, 2012)

First off I am so glad you rescued her and you obviously care for her and she looks lovely 

Secondly THE FEED...
personally I would stay away from any 'manufactured feed 'scientifically' done or not - they are full of mollasses (and, correspondingly high in potassium) which is why horses like it and is incredibly bad for them in such large quantity.
Also you can't actually regulate the exact amount a mare (or any horse) needs in terms of nutrient as if the horse gets too fat you have to cut it down - too thin, you feed more.
I believe the only way to feed a horse and particularly a brood mare is to use simple feed - Speedy beet, crushed barley, pollard etc and ADD a HIGH quality mineral mix. (I use the ProvideIt Premium NZ Horse Mins) which I found and find brilliant. Also they are designed for OUR conditions - grass and soil type.
Also check your grass for clover. Clover is incredibly bad for mares along with rye. Remove her from either.
If you want to know more about this the website to go to -and it is NZ based is ProvideIt Vitamin Mineral mixes for horses.
It is a brilliant resource for everything you need to know about feedin a horse.
I attribute Zephyr's muscle tone and straight legs etc at birth to the feed and nutrients Merlot got right through pregnancy -it is SO important!

Sorry to rant but the woman (Jenny Paterson) who did this website has spent years researching why people are are having so many problems over the last 15 - 20 years with their horses and found nearly all of it due to diet and the changes in the way we graze the horses etc - she knows more than anyone about what horses need in terms of nutrients and helped me enormously with major problems I was having with all of my horses!


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## EliRose (Aug 12, 2012)

Subbing! Good on you for rescuing her, she's beautiful.


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## EmsTNWalkers (Mar 10, 2013)

She's gorgeous! I am in the same boat with you dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. I was also mad at first, and I had I known about the shot available I would have terminated as well. However, now I am totally EXCITED about it and anxious to see that foal she's been hoarding in her belly  

Good luck with your girl and I hope everything goes wonderfully!


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## BrieannaKelly (May 31, 2012)

Very good looking girl you've got there! Also great job on getting her in the good shape she's in. I wish you and you mare the best in a healthy and happy foaling!


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Merlot said:


> First off I am so glad you rescued her and you obviously care for her and she looks lovely
> 
> Secondly THE FEED...
> personally I would stay away from any 'manufactured feed 'scientifically' done or not - they are full of mollasses (and, correspondingly high in potassium) which is why horses like it and is incredibly bad for them in such large quantity.
> ...


Thank you Merlot 

I actually was feeding easybeet, crushed barley etc, and both my horses are on Alleviate and GrazeEzy, I won't use anything else, as being on a dairy farm I can't always remove them from cow-type-grass. However, Dad did resow a paddock for the horses and calves in a non-rye grass so that the likelihood of staggers would be lessened etc, I checked for clover too, zilch. I just turned to the mitavite Breeda because of the high calcium etc it has in it, mainly because I don't know exactly who the sire is, and when D was bred, though she could pop tomorrow, or in another 16 weeks, I just don't know.
I am not going by the "feeding regulations" of Breeda, just feeding what I think she needs, and I don't think she needs 3.5kg per day.

They have 24/7 access to meadow hay that was cut and stored ourselves so we know exactly what's in it.


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

I have pictures from tonight, I don't really think she has changed much, I could be wrong though, if she stands a funny way she looks ready to burst, if she changes position you wouldn't know she was pregnant.

I have photos of her lady bits, but should I put them up? I was lucky enough to be able to get close enough for a photo tonight, I wasn't going to try my luck cleaning them like they needed as she was a bit funny, not helped by mitchell being an idiot over the fence.

Oh, and what does it look like if the foal is moving around inside there? Or is the movement just in front of the flank just big breaths? I've never seen a foal move inside before


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## CessBee (Dec 6, 2008)

She is looking very close tummy wise! Would be able to get a better idea with the marey bit photos.


To be honest, I wouldn't be using anything but a premixed feed which has scientifically measured food values unless I knew exactly how to make a balanced feed from the individual components.

My mare was on ~600grams of Breeda a day with around 450grams of fibre pro and 10mls of AgriSea Animal Health Tonic a day, throughout her pregnancy, except for the last few days before she foaled when she decided she didn't want to eat the fibre pro. She was also on 24/7 turnout on a ryegrass/clover mix pasture.


Merlot, could I please have the scientific article that shows that clover is bad for pregnant mares?


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## Reckyroo (Feb 5, 2013)

Well done on how your mare is looking so far.

I have a mare who foaled 6 days ago  (I hadn't foaled before, but she had!) when we least expected it - she was overdue but we'd stopped looking for a foal haha.

Sugerbeet as Merlot said was our saviour - our TB - my mare and yours look very similar - is hard to keep weight on and we've increased her intake of her hard feeds since she foaled so she doesn't drop any weight - the colt's growing at an alarming rate - we can see a difference already - her sugar beets mixed with chop, a garlic supplement and a special multi vitamin supplement. She also has a salt lick in her stable and unlimited haylage.

Our mare didn't wax up or drip milk although she was enormous (like your photo of your mare head on) - see 
http://www.horseforum.com/horse-breeding/foxys-foaling-thread-153645/

I found this site invaluable and any questions I had were answered x

Good luck - and we love piccies x


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## Merlot (Sep 12, 2012)

Cess Bee ...
*ProvideIt Multi Vitamin & Minerals for Horses

Jenny has done (and is still doing) much research into this AND she continues to help people with horse problems and time and time again she finds that the horses with (especially) Head Flicking, laminitis and mare reproductive syndrome are all grazing clover (or it is in the hay) When this is removed the horses invariably come right - I've seen it myself with three of my horses.
To get the scientific backing is an expensive process - and to be honest with this country ruled by dairy farmers to whom the last thing they want to hear is that we need to get rid of the very grasses they all plant - it ain't going to happen 
Also I meant to add that feeding SALT 3 tbsp in the case of your mare - a day in feed is essential ESPECIALLY when the grass is growing so quickly...
and here's why that is...
ProvideIt Multi Vitamin & Minerals for Horses
Scientific references are available for this...
*
*Salt and Trace Minerals for Livestock, Poultry and Other Animals *by Larry L. Berger, Ph.D.*
*Professor of Animal Nutrition, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, 1987 
*Principles of Anatomy & Physiology *8th Edition Tortora & Gabowski
Electrolyte Basics by: Nancy S. Loving, DVM July 01 2008, Article # 12000Oral 

Potassium for Endurance? by: Susan Piscopo, DVM, PhD October 01 2005, Article # 6174 *Nitrate Toxicity and Sodium Deficiency Associated with Hypomagnesemia, Hypocalcemia and the Grass tetany Syndrome in Herbivores. *T.W. Swerczek, DVM, PhD.


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## Merlot (Sep 12, 2012)

Oh and I meant to add Holly bubbles - your mare looks great - good luck with the foaling and keep us posted - she's gorgeous


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## CessBee (Dec 6, 2008)

Merlot said:


> Cess Bee ...
> *ProvideIt Multi Vitamin & Minerals for Horses
> 
> Jenny has done (and is still doing) much research into this AND she continues to help people with horse problems and time and time again she finds that the horses with (especially) Head Flicking, laminitis and mare reproductive syndrome are all grazing clover (or it is in the hay) When this is removed the horses invariably come right - I've seen it myself with three of my horses.
> ...



That is not a proper scientific article, she uses one reference, which I cannot find has been published in a scientific journal (I am at University and have access to scientific databases), the author has however had other articles published, which are in the equine field and have been peer reviewed by extension, the article you linked was published through The Horse, which is not a Scientific Journal, so has most likely not been correctly peer reviewed and should not be considered as true fact without further investigation.

I am scientifically minded so I take those sorts of "proofs" with a grain of salt, especially when they are being used to back up a product.

Sorry to derail your thread OP, but these are things to be considered, a feed company will have their feeds properly analysed for average content per 100grams/1k/what ever measurement they choose to use, so you actually will have an actual idea of what the content of the premixed feeds are. Every horse is different and you cannot just say what the horse is over or under dosing on without having a blood test done.


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Yep, she gets salt too, though I prefer to leave a salt lick in her paddock than put it in her feed. Her and Mitch both have one each and I see her at it atleast once a day, Mitchell not so much.
Maybe My dad is a different breed of dairy farmer :lol: since he's resowing paddocks slowly, in to grass that is not rye.

I will post lady bit photos when I'm back on my laptop, I'm on dads one and I'm sure he wouldn't be impressed if I had pregnant-mare-lady-bits saved to his photo files :lol:

She only has a small edema in front of her udder, her udder itself is not any bigger than in the last udder photo, but her teats are swollen looking, and when I checked tonight the ends of her teats looked wet, but there was nothing to indicate that she should pop any time soon. And honestly, I think her belly is still pretty small, she gains weight so easily nobody would know she was a tb if it weren't for her brands :lol:


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Alright, I have my laptop now, Lady-bits photos :lol: I still think she has a way to go before this foal arrives, but at least if i'm taking pictures of parts I wouldn't normally, then I can keep an eye on changes? Right? 'Cause I see her every day, several times a day, and don't really think she is changing.

I'm sorry DJ, your bits are going on the internet :lol:
Please excuse the lack of cleanliness, I didn't have my "cleaning gear" on me yesterday (baby wipes and baby oil or KY normally)

She has had a bit of clear discharge out of her vulva today and yesterday, mum noticed it before I had a chance to get up close and personal. I'm not sure what that means, so I figured I would keep an eye on it in case it changes or anything, it wasn't much, only a few drops worth, maybe enough to cover my pinky fingernail?... At least she is getting used to me being all up in her personal bits, she will almost willingly relax and move her tail over for me now. :lol: Must be so degrading having a human touch and feel like that every day, and take the camera out.










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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Oh, and somebody please remind me NOT to google things like vulva discharge, it just brings up all the Pregnancy Complications websites O.O


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Knowing my luck, that single drop of discharge would have just been a drop of pee hangin out afterwards or something silly


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## CessBee (Dec 6, 2008)

Going off the under pics she has a fair ways to go yet, though if she is a maiden like you think, she may not bag up really until the day of, if so have the vet ready to administer colostrum as needed as the mare is unlikely to be making enough for those crucial first hours.

Another thing with Maiden mares is they don't often follow the "broodmare rule book" so to speak.

Her vulva is looking relaxed, her tummy while big has not really dropped down into that V shape yet.

















This is my mare 18 days before foaling.

And her udder less than 48 hours before foaling.











I do hope things go smoothly and you have a lovely foal out of her, she will certainly be contributing some good genes from her end, here's hoping the stallion wasn't a complete trainwreck.


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## Little Jane (Mar 7, 2013)

Subbing 

She's a pretty mare! I hope all goes well for you.


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

She was a little strange tonight. Walking around uncomfortably with her tail held high and standing like she needed to pee, but wouldn't pee.
Mitch was being stupid and bucking at her, and every time she jumped to get out of his way she would pee a little, but that was the only time she peed


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## Misty'sGirl (Oct 22, 2007)

I don't know anything about foaling but if the gelding is kicking at her then maybe they need to be in separate paddocks because you don't want him accidentally hurting the foal.


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Misty'sGirl said:


> I don't know anything about foaling but if the gelding is kicking at her then maybe they need to be in separate paddocks because you don't want him accidentally hurting the foal.


If he was actually getting her then I would seperate them, but he just bucks at her, doesn't kick his back legs out, just goes up to her rump and lifts his hind end off the ground. He only does that at feeding time if I'm the one taking the buckets in.. Must be because I'm "his human" and I'm giving D all the attention etc lol.

I had fun with my stethoscope tonight :lol: listened to Ds heart and her gut noises, just cos :lol:
I've been told by people around here that if I get the right spot I should be able to hear bubs heartbeat too, but I'm still getting the hang of a stethoscope so no idea what noises are gut noises and what noises could potentially be foal :lol:


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## KyMoMoF3CuTiEs (Feb 5, 2013)

Any updates?
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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

No sorry, absolutely nothing and no changes... However, she did try to nail my poor farrier on sunday morning, which is rather out of character for her.

My parents STILL don't believe that she is in foal, so I found a guy that I can send some urine to(since mum and dad wont help me pay for bloods, even though they know I can pay them back as soon as I have this other crap sorted out)
So I will send some of her urine up to him, maybe tie some tampons to her tail :lol: and he will test it, then send a full report back, he does the "Wee Foal Checker" tests, but since she is most likely over the 300 day mark, the test itself could return a false negative, so he is willing to take a urine sample to his lab and test it with another test for me, for FREE!!


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Lets see who is the most imaginative here and can use some ingenuity lol...

So, for the test that *should* convince my parents (since the vet wasn't able to convince them) I need to catch DJ peeing... But, that is all well and good, because she usually pees around feeding time.... Except there is no way this mare will stand still for me to catch her pee while she is peeing, been there, tried that, failed in the process....
Need a new idea, I can't tie things to her cover as she is not wearing one, and is extremely skittish with "foreign objects" after having a hard time as a youngster (has the scars to prove it), so there goes the pee catcher idea from the website.

At the moment she has tampons tied in to her tail in hopes that it will absorb some pee, while also staying in the tail :lol: and I have been taking tampons/pads in to the paddock with me every time I go, but as of yet, even though I have seen her going, I haven't been able to catch any... any Suggestions?


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

Sorry, no suggestions. But tying tampons to her tail....omg, I am cracking up! Genius! ****.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## KyMoMoF3CuTiEs (Feb 5, 2013)

Well, when they pee they raise their tail and squat. So I don't think it will work. Can't you watch her pee and then try and get a little from the ground as it usually puddles from my mare.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## FrostedLilly (Nov 4, 2012)

Well I googled "how to get a urine sample from a horse" and the method that kept coming up was having a cup on the end of a stick. I would suspect you don't need much, even if you were only able to get a small amount. Other than that, I really don't know. :S


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

We have a mare that is very touchy when PG and doesn't like having her tummy touched at all. I've found the firmer the pressure the more tolerant she is. I start at her shoulder or top of her withers and stroke down toward her underside with firm pressure. Baby usually moves in response and she doesn't give the mean mare stare or hind leg lift that she does with soft gentle strokes. I've seen people around here come up with all sorts of contraptions and tying things like Poise Pads or menstrual pads but they move their tails when they pee so usually miss the mark. Only one I've seen work had it down to a science and would thread the top of the pad with twine and braid the twine into the tail so it would hang. It was also double sided in that the tape was removed from both backs and they were stuck together so no matter how it dangled it was absorbent. I just track when they pee and make sure they are used to me being out around just hanging with them. I keep a small cup and quickly slip it under when they do. Have to not mind getting some on you. If the horse doesn't kick I keep small bulb syringes used in cassette type PG tests or if you work in a lab/know someone that does they are usually on hand and as soon as they pee I use that in the puddle that forms on the ground before it sinks in.


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## Reckyroo (Feb 5, 2013)

If she's an ex-racehorse, I think some are trained to wee when you whistle - that makes it easy for them to give a sample at the racetrack when they test for drugs etc. 

But loving the tampon trick - hope it works for you. I can see it now - tampons dangling, while you whistle and wave a cup on a stick under her belly :rofl:

My mare foaled a month ago - I had no experience in foaling (and very little with horses full stop)! But clever Fox did it all by herself - phew! Here's her thread: Fox and DJ look very similar 

http://www.horseforum.com/horse-breeding/foxys-foaling-thread-153645/

Good luck and keep us posted - I'd say from the photos, she's definitely pregnant - but what do i know :wink: xx


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## countryryder (Jan 27, 2012)

When I've had to collect for the Weefoal kits before,I would go out,usually earlier in the morning when the horses are "waking up",spread some fresh straw in the corral or round pen,lead the mare to the straw,and stand by,ready with my little dish.Within a few minutes,the mare would nose around the straw,then squat.I would then quietly ease behind her,stick the bowl under the stream,and voila,urine sample collected.  Mares love to relieve themselves on fresh straw. But,if she won't let you near her when she's going,I'm not sure if that would work or not..


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Ky-Yeah I did think of that, so I have one tampon tied into her tail, then another tied to that tampon, then another tied to that one, so hopefully one of the three dangling off each other should catch some :lol:

I tried the getting some from the ground last night, didn't work for me as it has just been raining so the ground was all wet and I couldn't find a puddle, but I'll try again today.

Glynnis-I like that idea, the stick should work, I can stand near her when she pees, but having me around her back end just doesn't work as she's a very scared little horse, maybe I can find one of the "Sheppard sticks" and duct tape a container to that I'll try that :lol: my parents are going to think I've gone mental.

QtrBel-I don't mind getting some on me, I'm training to be a vet nurse and I stay behind in the clinic after course to help and learn.... Yeah, animal pee/poop/vomit/blood etc is a regular occurrence on my and my clothes, so a little mare pee I don't mind :lol: 

Reckyroo-she is an ex-racehorse, but I don't think they taught her very well cause I whistle all the time around both of the horses and neither of them pee, though they are both ex-racers :lol: maybe it's just not the right tone

Countryryder-She's very nervous about people being behind her after her younger days, she was rescued little over a year ago now, and we got her in August... But maybe I caan spread some fresh straw out and then use the stick idea or something haha. I'll try again tonight, cause she always pees around feeding time


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

I WIN!! :lol:

I used the method that Glynnis found... Good old duct tape come in handy there, I have photos of DJ tonight, and my pee catching contraption :lol: but my laptop seems to be in a disagreement with me right now and won't let me load the photos anywhere :evil:


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

OK, lets see if I've won the pc argument :lol:

This is the pee catching device I rigged up... Yes, that is a coleslaw container from the supermarket Deli, duct taped to a broom handle.


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## anniegirl (Oct 7, 2012)

That should do it!!


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## FrostedLilly (Nov 4, 2012)

Hahaha! Glad I could be of assistance.


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Yes thankyou Glynnis, and everybody else who contributed ideas, the sample is off to the lab tonight, and the guy runs his labs on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I should get an answer sometime soon... Although, if the vet couldn't convince my parents, then I'm not sure why the lab tests would, but hey, you never know right!


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Well, that was an interesting turn of events.
I just got a phone call from the guy who run the lab tests, and the tests have come back saying she is not in foal.

So there's a few options...
-Either, the vet was wrong when DJ was examined.
-The lab test was wrong.
-Or could she have lost the foal between then and now without us knowing??
What would the most likely scenario be??

I don't even know now. crap.

I'll be honest here. I'm a little disappointed in the lab results if they are correct, it means that I have prepped and planned for a foal that is not to be, and have spent time doing that, when I could have been training her and sorting out her problems.
But in the same way, I'm glad that the test results have come back negative (if correct) because now it means that the health of my mare isn't in jeopardy, that she won't have any complications during labour, and at the end of the day, I don't have to worry about having another mouth to feed, and training a brand new set of legs from scratch, as well as everything else that comes with a foal.


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## anniegirl (Oct 7, 2012)

Well that must have been a shock...I can understand your disappointment ...I know you had been preparing for a foal......but like you said... the news does have some advantages....


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

anniegirl said:


> Well that must have been a shock...I can understand your disappointment ...I know you had been preparing for a foal......but like you said... the news does have some advantages....


It was a bit of a shock yeah, now I'm just debating whether I send off some bloods to be tested, or just believe the urinalysis.. Which brings me back to wondering whether the vet exam was incorrect to start with, or if she lost the foal between January and now.

It does have it's advantages, and in a way I'm glad because when I first found out she was paddocked with colts I was absolutely horrified at the thought of having a foal born around 3 wire electric fences, on a dairy farm, with me who has no foaling experience etc etc etc


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## Mousie96 (Apr 29, 2012)

Honestly if you have the resources I would send off some blood samples  Better to be safe than look out the window one morning and see a foal next to her! Not that that is a bad thing but still, if it were me I would want to be 150% sure.


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## HollyBubbles (Jun 22, 2009)

Mousie96 said:


> Honestly if you have the resources I would send off some blood samples  Better to be safe than look out the window one morning and see a foal next to her! Not that that is a bad thing but still, if it were me I would want to be 150% sure.


Yeah I'm thinking that'll be the way to go, though it may be a few weeks before I can draw the blood and do the tests on it.
Your absolutely right about wanting to be 150% sure.
So it's either bloods, or trailering her off to the local vet clinic (50minutes away), but she doesn't trailer well, and doesn't reverse off the float, so I'm thinking the least stressful way for her will just to be drawing bloods.


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