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05/19/11, 07:37 PM
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Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 624
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New here...mini question
Hi, my name is Linsay and I have been on the goat forum, but this is my first post here. I have an 11 year old haflinger/QH cross, as well as a mini. My concern is with the mini.
She is a 7 year old paint color large mini, I bought her for 50 dollars because I felt sorry for her. A couple months after getting her I noticed she was getting "round" and called the previous owner to see if she had been around a stallion, she said that the mare had been in with her mini stallion from June 1st 2010 to Dec 1st 2010! When I got her her hooves were 14 inches long strait out and looked like skis! They are still a little long but we are slowly trimming them to get her back on track and she can walk and trot around without waddling now. I also got her up to date on everything.
Now, Trixie (the mini mare) is HUUUGE! I have never done a horse breeding before therefore don't know much about the foaling process. Can you tell by the udder and vulva if she is close to foaling? If so I would like to take some pics and get some opinions. Also, anyone know when she "should" be due by the dates I provided? I seem to be getting contradicting information. Any advice would be awesome as well.
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05/19/11, 07:51 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Illinois
Posts: 8,262
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Pintos are pretty, aren't they? Have you had the vet out?
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05/19/11, 07:59 PM
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Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 624
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She is very pretty, I have to go milk the goats shortly, so I will get photos :-)
The vet was out, but only to do the normal, scheduled horse maintenance and it was right after I got her so before I even suspected she was in foal. Is there another reason I would need him to come out? I dont need a confirmation on her pregnancy...because if she isn't pregnant and is just really fat...its not a big deal because she was a rescue anyway :-) Pictures coming soon...headed outside right now.
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05/19/11, 09:03 PM
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Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 9,128
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If she was out with the stud for those months, she could be due anytime from now to sometime in the fall.
She could be fat. Minis are notoriously easy keepers and if she is out on pasture that is maintaining the other horse, she may be simply be substantially overweight.
One thing that might tell you something is to stand directly behind her, with her front and back feet in line so her backbone is straight away from you. Look at her belly. If it bulges more to one side than the other, it is much more likely to be a pregnancy than just fat. Later in the pregnancy, you may also see a rather 'pear shaped' profile ... fat horses tend to be round from the backbone out ... a barrel shape ... a heavily pregnant mare is apt to have a more pear shaped profile from the rear.
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05/19/11, 10:00 PM
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Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 624
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SFM-
She might just be fat, but I am leaning away from that due to the fact that there is no pasture to eat here. I am actually kind of hoping she is just fat, I love babies, but I have a pretty busy life as it is haha. It is all dirt where the horses are and they eat hay, actually they eat less than a small square bale a day between the two of them. Only a handful of grain a couple times a week at the most as a treat, not part of the regular diet. They always have a mineral block and all the water they want as well. Her belly does bulge more to one side than the other..and as far as the pear shape, I can not really picture exactly what you are talking about. I am working on getting pictures up as I type...but my computer is not cooperating.
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05/19/11, 10:12 PM
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Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 9,128
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Linsay2231
SFM-
She might just be fat, but I am leaning away from that due to the fact that there is no pasture to eat here. I am actually kind of hoping she is just fat, I love babies, but I have a pretty busy life as it is haha. It is all dirt where the horses are and they eat hay, actually they eat less than a small square bale a day between the two of them. Only a handful of grain a couple times a week at the most as a treat, not part of the regular diet. They always have a mineral block and all the water they want as well. Her belly does bulge more to one side than the other..and as far as the pear shape, I can not really picture exactly what you are talking about. I am working on getting pictures up as I type...but my computer is not cooperating.
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Depending on the weight of the bale and also if it is grass or grass/alfalfa mix, that is likely to be more hay than they need. I used to estimate my full sized QHs would average about 30# to 40# of hay per day in winter, when it was cold. I've had ponies a bit bigger than minis do very well on 15# to 20# per day ... grass hay.
As for the pear shape ... think of the pear sitting on it's larger end on a table. The top is narrower, then it bulges out at the bottom. Compare that to the idea of looking at the end of a barrel ... completely round. Completely round, like you're looking at the end of a barrel, probably fat. Pear shaped, narrower at the top and bulging at the bottom, likely pregnant ... although this shape is more noticeable toward the end of the pregnancy, so earlier on this may not be as obvious.
Most obvious sign, of course, is udder development and the relaxing of the muscles at the top of the rump on both sides of the tail, along with the tail being very relaxed. Once this happens you're looking at a foal in the near future.
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05/19/11, 10:15 PM
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Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 624
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05/19/11, 10:19 PM
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Join Date: May 2011
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I have more photos, I am just trying to get them to upload...grrr. Anyhow, it is just grass hay cut from our fields that weigh 40 to 50 lbs each. The two of them together eat a little less than 3/4 a bale per day.
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05/19/11, 10:36 PM
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Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 624
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05/19/11, 10:42 PM
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Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 624
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05/20/11, 12:30 AM
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Just living Life
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: Now in Virginia
Posts: 8,277
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She looks in foal to me.
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Shari
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05/20/11, 02:39 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: S.E. Iowa
Posts: 2,530
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She's adorable! Fat or preggers? I don't know, mine is Fat.
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05/20/11, 07:49 AM
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Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 624
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I got more photos, but for some reason they wont post on this thread so I started a new thread with 7 photos...it is called pregnant or fat haha. Check them out and let me know what you think, I think she has the "pear shape" and it is shown well in one of the photos. I also took udder and vulva photos...her vulva seems to have elongated quite a bit compared to when I got her...but maybe its my imagination...its not like I check it out all the time.
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05/20/11, 07:51 AM
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Animal Addict
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Maryland
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She looks to be in the family way if I just hazrd a guess! She is very cute.
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Becky
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05/20/11, 08:00 AM
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Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 9,128
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The angle isn't real good to make the call, but if I had to guess, I'd say pregnant rather than fat.
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05/20/11, 08:28 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ocala, FL
Posts: 3,540
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I vote pregnant, not from the vulva or udder; those look like the "parts" of a mare that has had babies before, but from the shape and placement of her belly bulges AND the fact that she was with a stallion for a long time.... you should caculate the very earliest she might have gotten pregnant, and then the very latest; then, your window will be from 320 to 340 days past those dates. 320 to 340 is the normal range, but I have seen a maiden foal at 314 and a mare just went a few days over, too.
I posted on the other thread, but then realised everyone was over here, huh! ;-)
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05/20/11, 10:59 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Eastern WA
Posts: 6,299
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I vote cute myself. 
I really like your Strawberry mare, she looks so pretty and sweet. The mini is adorable too, but I'm no expert on horse pregnancies, so I'll sit that one out! Welcome to the horse forum!
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05/20/11, 03:09 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Central Oregon
Posts: 6,175
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Check the nipples every day. somewhere between 1-3 days before she foals, there will be a tiny little wax plug right at the opening of her teat.
It will look like dried up condensed milk. Don't touch it.
The muscles above her tail will get slack before she foals, but that doesn't give you much of a time line.
She can have contractions for a couple of days before she foals. That is the foal getting into position. Don't panic if nothing happens.
Mares foal fast. Once she gets serious contractions (you will have no doubt, they are huge), I would expect the foal within 15-30 minutes. If not, you might have to reposition the head, or simply pull the foal's feet down towards the mare's back feet. Pull hard, but only while she is having a contraction.
Foaling trouble is very rare and even more rare in ponies. Chances are that it will all go smoothly.
However, I would have her separated from the other horses when she foals.
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05/21/11, 11:08 PM
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Michigan's thumb
Posts: 14,903
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I think she looks "with child". Another thing, fat equine usually have a fat roll on their necks. That is, the neck will be wider at the mane half than at the throat half.
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