# Ever done the "ring test"



## minimule (Dec 18, 2006)

I tried it yesterday just to "play". I checked all my mares and the 2 jennys. Here's the results:

*RING TEST*

Take a ring tied to a string. Hold it just above the mares right flank. Hold it steady. The ring will move on it's own. If it circles = filly, if it swings = colt, if it doesn't move = open

Grace bred to Blaze = filly :bgrin

Belle bred to Tommy = 0 (OK by me!)

Feather bred to Blaze = 0






Gal bred to Tommy = 0





Keisha bred to Tommy = filly :aktion033:

Halle bred to ??? = jennet

Tara bred to ??? = john

*STRING TEST*

Take a string of some type or a soft measuring tape. Measure around the heart girth then measure around the belly area. What I've been told is that if they are pregnant, the belly will be bigger than the heart girth. Can't really judge this on mine 'cause most are quite happy here



:



:



: .

Feather, Gal, Keisha wouldn't stand still

Grace: girth = 49 belly = 54

Belle: girth = 47 belly = 52 (has had 8 foals)

Halle: girth = 51 belly = 57

Tara: girth = 47 belly = 55

edited to correct the "sex" part of the test. sorry!


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## HobbsFarm (Dec 18, 2006)

[SIZE=12pt]This will be interesting to see the outcome on these...[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]My hubby did the ring test on my tummy several times when I was expecting my second child and it showed "filly" everytime.



: It was right! Haven't ever tried it on my animals. Shannon



[/SIZE]


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## Marnie (Dec 18, 2006)

A few years ago, I did it to my computer desk and I'm still waiting for it to have a filly!



:


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## PaintedPromiseRanch (Dec 18, 2006)

ok i want to do this with my 3! what kind of ring, does it matter????


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## iluvwalkers (Dec 18, 2006)

PaintedPromiseRanch said:


> ok i want to do this with my 3! what kind of ring, does it matter????


I DON'T KNOW IF IT MATTERS BUT WE ALWAYS USED A WEDDING BAND



: NIKKI


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## Marnie (Dec 18, 2006)

I don't think the kind of ring matters. Some people use a nail and I've heard of people useing a string with a stickpin on the end, stick the pin into the eraser of a pencil and then the pencil does the swinging.


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## lilfoot (Dec 19, 2006)

We did this for fun last season with our minis....

& my results were almost perfect come foaling time.

Several 4-H kids joined in the fun & got similar results

but not as accurate...still the majority were correct!

We used our own rings on string....will have to remember to do again.

It's a fine way to spend the winter....trying to figure out 'who's' in there.

Sandy


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## FoRebel (Dec 19, 2006)

I am going to have to try this on my 3! I'll post the results as soon as I have them!


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## PaintedPromiseRanch (Dec 19, 2006)

lbsfarm said:


> I am going to have to try this on my 3! I'll post the results as soon as I have them!


me too, as soon as i am home in the daylight LOL


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## MeadowRidge Farm (Dec 19, 2006)

I have tried this several times. You can even use a horseshoe nail tied on a piece of string, and it dont matter what kind of ring you use. Last time I did this was 1 1/2 years ago..some "boarders" were in the barn and we were talking about my minis..they have full size, but were boarded by me..so we tried it.hmmmmm...the 6 mares that told me they were having a colts,3 turned out to be fillies..the 3 mares that told me fillies...well, they had fillies. When my friends tried it on the same mares..they were told the opposite of me..so we were all waitng for twins! Its a fun way to spend time with your minis playing the guessing game. Corinne


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## poncho (Dec 20, 2006)

: gee i should try this on sugar but my luck would be shes having both and i dont want an answer like that :lol: well i guess ill find out soon enough missy


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## PaintedPromiseRanch (Dec 22, 2006)

minimule said:


> *RING TEST*
> 
> Take a ring tied to a string. Hold it just above the mares right flank. Hold it steady. The ring will move on it's own. If it circles = colt, if it swings = filly, if it doesn't move = open


ok i finally got a chance to do mine. i have:

Bella due in February with a mule - swings!! molly woo hoo :aktion033: :aktion033:

Taffy Jo due in March with a donkey - circles, so a jack

Betty Jean due in April with a donkey - swings again, so a jennet - which is hilarious, she already has 4 daughters of the 4 foals i know of she has had...

so now we wait and see if the ring test is correct... everyone make sure to report back your results!!!


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## JumpinJackFarm (Dec 23, 2006)

What a great idea...I'll try it on Fawn...she is due early this next year.

I want it to swing in a BIG circle.....I want a Jack



:

I remember it working correctly on me...and yes a wedding ring was used.

Don't know what I'll use for Fawn.

I'll test her and let you all know



:


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## PaintedPromiseRanch (Dec 24, 2006)

PaintedPromiseRanch said:


> ok i finally got a chance to do mine. i have:
> 
> Bella due in February with a mule - swings!! molly woo hoo :aktion033: :aktion033:
> 
> so now we wait and see if the ring test is correct... everyone make sure to report back your results!!!


well too bad the ring test can't tell due dates!!! but it was RIGHT about a MOLLY, we went out to feed this morning and found Bella had the foal we weren't expecting until February!!






we have to run take Betty Lou and Susie Q to church for nativity, but there are lots more pictures posted on the miniature horse forum under "I got something for Christmas - it's little and wet (pics)"

she is 24 inches and 26.5 pounds


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## RJRMINIS (Dec 24, 2006)

OH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a perfect Present!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :aktion033:


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## pooper scooper (Dec 24, 2006)

What am adorable bundle of joy! You couldn't have asked for a better Christmas present1 Congradulations! Donna :aktion033:


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## HobbsFarm (Dec 25, 2006)

[SIZE=12pt]What a great present for Christmas!



: She is adorable...



: will have to go check out the other pics now.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]On the names... Christmas, Merry or Holly??? [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Shannon



[/SIZE]


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## PaintedPromiseRanch (Dec 25, 2006)

mini_lover said:


> [SIZE=12pt]On the names... Christmas, Merry or Holly??? [/SIZE]
> 
> [SIZE=12pt]Shannon
> 
> ...


since we already have a Holly (Hollyhock our tiny sorrel mare), we are seriously leaning towards Eve unless we get a better idea real quick. her full name will probably be "Mirror P Trooper's Bell of Christmas Eve" and ADMS does register mules so we will get her some papers of her own, not necessary for breeding of course but i like them to have papers for ID if at all possible...



:

Mirror P is the farm name we registered with ADMS, because of our ranch "brand" or symbol (it's on the business cards and stationary, NOT branded on the animals!!), Trooper is her papa and Bella Noche her mama (which the lady who gave her to us said means black beauty but i think it's actually "night beauty"), and i think i remember a song called something like "the bells of Christmas" so we kinda put it all together, and Eve is two-fold because of being born on Christmas Eve and Eve was the first woman and she is our first mini mule...



:

several posters on the mini horse forum said Eve and I had already suggested that to the family but we were going to wait a day or so to see her personality, poor little thing yesterday about all she did was shiver and nurse! but we did get her warm and dry before it got dark and cold again, and she seems fine this morning. i will try to get more pics later when it warms up and i can take her blanky off. like all newborns she just has no meat on those little bones and although it was barely down to freezing here (just a thin film of ice on the water buckets) our wind chill is pretty harsh, and it's always breezy if not downright windy around here, so i wanted to be sure she stayed warm at night. the pen is sheltered on 2 sides but mama doesn't stay in that corner so neither does the foal :no:

and Bella sure seems happy, it really touches my heart to see the love in her eyes, she tracks that baby non-stop! when she first came here she "adopted" Holly who was a yearling at that time, she just has always wanted a baby so bad, i am happy for her that she has one now and so far so good, looks like everything is fine and she will be able to keep and raise this one! (in case you didn't see it elsewhere, Bella lost at least 2 babies when she was very young, her first and very irresponsible owners let her be bred at age 1 and 2 and neither foal made it) :no:



: :no:



: we are so thankful to Maureen and her husband who did hundreds of dollars in farrier work to trade for this mare to get her away from those people!!


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## lilfoot (Dec 25, 2006)

[SIZE=14pt] :aktion033:



: So perfect! So sweet! So precious!



: :aktion033:[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14pt]Merry Christmas & 'Eve' seems to fit quite well.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Sandy[/SIZE]


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## minijoyj (Dec 26, 2006)

Circle is a Girl & back & forth is a Boy


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## PaintedPromiseRanch (Dec 26, 2006)

minijoyj said:


> Circle is a Girl & back & forth is a Boy



hhhmmmm, that's not what the original poster said... it was definitely back and forth on Bella and the baby IS a girl... i guess we will wait and see on the other two. could it be this is just one of those old wives' tales, two different stories so you are right half the time???


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## minijoyj (Dec 27, 2006)

PaintedPromiseRanch said:


> minijoyj said:
> 
> 
> > Circle is a Girl & back & forth is a Boy
> ...


I have always used it as Circle for girl & back & forth for boy, even in human mommies. It isn't always right on the sex, but usually right on weather they are pregnant or not. If the mares are cycling it will show to. There really isn't a CHART for this just old wives tale.


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## FoRebel (Dec 27, 2006)

Ok FINALLY did the ring test since I remembered to do it while I was out at the barn! According to minijoyj this is what I get.....

Trixie X Jet = BIG SWING (colt)




:

Mae X Picazzo = BIG CIRCLE (filly) :aktion033:

Cricket X Sligo Eclipse = BIG CIRCLE (filly) :aktion033:

IF Trixie is pregnant, which the ring says she is... That is a VERY small baby. She's not even showing! She'd be due around June 4th if she is preggers. I know that she's had 3 foals and supposedly 2 had to be pulled (DIDN'T KNOW TILL AFTER I HAD BRED HER!). So I'll be watching her closely!

I am thrilled about the Mae/Picazzo foal because their last filly was a palomino pinto (HaazeMinis) Jeri has her and she is beautiful! So I am hoping for a buckskin filly this time! Thanks to Marnie for letting us get this cross by allowing us to purchase both Mae and Picazzo!!!

The Cricket/Sligo foal I am excited to see... Hopefully we will get a filly with appy characteristics! Thank you to (runaway ranch) Lisa for this cross!!!

I'm excited to see if this works! If it does we'll be having 2 fillies for our breeding program and a little gelding for my son to show! :aktion033:


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## HaazeMinis (Dec 27, 2006)

Well I tried this test (there are two different string tests.



: ) This particular one I got 2 circles and one 1 swing on the mares I tested and from what I understood circles meant filly and swing meant colt?



:



: But, what I got was the oppososit 2 colts and a filly! :new_shocked: :lol: :bgrin So maybe this year I will try it and use the swinging as filly and circle as colt! :lol:

Maybe that way I will eventually get a filly to keep... :lol: I am so tired of getting babies of outdoor plumbing....... :lol:

Someone please send the filly fairy over here soon since I have a mare going to deliver ANYDAY...so if you are not using her send her here!



:

Now the other string test I use on verfying pregancy has been 100% right everytime I have used it for 3 foaling seasons now. I try it on all the mares just for fun and have even tried to trick it numerous times ( by using a open mare, a stallion, gelding, colt, filly) and it has always worked well for me to determine if a mare is open or bred.



:

Well I am going to test them with this other string test this evening and see what I come up with.... :lol:

Jeri


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## minimule (Dec 27, 2006)

I couldn't really remember which direction meant which. My mistake.


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## PaintedPromiseRanch (Dec 27, 2006)

HaazeMinis said:


> Now the other string test I use on verfying pregancy has been 100% right everytime I have used it for 3 foaling seasons now. I try it on all the mares just for fun and have even tried to trick it numerous times ( by using a open mare, a stallion, gelding, colt, filly) and it has always worked well for me to determine if a mare is open or bred.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


what is the "other" test??


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## HaazeMinis (Dec 28, 2006)

My Results were... :lol:

*Poppy*-Back & Forth- Due ANYDAY :bgrin Cross your fingers for a Filly! :bgrin She was VERY UNCOMFY LAST NIGHT and has a FULL bag! So we are watching her under camera like a hawk since she tried to sneak her last foal in on us and nearly succeded! If she would have done it like she wanted in "05" we would have lost that foal for sure :new_shocked: .

*Jo-Jo*- Back & Forth- Due Late April or Early May- Hoping for a repeat of last years colt only this time a FILLY! She usually has 342- to 344 day gestation. She was covered one cycle.

*Buttercup*-Back and Forth- Early spring we think? I bought her as "pasture exposed" by an an outside stallion

*Punky*-Nothing- I did not think she took anyway. :no: Oh well....

*Jade*- Big Circle- Due Late August? She was my tricky one I thought may not have settled next year



: . I really did not want late foal, but oh well, my stallion covered her one time in very late September. Maybe she settled on that heat cycle? So we will see.

So I hope Mini Mule is right on Back & Forth being a girl. :bgrin If not, oh well it was fun anyway and as long as the babies are healthy!

Oh and all of these mares are bred to my Bay Tovero stallion except Buttercup and she is bred to a black Tovero Stallion. :bgrin

*The other test is to kneel on the side of the mare at her shoulder area (same concept with the ring & string) however I use a regular large washer on a string. *

When you kneel down hold the ring & string up right behind the heart girth area. If it swings from you to the mare (your heart to babies heart) side to side she is bred and if it swings to you and toward the mares rear (back and forth) she is open.

This test has been a very accurate for me in determining if they are in foal or not.



: Not scientific, but I believe it does work and I have heard other breeders use this method with great success as well.

Jeri


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## JumpinJackFarm (Dec 28, 2006)

HaazeMinis said:


> *The other test is to kneel on the side of the mare at her shoulder area (same concept with the ring & string) however I use a regular large washer on a string. *
> 
> When you kneel down hold the ring & string up right behind the heart girth area. If it swings from you to the mare (your heart to babies heart) side to side she is bred and if it swings to you and toward the mares rear (back and forth) she is open.
> 
> ...




[SIZE=14pt]Nikki...did you read that ? Try it



: *when no one is watching :lol: [/SIZE]


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