Could this be possible...?

Question

since the start of the summer my mare seems to have been putting on a bit more weight than usual. I didn't really take any notice at first, I just thought it must be because of the fresh spring grass, my only worry was that she might get laminitus- but luckily she hasn't.

Over the last few weeks I've noticed it is a lot harder to do up the girth- it used to be able to go up to the sixth hole easily, but now I struggle to get onto the fourth, and there's about a 2 inch difference between them.

I mentioned this to my dad, who doesn't know much about horses in particular, but grew up on a farm, and he was wondering if it is possible that she could be pregnant...

We only got her at the start of November and we bought her from dealers who perhaps weren't the most honest people to sell you a horse- I know that I definitely won't make that mistake again!

The other thing I noticed is that she hasn't put on weight around her hips/ top of the back legs (I need to re-learn the points of the horse!!), she is actually quite hollow there- not really thin or anything, but not round. She's put on weight round her stomach, and thats why we think she could be pregnant...

Is this possible? If so, what should we do? Or are we just over reacting/ imagining things? Its just cause I know pretty much nothing about foaling/ mares in foal so I can't really tell...

Answer 1

It sounds like she is in foal.Have a vet check her out,and call back her older owners.

Answer 2

Since she is hollow around the flanks I would suggest worming her.  When they have a heavy worm infestation they tend to bloat almost looking pregnant.  I would suggest having the vet out to see if she is pregnant and doing a worm count for you, but I think it is just worms.  If you bought her in Nov you would see movement in her belly if she were bred, the foal would be moving.  Best to get it checked out so you can be prepared.

Good luck

Answer 3

you fink any1 is going to read all that you have got to be jokin lol

Answer 4

It's worth a vet check.  It could just be grass belly, and could be she needs worming, or she could be pregnant.  It is important to find out asap since if she is pregnant, her nutritional needs have to be adequately met.

Answer 5

I don't no just watch and if she continues she might be so take her to the vet

Answer 6

Yes it could be possible since the gestation period of a horse is eleven months. Call the people back that you got her from and ask. If they will not tell you call your local horse vet and make an appointmentt. Because you have to remember if she is pregnant shes feeding for two. Keep her in the barn until you know if she is pregnant, if she is keep her in the barn, if she is not and she is jut fat let her back into the field and put her on a diet

Answer 7

If you only got her in November, then she could absolutely be in foal.  Please get the vet out ASAP to check, and while you're at it, have the vet do a fecal to make sure that your horse isn't carrying a a lot of parasites.

Answer 8

If you want to find out for sure, have the vet come and give her a pregnancy exam. If she isn't - no problem. If she is, then you vet will be able to guide you about birth and let you know how much time you have.

Answer 9

The best thing to do is to have the vet do a urine test to see if she is in fact pregnant.  This will mean a lot of stalking around waiting for her to do the right thing!  I remember my father literally throwing himself head long under a mare who would never seem to oblige.  She was quite coy about these things!  It needs to be collected in a clean receptacle and you will have to forget the niceties of plastic gloves etc.  Use a plastic measuring jug and then no-one will get hurt.

Has she not been in season while you have owned her?

Your vet might need to do an internal examination to see if there is anything there.  If there is I would say you have approximately 2 months, possibly less to prepare.

Do you have stables?  Bring her in - preferably on shavings so that you can monitor her grazing/and get her used to being in.  Either that or leave her out in field and watch her there.

If she is going to foal it is likely to be in the night and she will do it on her own quite happily.  In the few days before here tail muscles will relax, her teats will begin to swell and have waxy "plugs" on them.  She might be restless, or less sociable than usual (if she is normally).

She might look a bit uncomfortable - almost as if she has colic, but then again she could have no behavioural changes.

If and when she does foal, approach with caution.  Some previously even tempered mares can be right Jekyll and Hyde characters after foaling and will attack.  

As soon as you can get to her, bring her in and wash her and check that the foal is standing and feeding.   The foal should follow. Be warned, there will be a lot of blood in the back end so her nether regions will have to be washed with salt water then a mild disinfectant as will her tail and hind quarters.

Give her a good feed and allow her to rest.  Call the vet to do the rest of the checks.

Incidentally, the mare my father so valliantly tried to get a sample from was not expecting!

Answer 10

My mare puts on weight in the summer cuz she's extra lazy in the heat. Just cut back on her feed a little. If you're really concerned that she may be pregnant, have the vet check her out. Ask the people you got her from if she has been exposed to a stallion recently. They may or may not tell you the truth. I would guess that she's not pregant though, cuz you've had her for almost 10 months so she would be only a month away from term. I think you would have noticed it sooner if it was pregnancy. That being said, I know a lady who bought a chunky draft cross mare and just assumed she was fat . . . until the day she dropped a foal. So maybe ask the vet to check her :)

Answer 11

talk to your vet horses can have ultrasounds just like people also maybe you could contact the people your bought your horse from

Answer 12

I would say to get your vet to look at her. If you can't get your vet out right away and you really want to know if she's just gaining weight or is in foal when your brushing her out one day you can always check her milk sack. If it's full then there is a good chance that she is in foal and you should get your vet out to make sure things are going good for her. If she's not in foal the only other suggestion that I have is to work her more. If you only ride for 2 hours a day then try lunging her before and after every ride, or ride her longer, and make her work harder.  

Answer 13

hmm monitor her feed and try talking to a vet she could be pregnatnt but she may just be putting on weight

Answer 14

Well I'd talk to a vet and study things about foaling coz it does sound an awful lot like she's pregnant. if she is then she will be eating a lot more also if the dealers weren't the best then it is even higher chance. if they she is getting fat then it would be baggy and not tight and it would normally be all over her body but she could just be getting fat so see a vet and wait really.  

Answer 15

If she is from a dealer, then that is a deff possibility! I would have the vet come out and ultrasound her, you want to make sure that if she is pregnant, that she will be getting all the proper nutrition she needs (and so you have time to prepare for it! LOL)

either that or she is just getting a haybelly and may just need some more exercise and maybe a grazing muzzle!

Good luck!! :)

Answer 16

Is it possible that she's in foal but to be honest, it's unlikely. The gestation period is 11 months and she would have been covered in September last year at the latest (they stop being in season in the winter as there is less daylight, so they produce less melatonin, so no seasons! lol). That would make her due this month. It is more likely that she has a heavy worm burden. Get a vet to check her out and do worm counts, she will need gradually de-worming because doing it all at once will cause a lot of damage. If it is worm damage, there will be irrepairable damage to her gut. Get a vet to her, and read up on worming etc! 1 or 2 hours work a day is heck of a lot, make sure you know what you're doing with this. Also, a small paddock and a little scoop of pony cubes is not a balanced diet. Talk to your vet about addressing her diet.