Mare stare I am so nervous

[auledasacres]

My mare is driving me crazy. I am just a nervous wreck. She is due March 24. 2 days ago she had a small about the size of a quarter muscus discharge with a small amount of blood. I took this that things would be happening soon. 1-3 days possible. She is maiden.

She has had me up every hour on the hour all night. At 5am I said the heck with it. SHE LOVES to Sleep in the birthing position. Goes down, put head down, legs straight out and sleeps. Then gets back, rolls, swishes tail, goes round and round in the stall, back down for a 45 minute nap.

Doesn' anyone elses mare love sleeping in the foaling position. I do feel she is close so still watching like a hawk and also praying for a healthy foal.

Traci and Family

 

[Becky]

Relax!! But keep close observation. If you don't have a camera system and a Breeder Alert or Equipage, it's pretty hard watching these mares and trying to stay awake.

Most horses will generally sleep flat out. As they get closer to foaling, a mare might lay flat out, then roll up on her sternum, flat out again. Or get up, walk around then lay down flat out again. Generally, the closer they are to foaling, the less they will lay in a flat out position.

I've had mares lose their mucous plug 1 - 2 weeks before foaling. It might tell me they are getting close, but doesn't tell me exactly when. The best thing for me to go by is the size/firmness of the udder and milk consistency and texture.

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[auledasacres]

Thank you so much. I do have her under camera and have her equipager on. So everytime she sets it off I just run down to the camera.

The book says the muscus plug is 1-3 days so thanks for sharing your experience because I would be calling the vet here soon because of what the book says. Her bag is firmer but nothing like my maiden last year who's bag was so full the foal couldn't get on. Her privates are loose and a little opened.

Will keep a close watch on her. Thank god for Equipage. I can't imagine not having it.

Traci and Family

 

[Skittlebittie]

If this is a maiden mare, and she has a bag, you are doing great. Now, I would check her milk calcium and ph levels. This will be much more accurate IMO to let you know when she is due. The higher the calcium level, the closer they are to foaling. The lower the ph levels, the closer to foaling they are. If you dont have the test strips, then you can gauge how close she is by checking the milk. On this mare, it wouldn't hurt to check morning and night. Maybe even afternoon too.

I have a maiden mare due end of April. I sure hope she gets a bag for me, so I'm not flying so blind! Good luck!

 

[Millstone Farm]

Every single one of my horses sleeps flat out. I love it when the mares do this, as they look like beached whales!

Another sign that you might want to look for is the conistency of their manure changes as they get "imminent." You'll notice the manure looks a little clay-like.

Good Luck!

 

[Trish]

: I have a maiden mare, her due date 03/10/06... :new_shocked: I'm still watching her. I thought for sure during the bad storm we had a 1:45 am, she would give up and have the baby....

: ....nope. I checked her vulva and bag this morning at feeding time. Loose tail set and bag is getting fuller..... She is very uncomfortable. Off and on during the night she lays flat out, the after a while rolls back on her sternam.

I haven't had much sleep in 2 weeks. I doze off a little bit, but not for long.

I work 5 mins from home and my boss lets me run home to check on her. :aktion033:

 

[crazyovergracie]

I don't know "why" they do it either... but I'm also watching 24-7, with little sleep and certainly feel your anxiety. My mare sleeps in the this position too! Actually mine has the same behavior yours has -- surely we're getting closer with each passing minute! :aktion033: She was extremely active last week, slept little & rolled/paced alot! But now she's gotten rather boring and I was "hoping" this was the calm before the storm -- oh well! :bgrin Good luck! Would love to see pics when your little one arrives.

Jennifer

 

[Dandy]

Bless you. I went through that last yaar. Had two mares I pasture bred so didn't know for sure when foals were due. Put up my cameras, put on the monitors and put my cot in the kitchen and got woken up about every 30 minutes! This went on for a month or more. I have to get up at 5 to get ready for work so I was exhaused. In the end, one mare foaled alone during the day. And, I must have shut off the beeper cause the other one foaled between 1 am and 2 am, without me knowing it!

 

[midnight star stables]

Every single one of my horses sleeps flat out. I love it when the mares do this, as they look like beached whales!

Good Luck!

:lol: :aktion033: :bgrin

 

[HGFarm]

This is normal. Just hang in there!!! Mine kept me up every night doing this.... I find it unusual when they DONT lay down flat and have a few that didnt for a night or two before foaling.. perhaps too uncomfortable?

Sounds like she is really close!!

She is driving you nuts?? That's her job, hahahaha

:

 

[jleonard]

My maiden loves sleeping flat out. She will lay like that forever, then all of a sudden wake up, glare at her belly, pop up, do a couple of quick laps around the stall and go pout in the corner. I think her foal must be like the babies who will only sleep on car rides, and I do not think she appriciates being awakened in the middle of the night to take the kid for a ride!

:

Good luck with your mare, can't wait to see pics when baby arrives!

 

[sixshooterfarm]

Any more news? Any baby yet!??? Keep us posted!

 

[auledasacres]

update. Still not baby. But I do think it will happen this week. My mom Kay and I take turns with the pager so one can get some sleep. She had my mom up every 15 minutes all night. At four I felt so bad for her I took the pager so she could atleast get some sleep. I think I must pull a recliner into the back room so we can watch her on camera and still get a few winks in.

Her bag is bigger today but nipples still face in a little. Can't get any milk from her but didn't really expect to. Moved the other mare into a birthing stall yesterday next to this mare. They are due pretty much the same time March 27th for the new mare. She doens't have a bag at all. I decided to bring her in because I figured I was watching Gracie so close that Lady would decided to foal first. So both are under monitor and camera so we just have to wait.

Will email pictures as soon as we have some. Both our bred to our palamino stallion. One sorrel out of a bucksking and one bay. Can't wait to see what we get.

Thanks all for your support.

Traci and Family

 

[wendi leigh]

My mare is at 342 days and had been laying down at night, and laying flat out at least four or five times a night to make the pager alarm go off. LAST NIGHT SHE DIDN'T LAY DOWN!! Based on the posts here, it sounds like she is getting closer. Glad I'm not alone on my nightly mare stare.

-Wendi

 

[Trish]

: My mare is still holden out on me. She is at 346 days. Her bag is full, teats touching, can't express anything. She looks like she is tired of being pregnate. I haven't gotten much sleep in the last two weeks...watching her on the monitor thru the night :new_shocked:

Thought with the full moon last night, something would happen. Nope. Good luck to all those on MARE STARE.