# Help guesstimating foaling



## KBnSketti (May 10, 2017)

Hi I'm new here! I have an eight year old mini mare who is due to foal any time. She is currently (as of 5/10/17) 328 days along. She has had two foals in the past but this is her first with me and the first mini horse foal for me ever (although I've witnessed plenty of other animal births). I am super anxious about her foaling and want to be present for the birth as I have been reading up on all the potential issues with minis. Needless to say I've been watching her like a hawk and I would love some of your experienced feedback on how you think she's progressing and how close she may be.

Her udder just started filling up about a week and half ago. I'll try to get some pictures up. I'd love some input from all of you!


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## Magic Marker Miniatures (May 10, 2017)

Please get a broadside picture and a picture from behind at her level. Also a picture of her milk bar. With that we will be able to possible help you more.

Mares on average take approx 6 weeks to fill their bag but not guaranteed.


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## Debby - LB (May 10, 2017)

Welcome to our forum! We look forward to seeing your photos and will be happy to try providing you with answers.


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## KBnSketti (May 10, 2017)

Ok after a little time I figured out how to get some pictures up here! So the first one is from Monday on all of them. The one to the right (or bottom) is taken today. You can see her udder is filling gradually but it's pretty firm and nothing comes or when I try to milk her. Actually I got one teeny tiny drop yesterday that didn't even fall from her nipple and it was just clear. Her tummy is still pretty wide too and I think the vulva pictures I got actually look more elongated a couple days ago, but I think the different time of day/how I lifted her tail made the difference since it looks like she tightened up in the most recent one.


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## Magic Marker Miniatures (May 10, 2017)

Shes bagging up nicely. Her nipples will point straight down when she gets closer. You may or may not get fluid from bag. Some mares dont get any until after foaling.

Baby is still sitting sideways. Mare will look slab sided when baby gets aligned and she is about to foal. Also you may notice she is V'd when she is standing broadside.

From what I see she is very close and could go anytime. Now that I have said that she will hold onto her baby for a extended time.

I would keep a close eye on her, especially at night. They can be sneaky!


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## KBnSketti (May 11, 2017)

More pictures from today (left/top pics are from yesterday). Tummy shape seems mostly the same but her udder looks to be filling nicely still. She has been holding her tail up for the last few days and I've noticed her twitching it a little more today. I have my camera all set up in the barn. If I check her at night and she's still the same, should I be safe to sleep all night or should I be up checking every couple hours at this point? I'm watching closely for her tummy to drop but I've also read this can happen last minute. ? So anxious! Thanks for the feedback so far!


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## KBnSketti (May 11, 2017)

One more...


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## Magic Marker Miniatures (May 11, 2017)

Baby is still sitting sideways and nipples need to straighten and fill.

I would check on her throughout the night. Changes can be quick.

Had two mares that I checked before putting in barn. Bag was a little bigger but not huge. Did easily get clear fluid but still felt they were a few more days out. Checked on them about 10 pm and acting like they always do. Went out the following morning to two (thankfully) healthy live foals.

Also had a mare with no bag. She had had two previous foals so knew this was not like her. Decided to stay in barn for a different mare. That morning the mare with no bag went into labor. The foals back legs were contracted so had a very difficult delivery. We lost the foal 24 hours later but had I not been out there we would have lost the mare. That would have been a blow since we had lost a mare and her foal a few days before that. Foal died in utero and was not in foaling position. It took a lot of time to get foal out. Even though we put mare on pain meds and antibiotics, she passed away later that day.

Keep a close eye on her and be prepared for anything.

Good luck and safe foaling. Im still waiting on two. One due in the next week or so. The last was pastured with stallion so have no idea when due.


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## KBnSketti (May 11, 2017)

Wow! I will definitely be keeping an eye on her. I have been reading a lot and have heard other stories about things changing very quickly so I suppose I'm going to have to be extremely vigilant! It makes me nervous! I will be really devastated if anything happens to the foal or my mare (she is the sweetest thing!) and especially so if it's due to me not being there. Here's hoping I catch the big event and that everything goes smoothly! Thanks for your help and good luck with your mares too!


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## Miniv (May 12, 2017)

I posted on your new thread......... Be sure to check the liquid from teets too. She looks VERY close.

Testing her "milk" is very helpful.....It can cut down a bit of the continuous checking at night.


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## KBnSketti (May 14, 2017)

Still no baby here although every move my mare makes has me ready to jump! Yesterday and today she has been biting her sides and rubbing her rear against fences and seems more nervous and agitated. I stayed up until 2am and then checked her every hour on the barn cam thinking it was surely going to be last night but no such luck! As of yesterday I still haven't been able to express anything besides teeny drops of clear liquid from her udder. I haven't gotten a chance to test today as she is very sensitive to me touching there and has been the last 2.5 days. She lost her mucus plug (or at least part of it) Friday morning. Her belly doesn't seem to have dropped yet.

The wait is torturous! How many more sleepless nights would you all guess I have? ?

Pictures are yesterday (left) next to today (right) except the left vulva which is from friday. Does she look more red today?


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## Magic Marker Miniatures (May 14, 2017)

The butt rubbing and agitation makes me think she is getting closer.

The two broadside pictures show the baby is not sitting sideways as much in the second picture. She looks like she may have dropped in the belly a little.

As for the wait, Im sorry I cant help you. I have two more mares to go. Both are new so dont know there habits. One looks like she could foal in the next two weeks. The other one is a "I have no idea". She was pastured with a stallion between March and July. One of the other mares we purchased with her foaled two weeks ago. Her daughter ended up open and is in heat right now.

Just hang in there.


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## Magic Marker Miniatures (May 14, 2017)

Take a look at both broadside pictures above. There is definite change. The second picture shows baby is sitting more towards front legs, giving her a almost v'd look. In my option, you could have a baby before next weekend.


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## KBnSketti (May 14, 2017)

Thanks for your feedback! I'm hoping it won't be a whole week more of anticipation! I have a feeling the moment I get too tired and give up on the "it could be any minute" type thinking she will lay down have that foal! I hope I have the energy to stay so vigilant!

I was able to get a little squeeze on her udder and it was just clear, watery like fluid. Not sticky or thick at all. Is that a sign that can change last minute or do things like that give me the ok to take it easy for the night? I'm just wondering how many of these nights I should be checking her on the hour because if it could be a week or more I definitely can't be doing that every night! Now I see why those breeder alert systems are so handy! Of course, those would have given me about 2-3 false alarms for the last two nights anyways since she's payed down flat a few times each night... **sigh**


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## Magic Marker Miniatures (May 14, 2017)

Yes the color of the fluid can change quickly.

We had one mare checked her bag and it was clear sticky fluid at around 2 pm. When we brought her back into the barn around 5 pm and it was the color of milk.

Oh by the way, she foaled a coupke hours later.


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## Ryan Johnson (May 15, 2017)

Welcome to the forum






Agree with everyones comments in that she has made definite progress since your first pics. In regards to checking on her by the hour , If she was mine Id be checking on her. She doesnt have long to go and a few good rolls will shift baby into position for delivery.

If she is sensitive to you trying to express fluid, then Id just leave her be. The first drink is the most important as it has all the "Good stuff" in it. She doesnt need expressing unless your testing the milk to predict foaling. Some do this where I have never done, I just find it aggravates the mare and makes her more sensitive and grumpy at you poking and prodding her udder constantly.

P.S its her job to drive you absolutely bananas and sleep deprived as she nears the big event , which will all be very worthwhile in the end


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## KBnSketti (May 15, 2017)

Thank you all for your input and advice! It's really nice to have feedback from people who have been there and done it. Here are a few more pictures from today (compared with yesterday on the left). The side y ones are from Friday and today which does show a more obvious change of shape. Her udder continues to fill out and nipples seem pretty close to straight down now. It does seem to lose a little fullness throughout the day, however. Sometimes I think her vulva looks very elongated but then I notice it change back and I check her so otmften throughout the day that it seems to never stay the same! I did try getting milk today and was surprised when fluid sprayed out! It looked more white vs the clear I saw yesterday but wasn't able to get any in my hands since I wasn't quite expecting it! The tiny bit I got on my finger did feel sticky but definitely was not thick. I would have loved to test with my milk strips which I did buy far in advance but I probably won't try to milk her again as she just gets too agitated and I don't want to keep bugging her!

Here's hoping I don't have too much longer to be on pins and needles over here and that everything goes smoothly when the time does come!


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## Ryan Johnson (May 15, 2017)

She certainly is making great progress. Dont be surprised if she foals and her udder has not completely filled. Many mares foal with no udder what so ever and its not until they foal that they develop an udder. She is continuing to elongate and I dont think you will have long to wait at all.

They are very sneaky "Mares" and you are at that stage of her pregnancy where you will need to "beat her at her game" . So start looking for changes in her personality, tail swishing , stamping her hooves or just a complete change in personality. We used to have a TB mare years ago that would go from the lovliest mare to the devil within the last week of foaling.

Also keep a watch for where she is hanging out in her yard/pasture/paddock. Often if they start standing in a different place to what your used to seeing her in, can sometimes be a great indication she is looking for somewhere to foal.

If she was mine , my foaling kit would be ready to go





Hope all goes well, best wishes for a safe foaling


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## Ryan Johnson (May 16, 2017)

Just one last thing, meant to say that its perfectly normal after moving around throughout the day that her udder deceases a little , it will always be at its fullest when she is laying down or standing around doing nothing.

When you notice its staying the same all day , thats when you know your not far off


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## KBnSketti (May 17, 2017)

Baby has arrived! After checking on my mare yesterday morning she was looking closer still and baby had finally really dropped. She wasn't showing any other really different signs though and after checking her at 8:10, I went in to shower, came back out at 9:10 and saw her laying down with a foal! I cannot believe I missed it and it happened so fast! Luckily everything went well and baby was doing great. The only thing is he he some pretty extreme laxity in his front legs and when vet came out to check on the both of them (mom was acting colicky post birth) she had me pretty concerned about his future. I thought his legs may correct on their own but she made it sound like best case scenario is they improve SOME over time. Does anyone have any experience/advice with this?

Here are a couple pics of mom an hour before she foaled compare with day before (udder from day earlier is on right this time) and of the sweet little colt! I'm really worried about his little legs and would love some feedback.


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## Magic Marker Miniatures (May 17, 2017)

Give him time. We had a friend whos mini foals looked like your colts when born. After two months, with plenty of room to exercise, his legs straightened.

We also have had babies with leg issues. With time and exercise, they have straightened out.

We had a filly born last year sitting back on her hind legs. She actually walked on her heel bulbs. We trimmed and let her out to exercise a lot. Her legs strenghtened over time and a year later shes perfect.


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## Magic Marker Miniatures (May 17, 2017)

By the way, he is very cute.


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## chandab (May 17, 2017)

Give it time, many mini foals seem to recover from greater laxity in their legs than you'll full-size foals recover from. I'd probably keep them in the stall for at least a few days, then move to a bigger pen for more exercise, just watch that he doesn't over do.


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## Miniv (May 17, 2017)

Our original equine vet (who was the best one we've ever had) was a specialist in equine performance horses for the NW, so he KNEW about LEGS.

We freaked out when we had a foal with leg problems and our vet snorted at us and told us to wait "a few weeks" and let him be a normal foal. He needs to be able to move around naturally and build/develop muscles and tendons......... Our vet was right for the few issues we've had - every time. If there's no improvement, THEN step in.


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## Ryan Johnson (May 17, 2017)

Congratulations on the arrival






Agree with everyones comments to allow plenty of room to exercise. please keep us posted on his progress


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## Debby - LB (May 18, 2017)

Congratulations!! He is Gorgeous! I absolutely adore a bay pinto. KBnSketti this tendon laxity is really scary looking but it's pretty common and will go away with time. Depending on where you live, if your area is selenium deficient your Vet. may want to give him a shot. First and foremost I always recommend getting your own Vet out to examine.

Now in my own opinion, The best thing for him now is Plenty of Movement. He needs to be able to follow mom and move freely not in a tiny confined place at all and no splinting. Here is an archived post you can read, there is good reference here from people who have been through this. There are other posts here like this one but I picked this one because of Tony having such a great progression photo. Skip on to page two to see the photos and read about Tony at Little America's colt.

Good luck with him! Please post photos as he improves.


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## PintoPalLover (May 18, 2017)

Congratulations !!! Adorable baby ! Hope his legs keep gettin' stronger !


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## KBnSketti (May 22, 2017)

Thank you everyone! This little guy's legs have really improved! My vet said to keep him in his stall but after reading a lot and hearing others advice I let him out for a couple hours a couple times a day in a small pasture. His legs are still a little crooked but are almost straight! Here are some pictures of his improvement.


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## Magic Marker Miniatures (May 22, 2017)

Few more weeks and plenty of exercise, you will never know his legs hadn't been straight from the beginning.


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## Ryan Johnson (May 22, 2017)

WOW !!! What an improvement they are looking so much better already


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## Miniv (May 23, 2017)

Wonderful! Great before and after shots to compare!

Let him exercise naturally like any foal would, and I bet in a couple of weeks you'll not even KNOW how he looked at birth!


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## chandab (May 23, 2017)

Wow, great improvement. He's so cute and colorful.


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## paintponylvr (May 24, 2017)

Fantastic!! Good job all the way around and if I didn't say it before, he's a really cute boy.


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