# Can it be real?



## minister man (Apr 21, 2018)

I bought a miniature mare and a stallion......... let them run together the summer before last, expected a foal in July of 2017, that never came.

I had kept the mare and stud separate in case they might fight and hurt the foal.....

By the middle of June I was afraid she wasn't bred, and teased her every morning and let them out together in the day time. Can't really remember when I started doing that.

I never saw the stallion do anything, and I sold him August 3, 2017.

I know the mare is pretty round, but last Sunday I was brushing out the hair she is shedding, and reached under her and checked her udder. Last summer her udder sort of swelled like a "hand ful",

But I was surprised to realize this year both sides of her udder is hanging lower than usual, maybe 2-3 inches, and the bottom of each side is hard, ( I don't mean rock hard)...........

It is a week later from the first udder check, and tonight it is bigger than last sunday, but it's still not round or filled out like goats udder or anything.........

Would I dare hope that she is in foal? If that means she is, how close to term do things like this happen?


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## Magic Marker Miniatures (Apr 21, 2018)

Get a picture from the side and behind at her level. Also a picture of her milk bar. Roughly takes 6 weeks for the bag to fill but not always.


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## Mona (Apr 21, 2018)

It sounds VERY possible that she is going through normal changes of udder development of a mare in foal.


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## minister man (Apr 22, 2018)

My pictures are too big to upload. I guess I wil just have to wait.


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## minister man (Apr 22, 2018)

After spending a couple of hours trying to post pictures, there will be no pictures. Bu, I brushed he out hits afternoon, and after I let her loose, she went off and rolled. gave me a good look at her udder, and it definitely larger than usual.


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## Magic Marker Miniatures (Apr 22, 2018)

I kbow there is a way to resize pictures, I just don't know how. Maybe someone else will let you know.

I know how to resize pictures on my phone, which is what I use.


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## Ryan Johnson (Apr 23, 2018)

Sounding like she could be in foal for you






Standing , looking at her from behind, does her stomach look lopsided ?


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## Taz (Apr 24, 2018)

This might help you to post pictures, I got it to work and I'm awful with anything techy.

Downloaded 'email pictures' app from the play store to my phone. Took pictures then opened app and selected and resized them to small. I then emailed them to myself and opened them on my chromebook and downloaded them. Posted those files here and it worked great. Sounds like a lot but didn't

t take very long.

Good luck!


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## minister man (Apr 24, 2018)

It my mare is starting to udder up, should I be feeding her a mare and foal ration?


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## chandab (Apr 24, 2018)

minister man said:


> It my mare is starting to udder up, should I be feeding her a mare and foal ration?


Probably wouldn't hurt. What's her current diet? What does she get, exactly? And, how much? How big is she? What condition is she in? [Lactation is one of the hardest jobs a horse will ever have, and some lactating mares will just about eat you out of house and home.]


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## minister man (Apr 24, 2018)

These pictures were taken while heavy shedding and playing in the mud was the order of the day. I think I have brushed feed bags full of hair out of her since then.


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## minister man (Apr 24, 2018)

I have just been feeding her good hay. no grain.


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## chandab (Apr 24, 2018)

minister man said:


> I have just been feeding her good hay. no grain.


She will likely need a bagged feed of some sort to support the energy, vit/min, protein that lactation requires. Mare and Foal or Growth feed is first choice, but if it's not readily available to you, then senior feed is a good second choice. I'm feeding my lactating mare senior topped up with a ration balancer; we had a drought last year, so our hay sucks; she's getting 1/2# ration balancer, 1# senior, 3/4-1# hay pellets and some grass mix hay (that's daily, divided into two meals), she's 35" tall.Since your girl hasn't been on anything extra, slowly work her up to the amount suggested on the bag.


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## Ryan Johnson (Apr 25, 2018)

If she will let you , try and grab a pic of her udder.

I really agree with Chanda, Increase whats been advised "slowly"


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## minister man (Apr 27, 2018)

I am picking up a bag of "mare and foal" ration from Purina tomorrow, and I am going to start giving her a little bit each day.

I will try to get some udder pictures, but I can actually see it now when she is walking away from me and twitching her tail. I couldn't see anything before. It is bigger now than it was last weekend........

Got some baby supplies gathered together, a bottle of Iodine for the navel, a child sized enema, Ivomectine liquid to worm the mare after the birth. Straw seems to be in very short supply locally, and I haven't been able to put my hands on any, but am going to make some calls tomorrow.

Must pick up some long plastic arm gloves,

I grew up on a dairy farm and raised sheep for 15 years, and had milk goats, so birthing is nothing new...... I have had stuck lambs, backward lambs, and had the bet do c Sections and everything in between........ It just seems different when it's your horse.


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## minister man (Apr 27, 2018)

I am predicting that she will foal in June maybe.


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## chandab (Apr 27, 2018)

Many foal out on grass hay, and it's fine if they decide to eat it.

I bedded my mare on grass hay, mostly. I did have a little bit of straw, but our straw for the cows isn't as clean as I'd like for the horses, so used the hay.


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## minister man (Apr 27, 2018)

Tonight, while she is eating, I can see the foal kicking. I assume that is what I am am seeing. Every once in a while there is like a jab in her side, that moves her whole side, then stops, then in a bit it happens again.


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## minister man (Apr 27, 2018)

the hay i feed is timothy mostly, I have been bedding her with shavings, but I don't know when to switch to hay or straw. I would guess she has a few or several weeks to go.

I know for sure that I sold the stallion on August 3 last year, so i figure she has to foal before july 3. That gives her at a maximum 8 weeks.

I first noticed udder development 2 weeks ago, so if that starts 6 weeks before foaling, that would be June........ but she is maiden so the internet says that they can finish uddering up and foal in hours. Of course that doesn't make it true.


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## Magic Marker Miniatures (Apr 27, 2018)

To give you an idea.

This mare is a maiden and is 342 days. She has been growing her milk bar for six weeks. She shows no sign of foaling.


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## minister man (Apr 27, 2018)

so your mare's udder is more developed than mine.. maybe at least that is the way I would evaluate the pictures.

.....wouldn't 342 days be full term?


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## Magic Marker Miniatures (Apr 27, 2018)

Yes but I have had two different maiden mares foal healthy foals at 354 and 355 days. Also have had a maiden foal at 319 days and than went to 342 days with her second.

I have three mares right now that are 310, 309, and 308, all have had foals before. The 310 day mare is almost fully bagged up and is close to foaling. She foaled at 332 days last year. The 309 day mare is just starting to bag up. She foaled at 323 days last year. The 308 day mare has no bag. She is the one who foaled at 355 days as a maiden, than her second foal was 328 days. Last years foal was 340 days.

Mares have their own rules and rarely let you in on them. Miniatures usual average foaling date is 330. They can go as early as 300 days with a healthy foal. Some as early as 290 days with a healthy foal.


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## chandab (Apr 28, 2018)

Horse don't have due dates, they have averages. Full-size horses average 342 days, but can go early or well over a year. Minis have even a bigger range, with an average around 320-330, depending on who you talk to; and range from 300 (and a few that go even as short as 290) and they too can go well over a year.


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## minister man (Apr 28, 2018)

So, The whole thing is a mystery, lol

When Should I have her stall ready for a foal? With the udder development that I showed in the pictures, Should I have her bedded down now, thinking it could be anytime in the next ............ year?


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## minister man (Apr 28, 2018)

Is it possible that a mare will foal with no signs of foaling? I have read that she will sink in on the sides, belly drop closer to the ground, wax up teats, ect........... but if mares don't follow the rules, is it possible that all those signs can happen really fast? and you go to bed seeing none of the signs and get up in the morning to a foal?

On the farm where I grew up, my grandfather had always worked horses. We always had a team of drafts. He claimed from his younger years that you couldn't raise a foal there, because they always died. ( I did raise one welsh pony foal there though).

Anyhow, all his talk of how risky foaling is, and them always dying, and "IF your lucky You MIGHT save the mare" has me scared and expecting the worse. When the welsh foal was born, I had a monitor system from the barn to my bedroom. One night it was really windy and the barn was rattling, so I turned it off, and the foal was on his feet when I went to the barn in the morning. I really hope it is that easy this time.

Something else Granddad always said was that if you wanted to rebreed a mare, ( which I don't right now) if you didn't breed her on her foal heat, you would probably never get her in foal again. Is that true? I might want to breed her someday, I don't know.


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## Magic Marker Miniatures (Apr 28, 2018)

The last is not true.

Most of our Miniature mares don't have a foal heat. They have a baby at their side and just won't come into heat. Also we like to wait. Give the mare time to heal and get body parts back in order.

We have had several mares that would not come into heat until weaned from their foal. We usually have to pen them next to the stallion.


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## minister man (Apr 28, 2018)

I usually turn her out in a paddock with a paint gelding. I will stop leaving them together in case she foals and he hurts the foal.

How large a paddock would you build for a mare and foal?


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## chandab (Apr 28, 2018)

minister man said:


> How large a paddock would you build for a mare and foal?


Bigger is always better. Spring hasn't quite arrived here yet, so my horses are still on winter drylot. My mare that foaled in March is in a paddock that is about 24x24'; if my two year old wasn't being so nasty towards the new mare that foaled, I turn her out with the other mares, and then they'd have access to the big paddock (50x100').


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## Magic Marker Miniatures (Apr 28, 2018)

We have our two mare/foal pairs in a 1/8 acre dry lot with shelter at night. During the day we turn them out on a acre pasture. Tried to turn out on the 12 acre pasture but have a couple mares that are butts. One is a mare that aborted her colt and is just reestablishing her dominance. The other is a coming three year old. She loved the babies last year and still hangs out with them. I think she was trying to steal the baby.

One of our mares is high on the pecking order and will fight back but her filly is tiny, so was worried about the baby. The other mare is lower on the pecking order and continued to separate her from her baby. Doesn't help that he is a independ little fart.

We finally just put them back in the smaller pasture.

Both foals are expected to mature 30" and under so they are still small.

Will try again when they get older. Only two weeks right now.

I can turn the four pregnant mares and a coming two year old colt out with them, with no problem.


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## chandab (Apr 28, 2018)

minister man said:


> Is it possible that a mare will foal with no signs of foaling? I have read that she will sink in on the sides, belly drop closer to the ground, wax up teats, ect........... but if mares don't follow the rules, is it possible that all those signs can happen really fast? and you go to bed seeing none of the signs and get up in the morning to a foal?


Yes, they can show minimal signs and go through them quickly, especially maidens.

Here are two pictures of my mare on the same day, she foaled at day 307, and I wasn't expecting her to go so early (this was her maiden pregnancy, so I had no history to draw from).

First thing in the morning:




After lunch:




I wasn't expecting, so came out after lunch to bring mares in from pasture, and had an extra horse in the pasture. LOL


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## minister man (Apr 28, 2018)

We aren't really to spring yet, the grass is just starting to green up, but with melting snow we are in mud season, so i am figuring she is better off in her stall.

I am going to try and build a paddock for mom and baby.......... part of me wants to wait to see that all goes well. But a 24 x24 paddock with a little shed would be nice for a mare and foal or a future stallion.

How do you keep your dry lots dry? so they don't get muddy?


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## Magic Marker Miniatures (Apr 28, 2018)

Hope it doesn't rain much.?

Otherwise I think you can put something down gravel wise but can't help you with what. And how to keep it from disappearing in the mudd.

If it rain a lot our dry lot turns into a mud lot. Thankfully its not level. Higher on one side, so the top part dries faster.


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## Marsha Cassada (Apr 28, 2018)

To keep an area from sinking into the mud, you can use old carpet. Usually carpet stores give it away for free. Turn it upside down so the jute backing is on top--doesn't matter what color/kind of carpet it is. It works amazingly well. When I got my last piece, the store said it is in big demand for kennel runs also. I keep a piece in front of my run in shed. The horses like to stand just at the edge, in/out, and the carpet really helps that area.


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## minister man (Apr 29, 2018)

Picked up a bag of 16 percent mare and foal feed. The ticket says in the last 3 months of gestation to feed a 1000 pound horse 5 lbs of fgeed a day. I birthed my mare and she is 51". According to the chart, she weighs 330 lbs, so I have to feed a 1/3 of 5 LBS, so 1.5 lbs.


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## chandab (Apr 29, 2018)

minister man said:


> Picked up a bag of 16 percent mare and foal feed. The ticket says in the last 3 months of gestation to feed a 1000 pound horse 5 lbs of fgeed a day. I birthed my mare and she is 51". According to the chart, she weighs 330 lbs, so I have to feed a 1/3 of 5 LBS, so 1.5 lbs.


How tall is your mare? Her build (when not pregnant)? Weight tapes and charts aren't always accurate for minis. That said 1.5# doesn't sound to far off.


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## minister man (Apr 29, 2018)

I just gave her a tuna can full last night and this morning. I will increase it every few days. Unless she foals, then I will increase it more quickly for milk production purposes.


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## Ryan Johnson (May 1, 2018)

As your mare nears foaling you are going to notice many changes with her udder. Many of them will drive you crazy. You will notice it go up and down and up and down and in some cases a mares udder may not completely fill until after she foals.

One thing when doing "checks" on her udder department is when she is laying around, standing quietly, you will notice an increase. When shes out and about you will notice a decrease. As she nears the end of her pregnancy , you will notice less movement and kicking as there is less room to move.

from the start of udder development until foaling is "roughly" 4-6 weeks ( and I use the term "roughly" very loosely)

keep us posted on her progress and ask away any questions you have


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## minister man (May 1, 2018)

So far I can't even get excited. I have been disappointed too many times. I have prepared for a foal, three years in a room, and no foal yet. This time I can't even tell anyone I think she might be in foal, cause they make fun of me.

I was talking about possible foal names with my teenagers, they said let's wait to see if there is one. I scan the stall everyone I walk in the barn. Had to force myself to go check on her at bedtime last night, cause I knew it was pointless.

I think I should be excited. I see the udder, but can't let myself believe she is in foal.

Should I buy a lamb bottle, incase I lose the mare or something?


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## chandab (May 1, 2018)

Mare will probably be just fine, but I've read that human baby bottles and nipples are fairly well accepted. And, the other nipple widely accepted is a Pritchard nipple, I'll see if I can get you a link for that one.


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## chandab (May 1, 2018)

I'm sure they are available elsewhere, but this is the first link I came across. https://www.jefferspet.com/products/prichard-teat-nipple


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## Ryan Johnson (May 1, 2018)

I completely feel your pain. Last time I thought one of my mares was, she wasn't, I was too made fun of.

The more reading you do, the more you will feel at ease. Get your foaling kit ready now, so that is one less stress as she nears closer to foaling.

Can you post a few updated pics when you have a chance ? I still think you have a little while yet, BUT only a mare will decide when the time is right.

Look for changes in her behavior, these can be good indications she is nearing foaling


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## minister man (May 3, 2018)

She is starting to sink in on the sides infront of her hip bones.


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## Ryan Johnson (May 3, 2018)

As she nears foaling her back end will start to relax. You ill notice plenty of changes coming up.

If possible could you get one from behind and also an udder shot , if she will let you ......


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## minister man (May 6, 2018)

No foal yet, thinking Marcie if it a filly, and Argo, if it is a stud. What do you think?


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## minister man (May 9, 2018)

She looking a little more thinned out tonight.


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## Ryan Johnson (May 9, 2018)

She had her foal ? Congratulations



Lovely Markings !!!


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## Cayuse (May 9, 2018)

Nice baby! Colt or filly?


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## Debby - LB (May 10, 2018)

YES???? If so it is beautiful! Big congrats to you.


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## minister man (May 10, 2018)

Colt his front hoofs were very long whn he was born, happy to see that they look much more normal this morning. I am sick in bed with a concussion but I did go out and see him


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## Cayuse (May 12, 2018)

Hope you are feeling better.


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## Ryan Johnson (May 14, 2018)

Hope you are feeling better. 

Congratulations again , its been a long time coming for you 

When your feeling better would love to see some pics !!


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## minister man (May 19, 2018)




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## minister man (May 19, 2018)




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## Ryan Johnson (May 20, 2018)

Lovely !! He was certainly worth the wait . Looks as though mum is doing a super job ?


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## minister man (May 20, 2018)

I couldn't be more happy with him......... Mama is pretty protective, which is a good thing.......  Day one she was pushing her feed around in the feed box.  Kind of like she was looking for the good stuff.  I never saw her act like that before.  when she had her face all feed, she lowered her head to the foal and let him lick it off her face..... I have seen a lot of animials and babies, but never saw an animal teach it's young to eat like that before.


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## minister man (Jun 17, 2018)

The foal is growing super fast.  The mare taught him to eat feed by getting it all over her face, and then getting him to lick it off.  it was adorable.  He is feeding feed and hay, and loves to run.  He is an amazing little addition to the horse "herd".


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