[CONTA]

Has anyone had a maiden mare have a false pregnancy or not show AT ALL until they foaled?
Also does anyone know anything about a "flush" that can be given to an older mare to clean out any infections so that they can get bred? I have an older mare and some where I read said something about that. Thanks

[cassidy]

i no of a mare at my old yard that was used for the riding school they dint no she was pregnant an rode her until 7pm one night an the next morning at 7am there was a foal!

[Lou3]

False pregnancies can and do occur in horses although they are more common in dogs. If a mare has been covered accidentally it can be difficult with some - especially maiden mares - to tell if they are in foal or not. I know of one mare that gave birth to a mule foal without the owners ever knowing she was pregnant. The pony was an affiliated showjumper and the only sign they had that she was pregnant was that two weeks before she gave birth she started to struggle a little over the big spreads in the ring. They thought she just needed a week or two off, then found a little colt in the stable two weeks later!
Your vet would be the best person to ask about flushing the uterus, you will need a breeding health check with an older mare anyway so he can talk to you about it at the same time.
Lou

[Blistering Winds]

Flushing is a common practice to ensure a clean utero. Basically, the last one I saw, they take a medicated concoction, spray it up inside, and let it run out. Wait x amount of days, then breed.

As for false pregnancies, they can happen. Many times the foal is lost, but just a tad bit of tissue is left that is still telling the mare's body there is a pregnancy. So the mare continues through the motions. You can even see some "blood" from the tissue letting go of the uterine wall during a false labor as well! Rare but it has happened.

Best thing to do is ultrasound. Especially this late in the game, you should be able to see the foal (if the foal is due to be born now)

[Painted_Cowgirl]

my dad's freind has standardbred (sp?) race horses and he had a mare taht he was racing and all of a sudden she stopped winning and doing worse and worse and after one of the races he was gunna put her up for sale. the next day he looked in the stall and there was a lil bay colt lying down next to the mare.

[Equine Health Freak]

A uterine Lavage (flushing) is most commonly performed between 6 and 20 hours after breeding, although depending on the amount of Inflammatory fluid, occassionally it is advised that the Mare is flushed before breeding. There are cases when Veterinarians have flushed before and after but these aren't very common. They are usually and most successfully flushed with saline solution or with the administration of oxytocin

[madvoice]

My other 1/2s mare had a false pregnancy. She was really fat but we thought she might be pregnant due to her running with a 2yo colt before Matt bought her. She even waxed and bagged up. We had her preg tested as positive but a month later she preg tested -ve. I think its because I made Matt cut back her feed.