Flehmen/yawning?? Does anyone know why pregnant mares do this?

[Lena1]

Am just curious as to why some pregnant mares yawn and curl their top lip up.

We noticed Celena doing this early thismorning and then I remembered reading that some mares will do this quite a bit a few hours prior to labor. Can anybody shed some light on this?

Cheers

Karen

 

[Katiean]

My mare yawned for about 2 weeks before she foaled. I was told it was because she was uncomfortable.

 

[Jill]

I don't know, but I wonder if the Flehmen situation is because their sense of smell is altered when pregant (like in people, tastes are altered).

 

[Reijel's Mom]

I thought yawning was a sign of pain in horses, so one might contribute it to discomfort in this case.

 

[Little Wee Horse Farm]

We had a horse that incorporated this into her "getting ready to foal for real" routine. Sometimes, she'd fuss like many others do, then shut down the routine & go to sleep. But, on the night/day when she added the yawning thing, we knew she was serious about going into labor. That was a definite. Worked every time. I too believe it might be an expression of pain. This mare also pawed a lot when real labor was coming on. She was quite demonstrative.

 

[Miniv]

We've had several mares, not all, who yawn a lot hours before foaling out. And yes, it's suppose to indicate discomfort.

MA

 

[PaintNminis]

I just learned Something new