# Oh gawd - how long could it be?!



## Wagtail (19 April 2012)

I have put owner of mare up in our annex so she could be on hand for the foaling. But now almost three weeks later mare looks less likely to foal right now than she did three weeks ago. The last week she has been dripping milk, but the foal is still looking quite high and her vulva seems to have tightened up! 

Almost two weeks ago she appeared to go into labour but we brought her in from the field and I think she shut down. Her vulva looked like this:






Yesterday it looked like this:





So tighter!

Could it be the recent bad weather that has put a halt to it? Mare was due 14th May.

Needless to say, owner is fed up and so am I!


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## Thistle (19 April 2012)

Have you managed to milk test her at all yet. Please try it will help to stop you going insane


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## Wagtail (19 April 2012)

Thistle said:



			Have you managed to milk test her at all yet. Please try it will help to stop you going insane 

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We have tried every day. She is getting more and more violent and so yesterday we felt we were making things worse. Maybe we should twitch her? But she doesn't respond too well to the twitch. We have been lifting a front leg but she really is having none of it. I am worried about the foal, but have read conflicting stories about milking mares. Some studs have stopped the practice as they feel it causes stress to mares who are not keen. In this mare's case, I have to agree with them.


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## Spring Feather (19 April 2012)

If she was "due" on the 14th April (?) then sorry to say she could go on for quite awhile longer.  Pregnant mares are a law unto themselves   Do you have photos of all the other signs?  Side-on and udder photos.


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## Wagtail (19 April 2012)

Spring Feather said:



			If she was "due" on the 14th April (?) then sorry to say she could go on for quite awhile longer.  Pregnant mares are a law unto themselves   Do you have photos of all the other signs?  Side-on and udder photos.
		
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I'll get some more today but this was yesterday 16th April:













And her belly 14th april - there hasn't been any change.







Will post some more later today. I think owner and I may be insane by then though.


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## Spring Feather (19 April 2012)

It's so difficult with mares you don't have breeding history with.  I have a mare who looks exactly the same as yours.  She's a maiden and her teats and belly look to be at the same stage as your mare however she's only 319 days today.  Now I know she's going to foal early but, judging by her progression (which has been steady and constant), I am thinking that she's most likely to foal around the 330 day mark (first day or so of May).  Her actual "due date" is 15th May but she won't hold out till then.


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## Fools Motto (19 April 2012)

The waiting game... I'm so used to this this year more so than last year. All of our mares have been long over-due. Still waiting for 2, of which they were due 5/4 and 14/4. The 14/4 mare has seriosuly waxed up, seriously uncomfy and apart from actually foaling has done everything to keep us on our toes - we feel the foal will be here any second now - that has been going on for the last week at least!! Needless to say, the other mare, is showing little signs despite ''usually'' foaling 9 days late, which has been the case on all of her previous 5 foals!!
As for the mare in question, she will foal when she is ready. When you ''HAVE'' to go out, or ''HAVE'' to fall sound asleep, that is when foaly will arrive. Sods law and all that!!

Good luck.


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## ElleSkywalker (19 April 2012)

I feel for you Wagtail, might just be the single of photo but mare does look to have slackened off at base of her tail? Has she been like that a while too? 

Am starting foalwatch next week & think its going to be a long one, hardly any bagging up & everything tight as a drum! 

Pony is native though (born on new forest) so think she might be a sneaky one 

Tell your livery if no foal next week she can come online & chat to me overnight to keep us awake


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## ElleSkywalker (19 April 2012)

Also, looks like rain forecast for quite a while, am thinking this might be slowing your mare down?!


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## domane (19 April 2012)

Yes, I was wondering whether she's a bit of an amateur weather forecaster and has decided to hold off until the weather improves!  Mine clearly isn't as she popped hers out Sunday night - just as everything took a downturn!!


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## Wagtail (19 April 2012)

These are from today. Maybe we're getting a bit closer?


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## Wagtail (19 April 2012)

Spring Feather said:



			It's so difficult with mares you don't have breeding history with.  I have a mare who looks exactly the same as yours.  She's a maiden and her teats and belly look to be at the same stage as your mare however she's only 319 days today.  Now I know she's going to foal early but, judging by her progression (which has been steady and constant), I am thinking that she's most likely to foal around the 330 day mark (first day or so of May).  Her actual "due date" is 15th May but she won't hold out till then.
		
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There just doesn't seem any logic to mares!



Fools Motto said:



			The waiting game... I'm so used to this this year more so than last year. All of our mares have been long over-due. Still waiting for 2, of which they were due 5/4 and 14/4. The 14/4 mare has seriosuly waxed up, seriously uncomfy and apart from actually foaling has done everything to keep us on our toes - we feel the foal will be here any second now - that has been going on for the last week at least!! Needless to say, the other mare, is showing little signs despite ''usually'' foaling 9 days late, which has been the case on all of her previous 5 foals!!
As for the mare in question, she will foal when she is ready. When you ''HAVE'' to go out, or ''HAVE'' to fall sound asleep, that is when foaly will arrive. Sods law and all that!!

Good luck.
		
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Lol, yes, that would do it. Just as both owner and I have to be away for an hour!



ElleSkywalker said:



			I feel for you Wagtail, might just be the single of photo but mare does look to have slackened off at base of her tail? Has she been like that a while too? 

Am starting foalwatch next week & think its going to be a long one, hardly any bagging up & everything tight as a drum! 

Pony is native though (born on new forest) so think she might be a sneaky one 

Tell your livery if no foal next week she can come online & chat to me overnight to keep us awake 

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Good luck with yours. I hope she doesn't keep you waiting too long.



ElleSkywalker said:



			Also, looks like rain forecast for quite a while, am thinking this might be slowing your mare down?!
		
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That was what I thought.



domane said:



			Yes, I was wondering whether she's a bit of an amateur weather forecaster and has decided to hold off until the weather improves!  Mine clearly isn't as she popped hers out Sunday night - just as everything took a downturn!!
		
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Could be in for a long wait!


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## Thistle (19 April 2012)

The photos from today look promising, her vulva looks longer and softer and her belly looks pointy. How are the tail head muscles. They will go so soft that you can sink your fist right in


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## Wagtail (19 April 2012)

Thistle said:



			The photos from today look promising, her vulva looks longer and softer and her belly looks pointy. How are the tail head muscles. They will go so soft that you can sink your fist right in
		
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Thanks. Her vulva is even looser now and she has been rolling and swishing her tail. Also milk has been streaming out. I managed to taste some and it's not sweet. Just tastes like cows milk. Quite bland. But I think it maybe tonight. I can see her from my kitchen and owner is sitting with her now. 

She is also incredibly hungry!


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## Thistle (19 April 2012)

The milk will go really sweet when she is about to foal, loke condensed milk!

If she is losing alot of milk and it continues then contact the vets and see if they have any colostrum that you can pick up if necessary. Always useful to know where the nearest suppy is!


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## Wagtail (19 April 2012)

Thistle said:



			The milk will go really sweet when she is about to foal, loke condensed milk!

If she is losing alot of milk and it continues then contact the vets and see if they have any colostrum that you can pick up if necessary. Always useful to know where the nearest suppy is!
		
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We have the AI centre and vets only 5 miles away, and the stud 8 miles away. They have some apparently. She has stopped streaming now. I think it was just because she'd been rolling.


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## magic104 (19 April 2012)

My vet said it is the foal that determines when foaling occurs by getting distressed.  The mare can release a hormone to delay things if she is unsettled/not happy but only for so long.  It may well be weather related as foals are born with a denser coat earlier in the season then from May onwards.  The foal is just not cooked yet & will come when ready.  We all blame the poor mare but it is the foal who is in charge.


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## Wagtail (19 April 2012)

magic104 said:



			My vet said it is the foal that determines when foaling occurs by getting distressed.  The mare can release a hormone to delay things if she is unsettled/not happy but only for so long.  It may well be weather related as foals are born with a denser coat earlier in the season then from May onwards.  The foal is just not cooked yet & will come when ready.  We all blame the poor mare but it is the foal who is in charge.
		
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And I hear the colts are in average a few days later than fillies.


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## Wagtail (20 April 2012)

Well a night with very little sleep and still no foal! I don't think she will be too long though as she's quite restless. Keeps shifting her weight and violently swishing her tail.


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## Thistle (20 April 2012)

She'll have it when you go to have a shower.

Has she passed the mucus plug yet? A thick sticky globby mess?


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## Wagtail (20 April 2012)

I have been looking for it every day and not seen it yet. There is loads of tail lifting and swishing, but she's eating like a good'en so think she's maybe just uncomfortable where the baby is lying. I'm so glad I only have one to watch. It's bad enough! I almost put my mare in foal around the same time but decided against it as she was 17 and a maiden and had had a shoulder injury, that despite being 100% padddock sound, I didn't want to risk. I have to admit though, I had no idea that the waiting would be this bad. I think it's worse in a way when there are two of you, as the conversation goes round in circles with neither of us really knowing what we're talking about! If it were my mare, I'd want to be on my own doing it. But we're all different.


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## Wagtail (20 April 2012)

She's running really sweet milk. Must be the colostrum is in. Hope it won't be too long now!


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## ElleSkywalker (20 April 2012)

sounds promising!!


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## Spring Feather (20 April 2012)

Wagtail said:



			She's running really sweet milk. Must be the colostrum is in. Hope it won't be too long now!
		
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She's gonna go soon! Yay!


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## domane (20 April 2012)

Ooh!  How EXCITING!!!


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## Monkers (20 April 2012)

If the milk's running sweet, then tonight's the night! Good luck!


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## Wagtail (21 April 2012)

A little colt was born at the very civilised hour of 4.50 pm! Text book perfect delivery, and needed no help at all from us. We are not sure what colour he is. He looks bay or very rich buckskin. Dam is bright bay and sire is Smokey Black). But he also has a strong dorsal stripe so maybe some dun? Will post some pics once I have some decent ones.


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## crellow4 (21 April 2012)

Congratulations, looking forward to seeing some photo's. It's likely that the 'dorsal stripe' is actually countershading as you would need to have one true Dun parent to stand a chance of getting a Dun foal.


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## domane (21 April 2012)

Oh congratulations to you and the owner!  Thank goodness the wait is finally over!  

Glad all went well   Looking forward to pics...


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## Monkers (21 April 2012)

That's great news, looking forward to the pics!


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## Thistle (21 April 2012)

Congratulations, I have had no internet, we had lightning strike and I wanted to know how you were.


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## Wagtail (21 April 2012)

Thank you!


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## Maesfen (22 April 2012)

The waiting was worth it!  Congratulations, you can relax a bit now.


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## Wagtail (22 April 2012)

Thanks, Maesfen. He has to stay in a few days unfortunately as he has a wonky back foot. It bends up when he walks. But the vet said it's nothing to worry about and it's very mild so should strengthen up in a few days. Then I can get soe decent photos when he's out and properly look at his colour.


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