Will a mare that has foundered before still give birth to a healthy foal?

Question

so my horse might have an accidental breeding, so the old owner said that she didnt breed her because she would have died or the foal would die or both of them would die. So i am just trying to figure out if this is true or not. Please help me.

Answer 1

This is a question best asked of a vet. Preferably, one with horse experience.

Answer 2

Yes because the foundering will not have anything to do with the foal. Foundering has to do with the Hooves of the animal, so the answer to that is yes she will have a heathly foal.

Hope everying Goes well with the foal, have a beautyful baby :)

Answer 3

why did the idiot breed her if shes founded she lucky to be alive as is get vet to abort

Answer 4

You must look at the mare's current physical condition and consider the reason for her foundering in the past.  If she is in good physical condition, then gestation should not be abnormally uncomfortable for her.  If her foundering in the past was only due to improper diet, then the foal should not inherit any problems.  However, if she is currently lame, gestation might be painful for her with all of the extra weight.  Also, if the foundering was related to some other condition, it is possible that those genetics could be passed to the foal.

Answer 5

Yes, she can have a healthy foal.

The problem that could arise is foal founder in the mare.  For some reason, broodmares sometimes founder shortly after giving birth.  If your mare was bred before and foundered with that foal, she's likely to do so again.

If she foundered before and had coffin bone rotation, another founder could result in further rotation to the point she'd have to be put down.

I'd have her feet xrayed to see if there's rotation, and go from there.  The vet can advise as to the likelihood of another episode and the probable effects.  He can also ease your mind by telling you if the horse is pregnant, or stopping the pregnancy if you decide it's necessary.

Answer 6

I wouldn't go there, the last thing this  horse needs is any more stress on her legs and feet. They only get more crippled up as time goes on and increased weight is going to make it worse.

Answer 7

Absolutely!!  I had a chronic Founder when I managed the TB farm.  She was bred year after year even though I objected cause the weight was horrible on her hooves, but a foundered mare has no effect on a foal.  Foundering is bad management skills 90% of the time.  Unfortunately that mare was bought from auction in that condition from my boss.

Answer 8

How did she founder the last time?  Feed, concussion or retaining the placienta?  (I know there's MORE ways to founder, just giving ideas here.).

IF she foundered because she retained the placienta, then you need to be advised that a vet HAS to be out there as soon as she foals so that he can get the rest of the placienta out of her so that she doesn't founder again.  

I had an old AQHA mare that did that on a regular basis and I that's how I got her, because the idiot that bred her, didn't get the vet out soon enough and she foundered again.  I sold her a year later, once again in foal and TOLD the owners in the bill of sale that she did retain the placienta and that the vet had to be called out ASAP after the baby was born (Also said that the stud fee was due at time of foaling.).  They didn't want to deal with her so swapped her back for a signed off breeder's certificate for the foal.

So, I pulled her out of it AGAIN!  Got her working and used her to get my old gelding back and made sure that the gal I swapped her to, KNEW that YES, she retained placientas, the VET had to be called out ASAP as she foaled.  This was a horsewoman and I thought she'd know what I was talkin' about and do the right thing.  Nope, the poor old gal (Now in her 20's.), retained the placienta, no vet was called and she foundered again then the vet was called.  Sheesh!

She did have a healthy chestnut colt, but that was her last one.

Answer 9

why do you want to breed this horse?

is there any really good reason to breed this horse other then you really like the horse or really want a foal?

is an accidental breeding like accidentlly getting prego? if the person that owned the horse before you said they "accidently breed" the horse.... then they're lying/not telling the whole truth.

i'm not trying to sound mean to you(it's not you're fault what someone else did to the horse before you), but more towards the person who owned the horse before you.  (i'm still wondering how you "forget" not to put a stallion and mare together....)

i dont know why you want to so i cant say it's a horrible idea, but i would like to say think about it, if the horse isnt healthy to begin with, the chances go higher up of injury to both mother and foal.... do you know how hard it is to have a healthy baby without the other issues of soundness/mare health problems?

go search for the FHOTD blog and listen to that person.... the best quote i've ever seen refering to horses:

"I mop up. I clean up the mess left by morons who just have to breed their mare." - Kill buyer Manny Phelps

Answer 10

There are a couple of things to consider when answering this question.

First, as others have mentioned, mare can founder if they retain their placenta.  If this was the cause the first time, then you need to realize there is a greatly increased chance your mare will retain a placenta this time, and the same thing could happen again.  So you need to monitor this very carefully.

But placenta retention is a very low cause of founder, so I'm going to guess it was due to overeating carbohydrates such as grain or even rich grass.  If so, then sometimes mares that are pregnant have LESS chances of foundering.  Many people with mares with this problem like to keep them pregnant, the growing fetus's demands on her body helps keep their weight closer to normal instead of so obese and can actually lower the risk of founder at times!

But the big question to me is - how uncomfortable was this mare before she was bred?  Was she moving well?  Was she comfortable in the pasture?  Will she be able to tolerate the extra weight of the growing baby without pain?

In my opinion, you probably have no risk of death to the mare or foal as long as the mare can move comfortably around the pasture and isn't in pain.  If she is miserable and suffering, you will have to evaluate things.  Perhaps you could help her with special footcare or a good visit from your vet.  If she was sound and okay before being pregnant, than just make sure she has good nutrition, foot care and such, and consult a vet.  You will likely be fine.

Just curious though - how did your mare get an accidental breeding?!

Answer 11

yes, but the foal would have come out of a very unhealthy mother...

Answer 12

get ur vet out.