Advice on pregnant mare care?

[Laura&HerMinis]

I don’t have a pregnant mare yet, but I may have found a home for my gelding that I need to sell to make room for a pregnant mare lol. So I’m looking for advice on how to properly care for a preggo mare, like what to feed/if to feed/when to feed, should I get ultrasounds/bloodwork/pee tests, anything at all regarding equine pregnancy please let me know! I need to know this because I may have my my perfect mare and a couple of studs and I’m trying to learn everything I can before spring when it’s breeding season! Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks guys!!

 

[elizabeth.conder]

There is a ton that I could write about that. And much I’d not even know to wright. Some mares need feed all the time to maintain a healthy weight. Some really don’t until late stages. Ration balancers are great because they give the needed nutrients without all the extra calories for those that tend to be chubby. I really like purina Omolene 300 mare and foal for my mares once they hit the 300 day mark or even a bit sooner. Alfalfa is great for making sure they get enough protein. Make sure they do NOT get any fescue, this will cause major foaling complications. Avoid the purina mini and pony feed. It used to be good but is now full of fillers and really not of any use.

Make sure you are very aware of all the different foaling positions and what to do for each position.

You don’t have to do any testing to confirm pregnancy but it sure is helpful. I’ve used all three methods, US, blood tests, and waiting it out. The only pee test that is accurate is the wee foal 120. There is a cheap knock off version that is all over the place. I refuse to use it because my good friend apparently had a pregnant stallion according to that test.

I’m not sure what you are planning on doing with a foal, but if you are planning on selling, you might make sure you have a good market. Also not sure if you meant plural stallions, but it can be pretty hectic to have multiple stallions especially with only one mare. Even one stallion can be a handful if someone is unsure about what they are doing. Also not sure if these horses you are looking at are registered but I would HIGHLY recommend testing for dwarfism and LWO. As long as one is negative you will not have a dwarf foal (which many confuse to be a really small foal when in reality it is a genetic disorder that causes major problems.) LWO is also known as frame overo. If both parents carry it and both pass it, you will have a lethal white foal and it is 100% fatal. It can hide on solid colored horses so it’s important to test/research.

There are a list of foaling vaccines. I tend to avoid vaccinating mine while in foal because a number of them have been known to cause abortions.

Make sure you have a good camera system. A lot of people do it without cameras and that’s fine, but cameras make a WORLD of difference. I’ve known people who watched in person and literally left just long enough to shower. They came out to a foal dead in the sac because no one had been there to break it when the mare didn’t get up fast enough.

Make sure you can handle your mare everywhere. That is something that cannot be stressed enough. It comes in great when testing milk or other signs. But if you have a dystocia a mare that is not okay being handled can become extremely dangerous. Even one that is used to being handled can become dangerous. Make sure you have a good vet around that can assist should you need it. It helps to also let them know when you have mare close so they may expect it or know what they are going in to.

That’s all I can think of at the moment but I will add more if I remember something else.

 

[Laura&HerMinis]

There is a ton that I could write about that. And much I’d not even know to wright. Some mares need feed all the time to maintain a healthy weight. Some really don’t until late stages. Ration balancers are great because they give the needed nutrients without all the extra calories for those that tend to be chubby. I really like purina Omolene 300 mare and foal for my mares once they hit the 300 day mark or even a bit sooner. Alfalfa is great for making sure they get enough protein. Make sure they do NOT get any fescue, this will cause major foaling complications. Avoid the purina mini and pony feed. It used to be good but is now full of fillers and really not of any use.

Make sure you are very aware of all the different foaling positions and what to do for each position.

You don’t have to do any testing to confirm pregnancy but it sure is helpful. I’ve used all three methods, US, blood tests, and waiting it out. The only pee test that is accurate is the wee foal 120. There is a cheap knock off version that is all over the place. I refuse to use it because my good friend apparently had a pregnant stallion according to that test.

I’m not sure what you are planning on doing with a foal, but if you are planning on selling, you might make sure you have a good market. Also not sure if you meant plural stallions, but it can be pretty hectic to have multiple stallions especially with only one mare. Even one stallion can be a handful if someone is unsure about what they are doing. Also not sure if these horses you are looking at are registered but I would HIGHLY recommend testing for dwarfism and LWO. As long as one is negative you will not have a dwarf foal (which many confuse to be a really small foal when in reality it is a genetic disorder that causes major problems.) LWO is also known as frame overo. If both parents carry it and both pass it, you will have a lethal white foal and it is 100% fatal. It can hide on solid colored horses so it’s important to test/research.

There are a list of foaling vaccines. I tend to avoid vaccinating mine while in foal because a number of them have been known to cause abortions.

Make sure you have a good camera system. A lot of people do it without cameras and that’s fine, but cameras make a WORLD of difference. I’ve known people who watched in person and literally left just long enough to shower. They came out to a foal dead in the sac because no one had been there to break it when the mare didn’t get up fast enough.

Make sure you can handle your mare everywhere. That is something that cannot be stressed enough. It comes in great when testing milk or other signs. But if you have a dystocia a mare that is not okay being handled can become extremely dangerous. Even one that is used to being handled can become dangerous. Make sure you have a good vet around that can assist should you need it. It helps to also let them know when you have mare close so they may expect it or know what they are going in to.

That’s all I can think of at the moment but I will add more if I remember something else.

Thank you so much! With the stallions, I’m not buying them but I just have a few options that I really like to use for a stud fee, definitely not buying any haha. I would 99% keep the foal and have fun training it and stuff. Does UC Davis let you test for dwarfism? Also, the mare I’m looking at is minimal tobiano, is it possible that she has frame too but very hidden? She doesn’t have blue eyes, and pretty typical tobiano socks and one white patch.

 

[elizabeth.conder]

Gotcha!
You have to use Kentucky for dwarfism testing Dwarfism: Miniature Horse | Genetic Testing at Gluck. It is 100% possible she can carry LWO without expressing it. Minis are extra good at hiding patterns. There have been many cases of completely solid horses without a single white hair carrying it. Now it’s unlikely, but totally possible.

 

[LostandFound]

Just wanted to toss in my 2 cents about LWO, with both having the gene you have a chance of a lethal white foal, not all will be.

 

[Laura&HerMinis]

Gotcha!
You have to use Kentucky for dwarfism testing Dwarfism: Miniature Horse | Genetic Testing at Gluck. It is 100% possible she can carry LWO without expressing it. Minis are extra good at hiding patterns. There have been many cases of completely solid horses without a single white hair carrying it. Now it’s unlikely, but totally possible.

Okay gotcha, how much is it to test for dwarfism? And also if the stud is tested for dwarfism do I have to test the mare? I’m definitely planning on test whichever mare I end up getting for LWO!

 

[elizabeth.conder]

If the stallion is negative you do not have to test. The foal could still be a carrier of the dam is a carrier but you won’t get a dwarf.

 

[Laura&HerMinis]

If the stallion is negative you do not have to test. The foal could still be a carrier of the dam is a carrier but you won’t get a dwarf.

Oh okay, that’s what I thought but always good to double check! Thanks! Any recommendations for cheap camera systems that maybe at the max cost $100? I may only breed once but I don’t know, but I don’t want to spend an arm and a leg for only one baby ya know?

 

[elizabeth.conder]

Definitely get that. I have a night owl system that I really like. But it depends what all you are wanting to do with your camera. Will you run it to a monitor and just watch on the monitor? Do you have WiFi that you’ll be able to reach out to the stall? Or will you need to hardwire it? I stream mine so I have a filly system that has a dvr. I like that because I can also access my camera via an app. I can also rewind and record as needed.

 

[Laura&HerMinis]

Definitely get that. I have a night owl system that I really like. But it depends what all you are wanting to do with your camera. Will you run it to a monitor and just watch on the monitor? Do you have WiFi that you’ll be able to reach out to the stall? Or will you need to hardwire it? I stream mine so I have a filly system that has a dvr. I like that because I can also access my camera via an app. I can also rewind and record as needed.

I’ll probably need to hardwire it, the wifi is horrible out here. Cool cool, I love the idea of a live stream lol

 

[elizabeth.conder]

I love live stream because it allows me and a few breeder friends to take shifts and watch each others horses while they sleep. Helps maintain our sanity.

 

[Taz]

If you can run power and internet out to your shed then a wifi camera is cheap. I've found the cables are the most expensive part. Look around on line to see where you can get the best price. That's the best, you can watch it anywhere and have help watching too.

 

[Pitter Patter]

I finally found a 300' ethernet cable on Amazon and it just came in. Instead of patching in a wifi extending halfway into the yard, along with another extension cord, etc., My kiddo put it up and it's perfect. Only wish I had it sooner. If I recall it cost around $69 US. I use Defender cameras and you can add anyone who wants to watch it with/for you by just adding their email and they download the app. While I don't have any help watching at the moment, I do have a coworker whose 4 year old is absolutely enthralled with watching a "mama pony" as she child falls asleep. THAT picture is priceless . Live streaming would be wonderful. I think the Defender camera is like the OWL camera or others that are similar. The only drawback to my camera system is that it likes to freeze when no movement or it can get overwhelming when it beeps over and over when something in view moves. You can still record, take photos, etc. from your phone.