pregnant horse

[rapha]

4 year old mare started producing milk 2 weeks ago we didnt know she was pregnant when would we expect foal to be born

[woofgang]

she shouldn't be lactating yet, suggest you contact a vet

[Clanad]

If the udder is swollen and the teats are oozing milk it will only be a short while. More imminent birth of the foal can be indicated by the teat itself becoming swollen and dripping and a change in color of the discharge. Another indicator of closeness to birth is the appearance of a waxy substance on the ends of the teats. This will, usually, appear about 2 days or so before foaling. The gestation period is about 320 days or so... if you've owned her during that time, you should easily have been aware of the breeding, but perhaps she was bred before you acquired her...

[Eels]

I would think it unlikely (but not impossible) that an accidental mating has led to a foaling at this time of year. As Clanad says, I assume you acquired her after the mating would have taken place. I suggest you seek the advice of a vet for a health check and perhaps enlist the support of a knowledgeable equestrian friend.

[rapha]

one foal was already born around two weeks ago and we suspect another three on the way. These were accidental as a rig managed to get among the mares around january this year. We were concerned about the fact that the mare has been lactating for two weeks and not producing a foal.

Should we get a vet or leave her a little longer???

[Clanad]

Seeing's how you have a possible explanation for pregnancy and in light of the other mares, I would just observe her for a while. To you knowledge has she had a foal previously? Watch the shape of the lower belly. It'll change from the rounded shape you now see to a more pointed shape as the foal drops in preparation for birth. We've foaled numerous mares over the years here in the western U.S., and find few problems...

[rapha]

Clanad, Our horse 'Foaly' is only four and has not given birth before, we have had her since she was three months old.

Foaly's Belly is well rounded at the moment, How long would you anticipate her giving birth??? Days?,,,, Weeks???

[Clanad]

rapha, your mare would be called a maiden mare here, not having foaled before. Assuming, lets say, a mid-January breeding, then you really wouldn't expect a foal until sometime mid-December. Here's a birth date calculator: http://www.countrylifefarm.com/Training/foaldate.cfm

Colt foals usually take a little longer than fillies. Not much, but it could be up to two weeks. A maiden mare, such as yours, may not show a whole lot of belly if she is large framed. For maiden mares the udder is your best indication... it will become intermittently very firm and then slack off slightly. If it has been firm for a few days, with waxy, dried milk at the end of the teats, and especially if the milk has changed color noticeably, then foaling is probably within two to seven days. When your mare is approaching actual birth, she will shiver noticeably, like they do when shedding flies in the summer. She will be nervous, sometimes pawing the ground and perhaps looking back at her flanks. She may lie down and get up repeatedly. These are normal actions, by the way. Finally, once her water breaks, you can expect delivery within 20 minutes to one hour. The foal will come feet first, then the head, followed by the body.

Is this your first foaling? We've had horses around here for years and it's still an exciting time... Good luck!

[rapha]

clanard thanks for your advise yesterday rer your question have we had a foal before.well two weeks ago we went into the stables at approx 7am and were totally amazed to see a few hours old foal .we didnt realize our horse was pregnant we now think another three are also pregnant .foaly being one of them.the first one was completely out of the blue so we wernt worried.two days ago foaly was shaking like you described so we will keep a close eye on her for the next few days.ps will keep you informed of the coming events or will ask you for more advise kind regards rapha