Expert opinions please…not sure if she’s in foal

[Silver City Heritage Farmstead]

The above is what folks mean when they say "my mare has a flapper udder." Though I must admit that one is a bit more...generously endowed than the average.

 

[Laura&HerMinis]

The above is what folks mean when they say "my mare has a flapper udder." Though I must admit that one is a bit more...generously endowed than the average.

You think hers is bigger than average? Are you saying you think she’s pregnant? Lol

 

[Laura&HerMinis]

Another little update here, I didn’t milk her today but when I tried to touch her belly and feel her udder, she tried to bite me. I feel like that could be cause mares when they get closer can get cantankerous around that area cause baby is bothering them? And just to clarify, I’m fine either way, if she is or isn’t but I was really looking forward to a foal, and that’s what I’m hopeful for. Just in case, I don’t think I clarified that lol

 

[Taz]

Izzy minds some times and not others, even back what I first thought she was close. It could be a foal bothering her or she could be in a bad mood that day. I try not to read into it but I do go to 'she's sensitive because of a foal' most of the time . Keep hoping for a foal, that's what I'm doing. It's better to be ready in case than not and have something bad happen.

 

[Laura&HerMinis]

Izzy minds some times and not others, even back what I first thought she was close. It could be a foal bothering her or she could be in a bad mood that day. I try not to read into it but I do go to 'she's sensitive because of a foal' most of the time . Keep hoping for a foal, that's what I'm doing. It's better to be ready in case than not and have something bad happen.

Haha that’s exactly what I’m going for, that she’s in foal lol. Sounds like we’re kinda “twins”, we got black mares due soon but not really sure if they’re preggo, but we’re hoping lol, kinda nice to have someone else going through the same thing!

 

[Taz]

Yes it is. I'm hoping for a foal for both of us

 

[Laura&HerMinis]

Yes it is. I'm hoping for a foal for both of us

Awww thanks, I am too!! We could have quite the interesting color options! It’s possible but not probable that Arrow could be the dad, but I’m thinking it was this older sorrel Sabino stud (6 years) so we could have a cute lil sabino! Also I heard that Indi’s blue eye could be a pinto pattern minimally expressed, so she could have a more pinto baby too!

 

[Pitter Patter]

I'm right there with you guys! I have a black mare who we didn't fully realize was even pregnant until August. We realized Pepper had gained too much weight so scaled back the feed and PRESTO-a VERY pregnant mare! She looked more "due " in August than she does now. I do know she is pregnant and have a camera on her at night. Her udder is barely there and looks much like your girl's. Since August I have mostly thought, "It's going to be tonight--I just know it!" Her baby bump changes shape all the time and some days she is so wide she can't fit through our gate comfortably and the next baby is riding high and one would scarcely think she is pregnant! Her personality changes constantly now too (which is a blessing as normally she is the herd "boss" and likes everyone to know it. Since her ranking has started slipping (Stallion has taken over now!) she has been much sweeter with me, but there's no way I'm getting my hand anywhere near her udder. I take pictures on my cell phone daily. Helps me to see changes much more easily and I can put them in chronological order to see the changes more for what they are. I've had tons of help and support from Taz and others here. It's nerve wracking, truly. My farrier came this past weekend to do everyone's feet. He got a slight kick from baby when moving around to do her feet. But my best indication or opinion is from my now former Stallion (he got gelded recently). He seems to adore his first baby. He now lays next to Pepper whenever she will let him. He even lays down most of the night next to the nursery stall. I think he knows....(or maybe I'm just being corny!). Anyway, welcome to the nail biting expectant foal group! The photo shows her on August 18, 2021.

 

[Silver City Heritage Farmstead]

You think hers is bigger than average? Are you saying you think she’s pregnant? Lol

Naaaah. I just mean she has "more than a handful." Just like ladies have different bra sizes, so do mares keep different size bags once they're experienced broodmare.

That's why so many times experienced breeders encourage taking weekly photos once a mare gets to those 290+ days of gestation. It's so much easier to see changes when you already know what her baseline is.

 

[Laura&HerMinis]

I'm right there with you guys! I have a black mare who we didn't fully realize was even pregnant until August. We realized Pepper had gained too much weight so scaled back the feed and PRESTO-a VERY pregnant mare! She looked more "due " in August than she does now. I do know she is pregnant and have a camera on her at night. Her udder is barely there and looks much like your girl's. Since August I have mostly thought, "It's going to be tonight--I just know it!" Her baby bump changes shape all the time and some days she is so wide she can't fit through our gate comfortably and the next baby is riding high and one would scarcely think she is pregnant! Her personality changes constantly now too (which is a blessing as normally she is the herd "boss" and likes everyone to know it. Since her ranking has started slipping (Stallion has taken over now!) she has been much sweeter with me, but there's no way I'm getting my hand anywhere near her udder. I take pictures on my cell phone daily. Helps me to see changes much more easily and I can put them in chronological order to see the changes more for what they are. I've had tons of help and support from Taz and others here. It's nerve wracking, truly. My farrier came this past weekend to do everyone's feet. He got a slight kick from baby when moving around to do her feet. But my best indication or opinion is from my now former Stallion (he got gelded recently). He seems to adore his first baby. He now lays next to Pepper whenever she will let him. He even lays down most of the night next to the nursery stall. I think he knows....(or maybe I'm just being corny!). Anyway, welcome to the nail biting expectant foal group! The photo shows her on August 18, 2021.View attachment 44939

This is so weird, so many people with black mares waiting for them to foal lol! My Indi doesn’t look quite that pregnant, but she does look much bigger than my other not pregnant mare, and she does have an udder. At least more of one than my other mare. It may not look like much on photos but it feels bigger in person. I’m trying to take photos every day too, it might be every two days sometimes lol but my two favourites to take and keep comparing are the udder and behind her. They seem to tell me the most. Haven’t felt much foal movement though, but may be a quiet foal, who knows? I guess we’ll all find out soon!

 

[Laura&HerMinis]

Naaaah. I just mean she has "more than a handful." Just like ladies have different bra sizes, so do mares keep different size bags once they're experienced broodmare.

That's why so many times experienced breeders encourage taking weekly photos once a mare gets to those 290+ days of gestation. It's so much easier to see changes when you already know what her baseline is.

Ahhh gotcha, I was hoping you were saying she’s pregnant lmao exactly what I was thinking with the photo thing haha, it is hard to know what her baseline is since I’ve only had her for a week haha but I’m trying to stay neutral, not hoping too much for a baby and being fine if nothing happens. If she doesn’t have a foal I will definitely be sad though, I bought my other mare five years ago that was supposedly bred, I think she lost the foal though, or something.

 

[Kelly]

Love the name Indi!

So the one thing I have learned is you can’t trust the belly lol all 3 of these photos are horses that are NOT pregnant and have NEVER been pregnant.

My Shadow looks like he is pregnant!! But i assure you he has been gelded, is NOT pregnant, and has NEVER been pregnant!! LOL

 

[Laura&HerMinis]

Love the name Indi!



My Shadow looks like he is pregnant!! But i assure you he has been gelded, is NOT pregnant, and has NEVER been pregnant!! LOL

I love it too! Lol if he’s a gelding there’s no way haha

 

[Kelly]

This is so weird, so many people with black mares waiting for them to foal lol!

Yeah, but he is a black horse

 

[Laura&HerMinis]

Yeah, but he is a black horse

Oh my gosh what is with all the black horses lmao

 

[Laura&HerMinis]

Okay so another interesting update here. I’m attaching some photos and I know it doesn’t look like much, but I am now 90% convinced she is indeed pregnant. Why? Because basically, I went out, and she was laying down. I didn’t see her at first. Then she got up and tried kicking her belly. Then I went in with her and felt her belly, not too long so didn’t really feel movement, thought maybe I felt something at the beginning. Also, apparently some mares don’t even look pregnant till literally just before they foal, same with the bag. But…after that I tried touching her udder, just to see how big they are, not to milk her, and she whipped her head around, ears pinned and looked like she was NOT happy. She also swished her tail a lot during that. I tried again, same thing. She had let me touch her udder last week without getting upset though. So I’m thinking she must be getting uncomfortable as the udder (for the tiny amount of time that I felt it) feels like it’s slowly swelling up and that must be painful. So that’s my update, pretty convinced she is now. Very much hoping so I looked up possible colors as well, and as the believed sire (which they’re positive is the father of mr. Arrow) must have a dilute or silver carrier, because he produced Arrow and he has some sort of dilute gene, even though I’m not sure exactly what. So lots of cool color options! Here are the photos I took today:

 

[ZuZuPetals]

Okay so another interesting update here. I’m attaching some photos and I know it doesn’t look like much, but I am now 90% convinced she is indeed pregnant. Why? Because basically, I went out, and she was laying down. I didn’t see her at first. Then she got up and tried kicking her belly. Then I went in with her and felt her belly, not too long so didn’t really feel movement, thought maybe I felt something at the beginning. Also, apparently some mares don’t even look pregnant till literally just before they foal, same with the bag. But…after that I tried touching her udder, just to see how big they are, not to milk her, and she whipped her head around, ears pinned and looked like she was NOT happy. She also swished her tail a lot during that. I tried again, same thing. She had let me touch her udder last week without getting upset though. So I’m thinking she must be getting uncomfortable as the udder (for the tiny amount of time that I felt it) feels like it’s slowly swelling up and that must be painful. So that’s my update, pretty convinced she is now. Very much hoping so I looked up possible colors as well, and as the believed sire (which they’re positive is the father of mr. Arrow) must have a dilute or silver carrier, because he produced Arrow and he has some sort of dilute gene, even though I’m not sure exactly what. So lots of cool color options! Here are the photos I took today:

View attachment 44940View attachment 44941View attachment 44942View attachment 44943View attachment 44944

“If” she is indeed pregnant what is the date of conception or closest guess, how far along
would she be?
So I just read you initial post she was running with a stud up until January 2021?! Correct? So estrus continues through September unlikely in October so she should have already foaled. She would have gotten pregnant by September or early October as after that diestrus kicks in until around March April

 

[Laura&HerMinis]

“If” she is indeed pregnant what is the date of conception or closest guess, how far along
would she be?
So I just read you initial post she was running with a stud up until January 2021?! Correct? So estrus continues through September unlikely in October so she should have already foaled. She would have gotten pregnant by September or early October as after that diestrus kicks in until around March April

Until Jan or Feb yes, there are rare cases as I’ve been seeing here that mares can get pregnant in winter too.

 

[ZuZuPetals]

Until Jan or Feb yes, there are rare cases as I’ve been seeing here that mares can get pregnant in winter too.

I’ve never in my life truly seen or heard of that happening without a mare being put on hormone injections as I did one year with one of our full size horses. Diestrus starts with that winter coat starting to fill in they’re like little clocks

 

[Laura&HerMinis]

I’ve never in my life truly seen or heard of that happening without a mare being put on hormone injections as I did one year with one of our full size horses. Diestrus starts with that winter coat starting to fill in they’re like little clocks

There are at least two other people on this site that I’m following who are waiting for their foals to be born. @Taz and @elizabeth.conder but there may be more.