[Blistering Winds]

Some mares carry 10 months consecutively, some carry 12. With healthy babies.

They don't understand math very well, and expect the baby "anytime".

At this stage, I would think you are well within the window of GOOD TO GO.

I would not milk her. I know one mare that bags literally right before she drops that foal. I have heard of others that bag a week or two before.

Your bag isn't much, she's getting ready, but to me, it isnt' anything to be jumping up and down about. But do note the date of "changes" so you can know them for future. According to the repro people I've been taught by, mares go by their own books pretty much similar each time. So whatever is normal for that particular mare, you can almost time it to a T each year. There are exceptions, and some have differences with colts vs fillies.

So if your mare dropped tonight, I wouldn't worry too much if it were me.

[babyruth]

I don't see much of a bag there at all....she may have begun changing some but I definitely wouldn't consider her bag as having been built . Our mares sometimes look like Jersey milk cows and have actually had milk dripping before they foaled.

[mykids2]

My mom had a app mare when she was having a colt she always was 2 weeks early and when shae was having a filly she was always 3 weeks late to the day on both. Just make sure she is comfortable, that she has a clean dry place to foal in. And let God take care of the rest he always does a good job. I'll keep you in my prayers.

[Equine Repro]

There is NO SUCH THING AS A DUE DATE in the equine. The equine is unique in that the fetus determines gestational length. With that said, average gestation for the equine is 330 to 370 days, so the foal is neither early nor late if it is born within those parameters. Anything born earlier than 320 days is considered premature, BUT of course being the equine, it's not a hard and fast rule. Foals born of mares with placentitis will typically undergo an accelerated maturation and it's not unusual for a foal to be born completely normal and viable as young as 310 days in those circumstances. Additionally, foals born to mares during "winter" (January, February, March in the Northern Hemisphere) will usually have slightly longer gestations than foals born during the normal foaling season. Mother Nature is very good at attempting to insure babies are born when grass is good and green and temperatures are warm - we humans tend to attempt to manipulate things to coincide with our own desires without the welfare of the horse in mind <sigh>.

Checking the milk of the mare is an excellent method of determining impending parturition. Expressing a small amount of fluid from the mare's udder (less than 1 cc) one can look at the color, as well as taste it. It will go from being clear and slightly salty in taste, to thick, yellow and stick and still salty, to the color of skim milk and bland tasting, to thick, creamy in consistency and color and slightly sweet tasting. When it reaches the creamy and sweet stage, most mares will foal within 24 hours. This is NOT an absolute and some mares will go without undergoing all the changes in milk.

Unless the mare is STREAMING milk for several days, do NOT strip off the colostrum.

Hope that helps!

Kathy St.Martin
Equine Reproduction Short Courses
http://www.equine-reproduction.com

[bnttyra]

Thanks guys. I am ok now. Everything you all said makes sense and I was just worried that she would have it too soon. We are in southern AZ and it has been in the 60s during the days but at night it has been in the 30s. I think that is why I am so nervous, I want her to wait until my barn is done! I ideas on how I can tell her she has to wait? Like my husband said, "you didn't want to wait with our kids, do you blame her?"