I purchased a mare for a broodmare this spring as a 'bred mare' that was exposed to a stallion for several months last year. She is young and this would be her first foal. Not only was she not pregnant, though she is quite heavy and her neck is NOT cresty either- she came back with very low thyroid. I was told that without meds she will not settle or carry a foal, and then there is no guarantee and as a broodmare, a thyroid horse is not reliable. She was bred, in the meantime through 2 cycles to my stallion, and has not settled. She also has 'fat' down in front of her bag, like she is just beginning to bag up, but her flanks are not full like a pregnant mare, but her belly is quite big, and since different mares carry differently, especially for a first foal, I was duped into buying this mare for a good sum. I wont go into detail here, but the seller and her agent told me and others a few things in the meantime that were not true at all..... and this is still being dealt with on my end with no responses from the seller or agent.
Many times thyroid horses can be anemic too, because of the way the imbalance affects the body. The thyroid can affect many other health issues as well, due to the way it works on the body.
If the horse is thyroid, like people, it can flucuate and it is a life time of blood tests to make sure the medicine is the right dose, and not missing meds for one day, if you are hoping for a foal at all. My vet recommends a blood test every 3 months for the first six months, then if the level is ok, to check twice a year to make sure the meds and thyroid level are sufficient.
