Fat or foal

Kiss This

New Member
Jan 23, 2017
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Wigan
I bought a mare, aged 10 in August last year, it had been tethered by the gypsies and had foal after foal. I have very slowly and carefully backed this mare, but just recently she has changed, she has gone more flighty, generally unhappy at anyone entering the stable, not in an aggressive way but backs herself into a corner in a submissive 'don't hurt me' way, I would never ever hurt her and never have. And this evening has started to produce milk. I have been in touch with my vet who has advised me, under the circumstances to 'let things take their course' however, tonight if I squeeze her teets she has milk. My experience with mares is limited, all my other ponies have been geldings. This mare is only 12 3 but is built like a tank and doesn't really look any different from the day i got her, however, we walk about 30 mile a week inhand and this mare has not lost any weight since i have had her. (I have lost weight though lol) any tips on how I tell fat from foal?
 
Yup, if she's actually leaking milk you will have a foal very soon, unless she has a raging mastitis!
 
Well I'm not a grandma yet lol
milk isn't leaking but her udders looked really prominent (big) so I gave one a little gentle squeeze and nearly fainted when milk (I'm guessing milk) came out.
I'm going to have to do some serious googling, but do mares only get milk if they are in foal? could it be a phantom? My vet seems reluctant to come out, I was thinking blood test or scan, but because i have no idea of a mating date, he thinks I should just wait because 'its not an exact science' I was hoping vet would come out and give me approximate dates, so I can prepare myself.
 
one of my mares has milk from about 10 days before she foals.... then it tends to go clear right before which im guessing is colostrum
 
Not sure how relevant this is but last spring Belle (and several other mares in our area apparently) had a clearish liquid coming from her teats, I only noticed as I was putting fly gel on them and though what the heck, she was in season, vet didn't seem concerned at all and I knew for certain she hadn't been anywhere near a stallion.
 
I'd guess it's probably a bit late for blood tests or scans, but I'd want the vet to come & give her a once over for my peace of mind & also to give me a quick checklist of what to look out for and signs that help is needed. At least she's not a maiden mare so she knows what she's doing.
 
Totally agree, just vet seems very reluctant to come out, I had him out five months ago when she first came to us, as she had no passport and I wanted full medical before I started any work with her, so i had vet, dentist and physio, all did work then gave clean bill off health. I have no problem having vet again, except he doesn't seem to want to come out lol I can ring another vet but have used this vet for last 20 years and have. so I thought a relationship with him.
 
How can you waffle "I'm concerned my mare may be in foal & due soon, I want to book an appointment for a vet to come & see her" ?
 
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My mare was pregnant 2 years ago, was in a field with 6 other pregnant mares. They all had their foals except mine. Then it happened that the owner of one of the mares in the same field was a vet and she checked out my mare and said she was just fat:(:D even the stud farm owner thought it was strange that she wasn't given birth because her body form was the same as the pregnant mares:D
The foal aborted at some point with nobody realizing.:(
 
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