# Surprise Foal, but vet said NOT pregnant!



## danicelia24 (Jul 16, 2013)

Not sure about everything else but for the pictures there are two ways you can upload pictures.
1) Pictures from the internet (Facebook, Photobucket etc) go to your picture and right click on it, a list of options should pop up. Click on "Copy Image Address". Now got to the quick reply box at the bottom of your thread. There are 8 buttons just above where you type. Click on the one that looks like a picture. It will ask you to enter your pictures URL. Right click in the text box and click on paste then select OK. the picture will now be added.
2) Pictures from computer. Either at the top or bottom of your thread there is a post reply box. Left click on it. You can do all your typing here and when you are ready to add pictures you can go to the top and there should be a button that looks like a paper clip. When you click it another window will pop up from there you can add up to 10 pictures.


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## Sino (Jan 12, 2013)

So sorry that I can't help you with your questions, but I'd like to say that your mare is absolutely gorgeous and I'm looking forward to some pictures of the foal. I'm sure he'll grow up to be a wonderful little guy or girl.


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## TessaMay (Jul 26, 2013)

My guess would be that she looked in better condition than she actually was because of being pregnant, but I couldn't tell you for sure. I have seen rescue mare who don't look very bad off because they are close to foaling that looked a lot worse afterward.


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## SullysRider (Feb 11, 2012)

Is that your mare in your avatar? If so I would say she is overweight, you don't want their neck cresty like that and it is symptomatic of metabolic issues. Even on a pregnant mare you do want them at a 6 or 7, that is very bad for their health. As for your question, every mare I've seen foal has had the appearance you're describing. Think about a mother who has just given birth, they don't look the greatest. Birth is a big thing that takes a lot out of you. It's the same with horses, they've been lugging around a foal for so long as well, so her muscles and body have to adapt back to having no foal in her. Just a side note, if her ribs are showing but she has fat deposits everywhere else, it is likely she is insulin resistant.


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## Dehda01 (Jul 25, 2013)

Mares can look more run down just after foaling. The muscles in their hips and backend have to slacken in order to pass to foal. The belly gets pulled down now that it is empty. Sometimes they aren't eating or drinking just before (one of my mares barely eats anything the last two weeks of her pregnancies because the foal is taking up so much of her abdomen) the birth because they are so full and big with foal.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Sahara (Jul 23, 2010)

Have you ever had blood work done to see if she has any metabolic issues going on? Cresty neck, fat deposits can go along with insulin resistance.


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## danicelia24 (Jul 16, 2013)

I think the OPs mare is a percheron so could that explain the cresty neck?


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## MahoganyBay (Nov 18, 2011)

Yes, that is my mare in my avatar. And yes, she's a Percheron so if I made her lose enough weight so her neck was not cresty, she'd be very underweight.

OK, attempting to post pics
The day she foaled, just a few hours post foaling...









and the day after she foaled









She is looking better now, but still ribby looking, the following were taken today...


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## kimberlyrae1993 (Mar 20, 2013)

Awe what a cute foal! I think she's fine having babies takes alot out if anyone!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## MahoganyBay (Nov 18, 2011)

Yes, for sure. I've got a two and a half week old myself :lol::lol:
I just had never seen a horse look so sunken in after foaling before. It was a startling transformation to see her go from looking good to looking emaciated.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

She is cute. Just start increasing her feed, she appears to be a good mama and putting a lot of calories into her milk. Some mares will get skinny after foaling. 
Increasing the hay/forage will help her . I would be careful about a supplemental feed with her being draft, so if you do decide to add one, use a senior feed as they are really safe feeds for any type of horse regardless of age. 
Your colt is cute ! Do you know what the stallion breed could be ? I love my half drafts, the Perch cross I have is tall and heavy I would guess him around 16 -17 hands. Not as heavy as full draft, but I have been told on draft mixes if the mare was a draft, the foal will be more draft looking.
And having a roached mane, will make her look crestier than she probably is.


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## MahoganyBay (Nov 18, 2011)

stevenson said:


> She is cute. Just start increasing her feed, she appears to be a good mama and putting a lot of calories into her milk. Some mares will get skinny after foaling.
> Increasing the hay/forage will help her . I would be careful about a supplemental feed with her being draft, so if you do decide to add one, use a senior feed as they are really safe feeds for any type of horse regardless of age.
> Your colt is cute ! Do you know what the stallion breed could be ? I love my half drafts, the Perch cross I have is tall and heavy I would guess him around 16 -17 hands. Not as heavy as full draft, but I have been told on draft mixes if the mare was a draft, the foal will be more draft looking.
> And having a roached mane, will make her look crestier than she probably is.


Yes, filly's sire is Friesian, hubby originally had my mare, then when he was OTR truck driver, he had no time for horses, so I gave my eldest daughter my palomino and took his mare. Now he is the lead tech for another company and will have more time to play with horses. This baby is his project, though since I've trained many, I'll be doing the saddle training. 

pics of "papa"...


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## TessaMay (Jul 26, 2013)

Pretty mare and foal!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Indiana2 (Mar 30, 2014)

Wowsa!!! Mom and baby are drop dead gorgeous. Dad's a stunner too!


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

the filly  will be a good size girl . Pretty sire.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

The picture in your avatar is small enough not to be able to see that she has a Mohawk and makes her neck look a lot crestier than it really is. LOL She doesn't look that bad but you'll want to up her calories while she's nursing because a foal can suck them down to nothing in no time.


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## FrostedLilly (Nov 4, 2012)

I would first like to say Congratulations on a safe foaling - especially since it was a surprise! And secondly, I would like to note that I am super jealous. All three are gorgeous! California is only a couple of thousand of miles from me... if they go missing, don't come looking in Canada.  

I remember right after Lilly foaled, her abdomen looked super sucked in because her uterus was still contracting as it cleaned out and went back to normal size - that's my unscientific way of saying it, so if someone wants to elaborate on that or clarify, feel free. I was also so used to seeing her sides filled out that she did look really skinny! I think your mare actually looks in good condition. You can see her ribs, but she's not emaciated. Just do as others have said and increase her feed to keep up with the demands of baby. And on that note, keep us posted on how they're both doing.


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

What a lovely surprise!
Actually, I don't think she looks all that bad. And she has a beautiful glossy coat. 
Sounds like you have no shortage in the infant department. Congratulations on both new arrivals!


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## MahoganyBay (Nov 18, 2011)

JCnGrace said:


> The picture in your avatar is small enough not to be able to see that she has a Mohawk and makes her neck look a lot crestier than it really is. LOL She doesn't look that bad but you'll want to up her calories while she's nursing because a foal can suck them down to nothing in no time.


I use to keep her mane long as she has a lovely, naturally long wavy mane, but she would rub it out every summer after we moved out here to the hot desert :-( So I started roaching it like a Fjord's mane, my kids say she looks like a huge, "burnt" Fjord :lol:

I already really upped her forage the day she foaled and added alfalfa hay to her diet as well (she was just on grass hay). I also increased her supplement to the recommended level for mare/foal.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

MahoganyBay said:


> Yes, that is my mare in my avatar. And yes, she's a Percheron so if I made her lose enough weight so her neck was not cresty, she'd be very underweight.


Just thought I'd contribute some to this part, since I recently had a discussion on this topic with my vet about my horse who has a very thick neck and isn't even part draft  I got kind of paranoid when a "nutritionist" (I use the term loosely, since the person has no formal training I'm aware of) said my horse was cresty. I know he had gained some weight recently and had developed a fat pad behind his shoulder that he had never had before, so I was starting to wonder if he really was cresty and I just didn't know what to look for.

As it turns out, there's a difference between having a thick neck as part of a horse's conformation and having a cresty neck associated with fat buildup and IR. With a cresty neck you'll be able to feel squishy fat pads along the crest, but in a horse whose neck is just naturally thicker, it will be firm muscle. My vet was able to show me the difference hands-on with a horse at our barn who had just been diagnosed with IR- and there was no mistaking the squishy fat build up along the top of his neck (and also around his tail head), even though this particular horse was still a touch thin elsewhere as he had been recovering from a neglect situation.

Congratulations on the foal  He's certainly a cutie!


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

so are you in Mojave ? or Ridgecrest ? lol Lancaster is L.A.


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## ForeverSunRider (Jun 27, 2013)

I think it's safe to say that your vet was incorrect. :lol:


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

I would say that she is just a bit, what I call 'sucked up' from foaling. She will soon put weight back on, I wouldn't increase her feed to much.


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## Left Hand Percherons (Feb 1, 2011)

So the vet also missed on palpation and/or US? Sounds like he slept through repo. Should not of missed that. Even if the foal was too large to get his hands on, there are other things that would of said "yes".

The mare has no stored to draw on so she's going to lose weight rapidly. My nursing mares eat a minimum of 12# concentrates a day (4-6 meals a day), 15# alfalfa and unlimited pasture just to keep their weight up. Without pasture, you should be feeding at least 60# of hay per day. I also introduce feed to the foals by 2 weeks. The sucked up look is probably just as much pain. Her teats hurt and most foals are rather callous when they nurse.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

She doesn't look that bad BUT, since she's lactating and feeding the foal, make sure you're feeding according to label instructions for what she SHOULD weigh, not for what she does weigh. So, if she currently weighs in at 1200 but should weigh 1400 then feed for 1400 lbs or even a little more so she can gain and not look like she escaped from a concentration camp by the time the foal is weaned.


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## MahoganyBay (Nov 18, 2011)

I guess I used the wrong term then, she has a thick neck, but it just sounds so...coarse :lol:

Stevenson, I live in a little town called California City, approx a 15 mile drive NE of Mojave.

ForeverSunRider, yes, you should have seen the look on his face today, especially after my husband asked if we could get a refund on the pregnancy check :lol:. Something about the vets in this area that just can't palp a pregnant mare and get a straight answer. Last year the same thing happened, my friend's Peruvian had a little colt after the vet (totally different vet) said she wasn't pregnant.

Foxhunter, the stallion owner used that term, "sucked up" when referring to my mare after seeing pics of her. She's already looking better though .

Left Hand Percherons, thank you for your input. You have reaffirmed what I am feeding her. We have absolutely NO pasture out here, just dirt and a few desert scrub plants (as you might be able to tell from the pics). I increased her hay to 60+ lbs a day, and aim to increase the percentage to 50-50 alfalfa/grass (she was on grass only until the day she foaled, I'm increasing the alfalfa gradually to avoid digestive upset), plus her supplement and mare/foal feed.
I did noticed she was very flinchy and would pick up her hind feet the first few days the foal was nursing, but she's calm now and doesn't flinch anymore.

Dreamcatcher Arabians, She is definitely a 1400 lb horse, not very big for a Percheron, but still a big horse :wink: Thanks for your input.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

Mahogany.. I have been there, or should say have cruised through it. I am in bakersfield.


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Left Hand Percherons said:


> So the vet also missed on palpation and/or US? Sounds like he slept through repo. Should not of missed that. Even if the foal was too large to get his hands on, there are other things that would of said "yes".
> 
> The mare has no stored to draw on so she's going to lose weight rapidly. My nursing mares eat a minimum of 12# concentrates a day (4-6 meals a day), 15# alfalfa and unlimited pasture just to keep their weight up. Without pasture, you should be feeding at least 60# of hay per day. I also introduce feed to the foals by 2 weeks. The sucked up look is probably just as much pain. Her teats hurt and most foals are rather callous when they nurse.


Heavens, if I fed the TB mares that amount of hard feed I would have problems with the foals getting all sorts of growth problems! 

They had two small feeds a day whilst nursing and wouldn't touch hay unless they were kept in, just plenty of good grass.


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## Left Hand Percherons (Feb 1, 2011)

Foxhunter said:


> Heavens, if I fed the TB mares that amount of hard feed I would have problems with the foals getting all sorts of growth problems!
> 
> They had two small feeds a day whilst nursing and wouldn't touch hay unless they were kept in, just plenty of good grass.


Draft foals do grow at an explosive rate. As a comparison, I weighed a 22 day old percheron filly and she came in at 325#. I do not know her birth weight but probably 110#. In 22 days she packed on 215# for an average daily weight gain of 9.77#. I had an appendix filly born at the same time. She weighed 190# at 27 days with a probably starting weight around 85#. Her average weight gain was 3.89# per day. At that stage, all the energy to grow at that rate has to come from the mare. I have seen plenty of draft mares that are only on pasture while raising foals and the foal has to be pulled at 3-4 months because it has pulled the mare down hard.


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## MahoganyBay (Nov 18, 2011)

Yes, those draft babies get big fast. I got my Percheron when she was 4 months old, she was already as big as my yearling colt (who matured to 15 hands), lol.


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