Waddling mare

[CrescentMinis]

Well, I have one of those "is she or isn't she?" girls who was pasture bred last year, in with the stallion through late summer. I have all but given up on here even being pregnant after all this time, but there are a couple of things I would love input on if they ring bells with anyone......

For the last 2 months or so, her whole back end movement is pretty stiff and she waddles at a walk; her trotting action still looks normal, it's just the walking that is really odd. I've posted pics here before and it's agreed she looks like she could be in foal, or she could also be fat. It's all in that belly though; I've taken a tape measure to it once in a while over the last 10 months and it has grown about 10", but her girth is the same as it was back when.

Is there something besides pregnancy that could make her walk like a duck?

And then the other question is, last night and this afternoon I noticed when peeking under her tail, the slightest amount of clear discharge. A little stringy, but not much of it. Do mares in heat get this, or could it mean foaling approaching? I still have her wearing the breeder alert at night just in case, it can't hurt at this point.

Isn't this fun

OH!

Any opinions? Thanks in advance

 

[Lucky-C-Acres-Minis]

Does she have any other signs of being close to foaling? udder? vulva relaxing?

 

[CrescentMinis]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, the udder comes and goes, nothing really full and big, but sometimes more than others, has edema in front of udder, prominent milk veins, etc. Her vulva is pretty relaxed looking compared to the other mares here. This would be her 2nd foal and the first did not go completely to term (premature by 3-4 weeks, foal didn't live; that and the breeding is all from before I purchased her), so I don't know if that influences the next pregnancy at all.

I don't have any boys here to let me know exactly what is going on with the girls. I think the 2 year old may be in heat because she's acting up a little more than usual, but everyone was interested in checking out Annie's (the waddling mare) back end tonight.

 

[shelly]

Can you post any recent pics---that will help us all to see her! Front-side - udder and vulva if you can

 

[CrescentMinis]

Here are some pictures.....(I reattached the pictures because I linked a couple of wrong ones at first)..

side shot from 6-01-08

side shot from 7-18-08

udder on 6-01-08

udder picture from 7-18-08

vulva 7-18-08

Her udder and vulva don't look as "pregnant" to me as they did in June.

So what besides pregnancy could make her waddle so badly? Poor girl sways back and forth as she walks. I will start free lunging her a few minutes and build up to 10 or 15 since she needs some exercise.

 

[wildoak]

The belly looks like a pregnant belly

, the udder not so much but she may just not be really bagging yet. Do you have any idea of dates she could be due?

Jan

 

[CrescentMinis]

That's the especially wonderful part about pasture breeding

... when I bought her I was given due dates around mid MARCH, so I have been watching since before then. As time has passed, keeping in touch with the seller, I have learned since then that she was pastured with the stallion into September last year. The seller was very certain she saw activity early on that would have indicated a spring foal. I wonder if she did catch early and maybe lost it, and got in foal again toward to end of the time window.

The other thing is, she hasn't completely shed out like the other horses here, and I was doing some reading that made me wonder if she could have Cushings?

 

[Bonny]

I so feel your pain! Shave her fuzz so we can see her udder better. She looks to have a belly, have you done any preg test at all? How long have you had her?

I will check in and we can wonder together!

 

[Ashley]

She looks more pregnant in the first pics then the second, and it sure does look like a foal belly. But that said I have a few here who look like that, that i know ARE NOT bred.

That "movement" she makes can be cause by being fat. Just ask my gelding out here.

 

[shelly]

With as big as she is, and having No udder, I am guessing she maybe WAS pregnant and lost it---kinda like what "luvtoridesaddleseat" 's mare Cookie did!

She waddles too and she is NOT pregnant-looks exactly the same!!

We think she still thought she was-but then coming in contact with a stallion brought on her heat cycle!

Give her a weefoal test and you should know for sure!

 

[Bonny]

Thats a good idea. Thats what I did and she tested positive. zIf she was bred late summer she still has time to foal...

 

[CrescentMinis]

Yep, it could all be a false pregnancy is definitely a possibility. Isn't it too late for Weefoal, I recall something about up to 300 days for accuracy? If she is even pregnant, she has to be at least a little past that by this point.

{edited to add: I learned since writing this, that horses do NOT have false pregnancies, the way dogs do.}

She just had a bath and when she dries I will clip the fuzz. She's just so darned hairy! You can see she was clipped in that June picture, and 6 weeks later she is a summer fuzzball. Just makes no sense. OH!

 

[CrescentMinis]

Update......................clipped picture.........

I tried to clip last weekend and the clippers choked trying to mow through that coat.

Got my new Double K's now, so here is a side shot for your opinion please!! Think that's a baby bump? Her udder looks the same to me.

Color experts, on a side note, would you agree with her registration papers that she is a dun?