# mare still making milk after weaning



## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I am not sure what the best course of action would be but it may not be terribly uncommon. Of course, I am just speaking from my one experience with a preggo mare but Bessie had a full bag for like 5 months after Rafe was weaned. She just recently started to shrink back down to normal size. It was never sore or hot, she didn't mind it being handled, she just still had milk for quite a while.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

you want to be careful of her getting mastitis. 
What are you feeding her? She should have been dried up by now. The vet mentioned to us to us to feed smaller portions. We left ours on pasture and barely any hay for a week..she ended up drying up because she also didn't have excess nurtrition that she didn't need any longer.

If you touch her teats are they hard and swollen? Does she resent having them touched? This can be very painful and sometimes can cause serious issues. Now I am not saying that your horse has this but just thought I would let you know.


read this article if you have some time to do so. It might be helpful

Veterinary Topics: Mastitis in mares - Thoroughbred Times


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## ilovesonya (Oct 12, 2009)

Smrobs-
Ok, I guess it is ok that she is still lactating if Bessie was for 5 months after..

Gidget-
She is just on pasture, no grain at all. 
She doesnt care that I thought them at all, and let me milk them no problem at all. They arent swollen, they are just like when she was nursing, just reduced in size.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

alright,that is good to hear! I was kinda worried.
If she is just on pasture then you are doing a good job...or atleast a vet told us to do the exact same....
Maybe she is just one of those who takes a bit of time.


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Prepare for a TMI moment...

It is common for humans to do this too. I was still 'leaking' every now and then after my son was weaned, for about 2.5 YEARS. It stopped when I fell with my girls last year. So I can't see much difference between horses and humans in that regard - it's all hormones. 

Maybe if it gets hot and swollen you could tape some cabbage leaves on for her lol.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

When I bought Izzy, my Fox Trotter mare last October, she had a foal at her side which the guy kept. Izzy leaked milk for months and months, especially after a ride. I figured it was because she had so many foals before and her teats were huge. 

Now she has this year's baby nursing, and I probably won't wean for several more months, but boy, if it is a common thing and she does that again, I might not be able to put baby back in with her for a LONG time. That would kind of be a shame. :-( So I hope she dries up eventually! 

Is there any harm in leaving him with her until he is quite a bit older, say maybe closer to 8 months? Because already (at 3 1/2 months) I can ride her apart from him, and pony him away from her. So other than getting her milk dried up, I don't really see the harm in keeping them together for a good while?

I like the idea of them sharing the pen they are in, because it is my largest pen and gives them both access to the barn in bad weather. So I want to at least keep them together through the winter.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I don't see much problem with it. Rafe wasn't weaned until he was almost 9 months simply because I didn't have a secure enough place to keep him until then. Neither he nor Bessie showed any extra wear and tear because of it.


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## dee (Jul 30, 2009)

Leaving the baby with Izzy without weaning is pretty much going to depend on the mare. If the colt isn't causing her to lose condition, I can't imagine why it would hurt anything.


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## Reiterin (Mar 28, 2010)

Only thing is... correct me if I'm wrong... she isn't going to dry up as long as the foal is still drinking from her.
Plus, it can be hard on 'mom' to keep making milk.

at least that is my understanding.
I don't know much about horse breeding specifically (or even what is the "normal" time to wean a foal.) I'm sure a couple extra months won't hurt... but. 
whatever. I guess what I'm saying is, make sure the mare is comfortable!


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## Charis (Jul 6, 2010)

Are they kept in completely separate enclosures, where the foal can't drink through the fencing?


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## Jacksmama (Jan 27, 2010)

Jacks mama lactated for a good 4 months after he was weaned, while riding I could often look down and see a stream of milk hitting the ground. She did finally dry out, but it took a long time. My BO stops feeding grain and only gives hay when shes weaning(She doesn't have much pasture so she has to feed hay). The others are right, just keep an eye out to make sure her teets don't get hard and hot and she should be fine. Was your mare a really good mama? Jacks mama pined after him much longer than he did her, I am curious if there is a possible connection there? I know another mare that really didn't seem to care much about her foal, she fed him but that was about it,lol, not exactly the most maternal girl. She dried up VERY quickly after weaning.


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Reiterin said:


> Only thing is... correct me if I'm wrong... she isn't going to dry up as long as the foal is still drinking from her.
> Plus, it can be hard on 'mom' to keep making milk.


This is correct. Supply = Demand. 

However, most mares _should_ self wean their foals if left long enough. I am sure that there are plenty of mares that don't, but they should do it.


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## Charis (Jul 6, 2010)

Chiilaa said:


> This is correct. Supply = Demand.
> 
> However, most mares _should_ self wean their foals if left long enough. I am sure that there are plenty of mares that don't, but they should do it.


Yes, but the OP said her foal was born in April. Foal weaned at 4ish months, it's now 6ish months, which is when a lot of people will wean. It's not surprising that the mare is still leaking milk as she would not have naturally weaned, so if the foal is still somehow nursing, even intermittently, she wouldn't have dried up.


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

This is fairly common. We have 2 mares and their fillies. One mare drips milk almost constantly and one will drip when she is in season. The fillies will be 5 years old in the spring. If you don't breed back the mares, there is a chance they will continue lactating on and off for a long time.


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## ilovesonya (Oct 12, 2009)

Charis said:


> Are they kept in completely separate enclosures, where the foal can't drink through the fencing?



Yes, they are on different sides of the road, and there are a couple paddocks between them. No possibility for them to even see each other, let alone nurse. They haven't seen one another since weaning.


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