[roseysrider]

OK so I bought my mare Rosey in march and i love her to death after a few bumps shes has turned out to be a great horse!!!
anyway well her "haybelly" just wouldnt seem to go away and she was really toning up and looking good. well this morning during feeding i saw her stomach (way back) making movements like an alien trying to pop out. I took her to the vet and she is pregnant(not my doing). I am excited but when i called her previous owner before the woman i got her from she said this mare will kill you with a foal at her side...
its to late to abort, i dont want to sell or put her down.... what do i do?? i have never foaled a horse b4 but i am boarding where they have.. im so scared and excited but i dont really know any advice would be good. thanks

[Arabian Dreams]

Hmmm, I doubt that the mare will try to kill you. Just be careful, and prepared

[Oh'When]

Some mares are moody when they have foals (I know one) so just be careful.

[Miss Neigh]

some mares do become very protective of there foals, but i think most gradually accept you handleing their foals when they learn to trust you arn't there to harm it.

[4hooves4me2]

Take it slow and easy-she might want to shelter her foal...but with time and patience, I am sure she will accept you with her baby.

My mare would not let ANYONE in with her and her baby. I got her, and she wouldn't let me OUT of the stall. Different owners have different ways with a horse...just take your time...BREATH! But mostly-HAVE FUN!

[Mare]

I have one that was very protective. I knew she would never be dumb enough to bite me but pins ears and always has to stand between you and the baby. I just always made sure to keep the baby between me and her. I know she wasn't about to kick because she would of got her foal. After a couple days she would figure out that I'm not out to kill or steal her baby. But no other horse was allowed to even sneak a peak at her foals. If they can buffalo you they will sure take full advantage of it. So you just don't put up with them not having any respect for you. It sounds like your gonna have plenty of help so I'm sure you'll do fine.

[JetdecksComet]

I bought a similar mare fully knowing she was pregnant. The owner was selling her for the specific reason that the mare would try to murder anyone that came close to her newborn foals. I took the mare home and bonded with her as best I could. Once she had that foal, she never batted an eye at me going near it. She gave me two foals and I never had any trouble with her at all.

Just be careful and take it slow!

[Appylvr]

A lot of mares will get really protective when they foal. It usually lasts about a week until the foal gets a bit bigger.

Just make sure to be extra careful around her. Get a halter on her (if you can) before she foals and leave it on during. Don't go in the stall by yourself or without anyone around. When you have to handle the foal make sure someone is holding the mare. You might want to have a chain handy (just in case).

[Kriss2004]

I had a mare like that, real sweet tempered till she foaled. That first week of babys life momma was VERY protective, she would run at you with ears pinned and teeth barred. She would never make contact, but she did her darnest to intimidate you.

[Jenje!]

A mare's iffy mommy temperament is not reason to abort the foal or sell the mare and it's definitely not a reason to put the mare down. Take a deep breath.

What you need to do now is inform the stable you're boarding at of her condition, try to give them an approximate due date if the vet can give you one and ask them if they'll foal her out for you. If they won't, move her somewhere that will. But be sure that you tell them what the previous owner told you about her being a protective mother.

In the meantime, spend as much time as you can with her and when she foals, be considerate of her nature and don't force yourself on the pair all the time. There are a million reasons a mare will end up being nasty over a foal. She could just be protective mare... the previous owner could have been less involved with her than she should have been and the mare didn't trust her enough to let her handle her baby without protest... the previous owner could have been a hag in day to day handling practices and annoyed the mare that way. Or maybe she just wouldn't leave her alone. There's no telling!