[moondust]

Oh, I am so excited for you! I am going through my 1st pregnant mare experience too, but she's not due until may! EEEEp I can't wait until your foal comes!

[BuckinAround]

Originally Posted by accphotography

Leaning her butt against a wall is her reaction to pressure on her butt from inside. Essentially she's pushing back. :-) The runny stools are yet naother famous sign.

Is she a maiden? I'm sorry I forget. If she is a maiden it is of course very possible that she won't really show many udder signs until she foals.

ACC

I do think she is a maiden mare because she is not saggy bellied, no milk since I checked earlier in the day. I do though look from behind and see her teats are extended downward and I can see them between her legs. I swear it looks like her udder is stretching but with no milk. It also could be the illusion of her belly getting larger and pulling down that area with it.

We were just eating dinner and watching her. She has been standing mostly in one place with her head down and tail switching. Going from one corner to the other and randomly stopping to push her butt into the wall. We thought she was asleep and suddenly she raises her head as high as she can go stretching out her front legs like a statue. She stretched so hard her front legs were shaking. Just standing shifting weight. She looks wet on her flanks but could be the glare from the light. I'm not going to bug her at all in person, its stopped raining and all the animals are extremely quiet tonight. She looks as if she has rolled because I see hay on her back. Her tail though is twitching, it looks funny poor thing. Also earlier I forgot the mention she was winking without anything else but a tail raise.

I do hope this is a due date. Otherwise I am getting concerned about this overwhelming reactions of "immenent birth" with no foal. We went through a very mild case of this the 15-17th and that was kicking and rolling mostly.

She is rubbing again her butt right now........she just did it half ago before now. It is getting frequent.

This morning my girls said "god mom, you better get some sleep or put some makeup on"......lol. Gotta love the little darlings. I'll be sleeping tonight and probably wake up with a foal.

[Dawn]

How easily can you feel her ribs right now? I don't think anyone has posted in regards to her diet since you posted the link to it (I apologize if I missed it). It's hard to tell with the winter coat, but she does not appear to be at an optimum weight right now.

Personally I do not like the directions with that feed (way too vague). And with the very limited analysis, it's impossible to base the feeding rate on that either.

[Dawn]

Just looked back again. Is she getting the hard feed every day or every other day? Since the range states 3-8 for pregnant and lactating mares, I can only assume that the lower range is meant for early pregnancy, raising through the upper range, until you hit the top range during lactation. Which means that at this time she should be needing around the 6-7 lb mark. Going up to 8-9 lbs after she foals.

[accphotography]

Yeah, forgot to mention the sweating thing... lol. You know what it means. LOL!

I too suspect she is maiden and thus she could shock you at any time. :-) Some maidens go in a flash after their signs, some take forever. No help, I know. I wouldn't be too worried about her not foaling right away. They do that just to drive you crazy, but rest assured she is close and getting closer every minute. :-)

ACC

[Reyven]

Wow...I don't know how I missed this for long!!
It's like an epic tale! I hope this story ends soon so we can all see this imminent foal! I bet momma is getting very frustrated at being so uncomfortable

[lovemyhorses]

Wow this is so exciting. I wish you the best of luck!! & I hope she has a healthy baby.

[trail_rider]

just doing my mornin' check to see if we have a baby yet!

[BuckinAround]

Originally Posted by Dawn

Just looked back again. Is she getting the hard feed every day or every other day? Since the range states 3-8 for pregnant and lactating mares, I can only assume that the lower range is meant for early pregnancy, raising through the upper range, until you hit the top range during lactation. Which means that at this time she should be needing around the 6-7 lb mark. Going up to 8-9 lbs after she foals.

No foal yet. Wait wait Still going on with the pacing etc.

Yankee is healthy. You have to feel well to be able to feel her ribs. She has fat on her body and gets fed 3% of her weight. Yes, she IS getting what she needs in a mixture of the feeds that are avaialble to us which is alfalfa, oat hay, LMF Developement, Beet Pulp, Platform Mare and Foal, Mineral block, fresh water etc. She last had a vet check around Dec 10th and was in good health. Her only downfall is her muscle tone, which can get alot of work on. She was fed very well even when we did not know she was pregnant. She has a dry clean place to foal that is mucked once a day and given fresh bedding. Please dont doubt she isnt getting what she needs, she is getting everything she needs including horse vitamins and treats. She is healthy and the foal is growing to its potential. We are also prepared with her feeding schedule as a lactating mare and will make the changes when the time comes. What we are doing for her is not from "an internet search" but from people like you who are very experienced with horses, foaling and care. I've learned alot in the 4-5 months and keeping up with the pregnancy stages. We have a vet for emergency calls, have met friends very experienced with foaling within an hour drive and our foaling kit together. I appreciate the thought of her feeding needs and care and assure everyone she is being pampered, fed well and cared for.

Its raining again...... So we wait and maybe she will just have a foal quickly. What a waiting game this has been. I really thought last night.

I've been asked about her age and breed. I do beleive she is a maiden mare. The vet says this is most likely her first foal. She is 7 yrs old. Her breed is a cross of a AQHA sire and her mother is a registered TB. She is registered as a Appendix herself. We do not have her registration papers but can get them if we paid the fees to be a member of the association and the fee for the registration itself. It seems like alot of work to get a piece of paper for a family horse.

[Reyven]

What a wait....

As far as papers are concerned, they would be good to have in your name. You never know what might happen one day, and a horse with papers is often times more desirable to people. Not to mention, it would be good to have the foal registered if he/she is able to be. It may be a lot of work, but I think it would be worth it in the long run.