Mare ready to foal?

[zoeleeme]

Yeah, I am sorry... my eyes are playing tricks on me? She keeps looking at this black shadow that I didn't see before...sorry I will go back to lurking!!!!

 

[Eagle]

No worries Zoeleeme, You just made me panic like mad

Better to be safe though so you were right to ask. Please don't lurk as we love company (we are a bit silly though so a sense of humour is obligatory)

 

[zoeleeme]

I know~! I love you guys...You all crack me up! I had been watching awhile ago and when I came back I saw that black thing on the left that I didn't see earlier. She kept going over to it. (thought she was trying to make it stand up) The harder I looked the more I saw a face! I called my daughter in "Is that a baby?" I don't know I can't tell either!! Yeah, I could fit right in here,ugh? heehee~!

 

[AnnaC]

LOL!! I know what you mean, I see so many things in the shadows too - same with Peanut on her cam.

Zoe (are you Zoe or Zoelee?) pleas stay around and join in. I, of course, am the totally sane, normal one - the others? Well you will just have to judge for yourself!

Diane, you must be so worried about your mare, why do these things always happen when one is miles away? Mind you, to give your boys some credit, they may have beena bit slow to spot that something was wrong, but they did get her out of the field under very difficult circumstances! A lot of inexperienced people would have said 'too dangerous' and would have walked away!

I do so agree with you Diane about not cutting down drastically on Suzie's food at this stage, and I remember Cassie saying that her minis were not in good shape when she got them, plus I admit that my mares are already overweight when they come in to foal! It was just seeing Suzie being given what looked like nearly half her bowl full of food that got me thinking she might be getting too much 'bulk' food, when her weight is no longer 'low'. I would want her on a smaller amount of more 'powerful' feed, rather than a large amount of 'bulk'

Also (and this is a personal opinion) once she has the foal and it is several days old, it is going to start digging into Suzie's feed as she is eating. I refuse to put anything but the smallest, high powered pellet that I can find, into the mares feed bowl, so that the foal can pick up a small nut or two and 'mouth' it around without too much danger of choke. Of course any foal can choke, but there is more danger of this if the mare is used to eating a 'mixed' feed of oats/chop/other ingredients/sugar beet/additives etc - or so I have found in years past when mixed feeds were all the norm for all horses.

Cassie you mention Breeda - what is this, it's new to me and I would love to know more about it please.

Just checked on Suzie and all is quiet. But now we know the girls wont foal until Saturday night, I guess we all might as well go and catch up on our sleep, as per normal, until then! LOL!!

Anna

 

[Equuisize]

Good morning everyone. Got a late start this AM, had to run out and look at

a horse trailer my niece wants to buy....

So just checking in.

Suzie looks comfy - snuggled in, at 3:13 in the morning.

LIKE your assistant mare starer, helps to have company thru the hours even if they are snoring

Good pics you got yesterday .... any progress is welcome but think you're not quite there, yet.

Can change in the blink of an eye but for now think Suz is just cooking that baby, just right for you.

 

[zoeleeme]

Thank You All for the invite~! There is a full moon coming up! Zoelee is from a book called "The Lizard's Song" I used to read to long ago when I taught pre-school! I interpet zoelee as being "Happy"!!! Great book! The lizard's song is "zoelee, zoelee, zoelee...rock is my home!" (The zoe part sounds like joe like joelee but zoelee~!)LOL

 

[Eagle]

Ok so zoelee is nuts! She cam stay. Lol

Ok so zoelee is nuts! She cam stay. Lol

Ooops there seems to be an echo

 

[cassie]

ok everyone reason Suzie is up at this time in the morning!! and ME!! LOL neighbours cows got out, people thought they were ours neighbours away on holdiays so we had the fun job of putting the cows back ourselves, in the dark grr.

back to sleep for about another hour or so.... reason why Suize is awake... talk to you in a few hours bye LOL

 

[AnnaC]

Well Suzie seems to be looking for her breakfast - do hurry up Cassie, you mustn't keep our special girl waiting. LOL!! Or am I behind things and she's had brekers and is waiting for OUT??

Renee, thanks for the PS.

Diane, I just had a thought (which deserves congrtulations these day as I dont have many!). Some years back I had a stud who was an absolute poppet with both humans and his girls/foals. You could add new mares and foals to his field, take him out the field for foot trimming etc. BUT he was not happy about one of his girls being removed from his field. He never actually attacked, but certainly made his feelings known from the moment you caught the mare, plus he would 'gate walk' trying to stop you taking her away. We used to get someone to catch and hold him if we needed to move a mare.

Just thinking this might have been the 'problem' with your boy, but then you have probably moved mares in and out of the field before without trouble and would know if he could/might cause trouble. So just ignore what I have written please - I'm too lazy to erase it!!

Cant wait to have you back safe and sound on Saturday - glad to hear your little mare seems to be recovering, wonder what caused her episode?

Anna

 

[AnnaC]

LOL!! Just checked the cams again and Cassie has gone out just as Peanut has come in. They really have a good routine going between them dont they? I can imagine one will foal and the other will wait for us to finish watching the first, before deciding to give us a second foaling to coo over!

Anna

 

[cassie]

LOL I would love for that too happen

I'm sure Peanut will foal before Suzie but that would be lots of fun

ok too reply to everything that has happened while I have been sleeping, well trying too LOL

Suzie's bag is a little fuller again today not by much but the last 3 days each morning her bag has been a little bigger which is very exciting!! makes me stress less I guess, (woops I didn't mean to rhyme just then LOL)

Anna Mitavite Breeda is, I'll get it straight off the website hold on...

Mitavite Breeda has been pressure cooked and steam-extruded to release the full nutrient value of the high quality ingredients used in its formulation. Increased availability of nutrients with balanced levels of energy, vitamins, minerals, vegetable oils, proteins and essential amino acids - lysine and methionine-naturally supports optimum bone growth and muscle development in young horses. With Mitavite Breeda spellers and broodmares can maintain condition and replenish body stores of essential minerals.

Steam-extrusion provides horses with significant benefits and international research has shown when steam-extruded feeds replace pellets and traditional feeds, incidence of gastro-intestinal problems, including colic, reduces.

Mitavite Breeda is primarily digested in the small intestine which improves availability and absorption of nutrients whilst avoiding fermentation in the caecum. This reduces the production of heat, acid and gas associated with problems such as laminitis, colitis enteritis, colic and diarrhoea.

An ever-increasing number of stud managers are finding Breeda a convenient, reliable and economical means of feeding horses whilst meeting the varying needs of stallions, pregnant and lactating mares, growing yearlings and spellers.

Thats just a brief description of it, I also have sugar beet which my stock horse gets at night... after Suzie foals should I maybe give her some of this?? I cute her breakfast back just a little this morning, I will check with my friend what she thinks would be a good maintanance diet for Suz.

Welcome Zoeleeme glad to have you on board

we sure have lots of fun here

while we go crazy watching our mares LOL

Haha yes Casper my assistant loves a snore, as soon as I woke up this morning he jumped out of bed and headed straight for the fire and sat down on a chair right in front of the fire and fell back to sleep again LOL funny puppy

I have to get ready for work now, I know I have missed out on stuff from the other page I will comment on them later

Thanks for the night watch everyone

sorry its a bit boring LOL

 

[cassie]

funny story...

Dad gave me a scare this morning.

he was at home and rang me at work... " Cassie did you get a new horse while I was away?"

"what?" "you have a new horse at home and its white..." my heart is going ten million miles an hour right now and I am madly trying to get the cam up, so I can see Suzie's foal... "did Suzie have her foal Dad?" Dad laughs "no its a big horse" I can breathe again.

One of the neighbours horses got into our paddock and was having a great old time with Smartie and Penny, and Dad is having a great time while I am nearly dying here at work thinking that I had missed Suzie having her foal

my silly Dad loved it!!!

 

[cassie]

Hello Diane!!

bye bye Diane

LOL

Suzie is really restless out there today, I went home to check on them and take Smartie's rug off and give Suzie some much wanted scratches, like Peanut she is constantly itchy!! she usually stands still and wants more and more scratches till I get exhausted but today she would stand for about 1 minute then she would walk off turn around and come back again... this continued until I decided I needed to get back to work... strange girly... Bag slowly increasing in size... I'm getting excited now

 

[cassie]

Hi Diane,

I was wondering the same thing and I tried it, she wouldn't let me near her with the clippers not even the quiet ones... then I asked my friends who breed and they say they don't worry and they have never had a foal have problems... I was thinking of maybe trimming the long hair around her teats back a little. too make it easier on the foal... was going to try tonight actually, will let you know how I go.

oh and believe me, I will never put any of my mares into foal at this time I am really quite angry at Suzie's old owner for doing it to her, but I'm angry at him about everything so oh well

 

[cassie]

Thankyou for mentioning it I am always open for suggestions and help as I am still only a newbie at this

 

[cassie]

here we go, not very good but its the best I have been able to think of LOL

There once was four little mares

Who liked to foal in pairs

they all got together

to work out whenever

they would tell the filly fairy to come

to let what we are waiting on be done

they like to keep us waiting

as soon we shall be fainting

from lack of sleep

and food that won't keep

one day soon I'm sure

our mares will reassure

us with the beautiful fillies who are so lovely

beautiful and simply cuddly

there you go thats my try LOL not very good but it was a bit of fun... now I better get back to work...

 

[cassie]

ok I'm in the mood now so here is another

there is a snuggle bunny

who thinks its very funny

to keep her mum waiting

on the foal she has been stating

will be born very soon

but that was back in June

that pony has still not yet

has that foal and people may bet

that this filly will be born on the horses birthday

but her mum can't wait that is too long away

 

[AnnaC]

LOL!!

Well done Cassie! If everyone keeps this poem producing going, we shall soon be able to publish a book and earn loads of money selling it to other folks round the world to read while they are mare watching during the foaling season!

That Breeda stuff of yours sounds great! Provided your friend thinks Suzie's condition is ok (and it looks good on the cam, but we cant 'feel' under that coat of hers) I would keep that going and try to cut down on the other 'filling' food, but keep plenty of hay going. I wouldn't start her on sugar beet as you will have to stop it again once the foal is born - not suitable for the foal to 'pick' at. Your main aim from now on is to get Suzie established on a food that is safe for a new baby to pick at without causing it to choke.

Hey Diane, glad that thought occured/occurred/ocurred (sp????) to me. Isn't it wonderful when we actually get a thought or two occasionally - although I do find that they are often quite useless!

Anna

 

[cassie]

Ladies all of your thoughts have been wonderful and I am very thankful for them and your keen eyes watching my snuggle bunny.

thanks Anna, Suzie loves it and I have just started Penny on it so hopefully she will start getting in nice condition for the show ring

I love the idea of the book, except there is just one that isn't very helpufl with people foaling... Renee knows the one I mean,

well half an hour more and I will be home and able to feed my ponies

and put suzie to bed

any ideas or suggeestions you Ladies think of I am more than happy to listen and do what you think best as I want to do what is best for Suzie and baby

you are all so special to me and Suzie, secretly she reads these posts I'm sure LOL

so thank you again!!

 

[Eagle]

Nice thought Anna!

My stallion always runs to the far fence to scare of Matteo's riding ponies when I let my girls out, not sure what that is all about as these ponies are on the other side of the fence with 2 meters in between.

Diane do you think your mare was getting thin bc the stallion decided to not let her eat? Maybe he just stopped liking her and decided that she had to stay away from the group which caused stress and lack of appetite? Just playing with ideas, sorry if they are stupid

I am glad she is safe now and say well done to your sons for spotting her. They were obviously doing their job well even if it is a "darn stupid job"

Cassie, I always clip tummy and back legs if the mares are still hairy but this is something that comes with time. If Suzie doesn't like the clippers there is no point frightening or upsetting her. That is a job for when baby is weaned.

Things to do:

1) get Suzie used to clippers.