[SlightlyOver16]

I don't have any pictures to show you cause I like well, haven't taken any - lol. My farrier thinks that my mare is very pregnant. As in she might foal in like the next month or two. Which is a slight inconvenience on both our parts (mostly mine - lol) cause I was hoping that I would be able to send her to the trainers this month so that I can get her able to ride. (It's a long story that I will prolly tell later). My farrier is worried that with the amount of stress and pressure that would be put on her to get her able to ride that it would cause problems, like maybe cause her to miscarry or something.
knowing this, I was wanting to know.. could I still like do ground work with her and ride her? would that cause any problems? I realize that some people ride their mares until the day that they foal. but this is her first and I DON'T want her to miscarry. I am going to have my vet come out her and see if she is pregnant or not. But I don't know when that will be. And I still want to work with her.... If this doesn't make any since just ask and I'll answer.

And what are the signs that I would need to look for to see if she would be due to foal soon? I know what it looks like when she gos into labor and such.

Hope to hear from you all soon. Thanks.

[HoppinHorse]

vet vet vet vet. Thats all I can really say. I stopped riding my mare when she was in foal about 4 months before the due date. And since she is a maiden mare, you really need to get on top of things. I cannot stress this enough. Has she been up on her shots? She might already be in risk of miscarrying since she was most likely not vaccinated for rhino. There is a million things that can go wrong when you do not know when the mare will foal and didnt plan the pregnancy. Also, she is a maiden mare. Another risk.

[SlightlyOver16]

knowing this, I was wanting to know.. could I still like do ground work with her and ride her? would that cause any problems? I realize that some people ride their mares until the day that they foal. but this is her first and I DON'T want her to miscarry. I am going to have my vet come out her and see if she is pregnant or not. But I don't know when that will be. And I still want to work with her.... If this doesn't make any since just ask and I'll answer.

[HoppinHorse]

If she is pregnant, you need to find out the due date before you wonder if you can work with her or not. I was always very very peculiar when my mare was pregnant and she was stopped with workings about 3 months before.

Although, I have heard that you want your mares in good shape before birthing. This makes sense too. Because being more muscular will help in pushing that 100 pounds out. If your mare is generally flat and nonmuscled, I would work her up to maybe 1 month before. But, if like my mare, she is on pasture and generally toned and muscular, I would stop about 1-3 months before.

Just ask your vet, theyre there to help you and asist you. Plus, your vet probably knows twice as much as anyone on this board, considering theyre professionals.

[snuffy614]

I rode my maiden mares up until a few days before and they had no problems. The big thing is what kind of shape is she in? Ours were in great shape, so it wasn't a problem to ride them and work with them. Horses tend to miscarry much earlier in the pregnancy, but yeah, if she hasn't been vaccinated that is a much bigger risk than exercise.

[Annamaria]

Would it kill you to wait a month or two until she foals?
If it were my mare I'd wait just to be safe-- since you haven't been taking the care and precautions you would normally take with a pregnant mare because you didn't know she was pregnant, the least you could do is treat her with care now.

Get a vet out as soon as possible. I would have had the vet out the next day.

[bayou1988]

not to be impolite but how did you not know your mare was preggo till a month before? even a small foal there obvius sign( like the baby kicking that annoying thing that bumps it while grooming)

[SlightlyOver16]

Well, it has been a little over two months and I still think she is pregnant. but there are no signs other then she has a belly..and still not that big.

She has been on pasture all her life so she does exercise somewhat - lol. I am just gonna wait it out until say May and then if I don't/haven't seen any change then I'm gonna get the vet out here to check her I guess...

mares in the wild left with a stud 24/7 will normally foal between January and May right? this is why I am just waiting it out..


No! I haven't paid enough attention to see a baby bump. Ugh! I need to give you guys some picture is all. Hang in there I will get'em posted asap. I will also pay more attention while grooming her...see if any action takes place.

[HoppinHorse]

Seriously, why are you waiting it out? Do you WANT your mare or the baby to die? Get the vet out now. You have got to know before anything happens. If you are not prepared, you are going to have so many problems. For one, aborting the foal. And if you arn't prepared, if the umbilical stump could get infected if it isn't treated, leaving you with FAR more problems. If cost is what youre worried about, just remember that you are going to have way more costs shipping a dead horse away or treating an infection. And way more hassle and worry. Get the vet out before anything happens.

I dont think you understand. In a proper safe breeding the vet is out even before the mare is even bred. They need to be reproductively cleaned so the mare or stallion dont end up with issues. and then the mare needs wormed at the exact times. And the mare needs feed rations adjusted at certain times. And she needs all the shots available. Ecspecially rhino. shots. And the pastures need to be maintained so there isn't any weed.. (fescue I think?) will cause a mare to abort.

Im just saying, if you dont get the vet out, its a very good possibility you will have far more problems. Have fun with that if you dont.

[**obsessed with ...]

I agree, you need to be prepared, and get the vet out!!! it's all about prevention!

[bayou1988]

at least find some one experienced with mares in foal. there far to much that can go wrong in a few minutes.

[SlightlyOver16]

I AM SO SORRY that I haven't been keeping in touch with you all as much as I should be. I am putting together bunch of pictures of her (Cas) together and will post them asap. ANd I have been super busy!

I had a vet out and she is pregnant and everything's just fine and running smoothly. shes getting SO huge! I felt a baby bump! and I think (this is just the vets and my opinion) that she is going to foal soon! but we wont know for sure until her bag fills.

1) I felt the baby bump..did I mention that I totally freaked out over pure excitement?.well, I did - lol!

2) her Belly is getting so huge!

and 3) she was with a stud for like two years!

again..I guess time will tell.

[paintluver]

When is the baby due??

[SlightlyOver16]

Okay, I had the vet out here and Cas IS NOT pregnant. Kinda sucks really...I was kinda really getting excited about the idea of a foal.....I am NOT planning on breeding her at all...now or in the future. Just need to get started on her training now.

Thanks for hanging out with me.