# would you say shes pregnant and due soon.



## lizzypeg (23 September 2012)

shes a rescue who came with foal at foot in feb.
shes got to this size in last 3 months...vet looked at her two weeks ago and said got to be infoal and due in next month. has for teats filled up but not really a bag as such.
vet didnt do internal or blood tests etc but said from lookingat her size and shape has got to be and its either a big foal or multiple foals.....now we are worried as shes not really handlable so cant check muscle tone on bum or look under tail as will her double barrelled...

i think from size shes got to be but others have said shes just a fat shetland....
help please breeders...esp ones of wild/semi wild mares who can't check the parts regularly like most breeders can,


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## WestCoast (23 September 2012)

Not a breeder, but if she's not in foal I'll eat my hat. It's the shape of her stomach - poor little thing. 

Paula


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## HaffiesRock (23 September 2012)

I am no expert either, but if she isnt in foal she needs a serious diet!

Does look very in foal to me though. I suppose time will tell and I hope everything is OK. x


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## lizzypeg (23 September 2012)

im not a breeder but have worked on studs in past and i think from shape and size she is..but as was a rescue now worried if she is that dad was huge or vet right and more than one in there.not seen any movement of stomach but she does kick at it occassionally and is even bigger now as these were taken in aug/early sept


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## elijahasgal (23 September 2012)

Whatever she is seriously fat, with a gutter on her hindquaters.  I am more tempted to say not as likely, because the belly is forwards of where I would expect it. She needs to stay in off that field and all that grass, and if she is in foal, it would make it a lot harder on her with all the extra weight.  Easiest way of checking.....is she getting huge milk veins on her belly leading to her udders? Is she getting any udder development?


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## ItsJem (23 September 2012)

My friend breeds minis. 12 days ago her semi wild mare foaled. She looked almost identical to this shape. I would be shocked if she wasn't.


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## lizzypeg (23 September 2012)

sorry but in what pic can you see a gutter? shes not got one and vet who saw her 2 weeks ago said shes not overweight as its all belly.may be harder to see in pics but im happy to go with vets opinion.
she was rescued from running out on moorland/marshs so not sure what size dad would be.
these are most recent pics iv got and are from a good 3 weeks ago.
her belly is now filled out a lot further back near flanks and shes got teats filled and a small bag but not really properly bagged up.


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## elijahasgal (23 September 2012)

Looking again, the last pic of her hind view. You can see that her spine is below her surrounding quaters.  HOWEVER on looking at it again, you can also in that pic just see milk veins.
If you think that I am being harsh, here is a web page to condition scoring
http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/agricultu...nt/condition-scoring-weight-estimation-horses

Seen a cracking horse that its owners refused to admit she was fat (her type) come down with laminitus, and it has liturally destroyed her feet. 2 years later her feet are more filler than hoof. And seeing her on the road yesterday I was shocked at how much she is struggling. And what upsets me most? They still deny she is fat.....not as bad as she was, but it wants to make me cry that they are killing her with kindness. Oh and yes they still show her in hand, and she still wins. Awuful.


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## JanetGeorge (23 September 2012)

I don't think she's obscenely fat - just a bit porky - and I'd put a modest amount of money on her being pregnant and due in the next 4 weeks!  Do NOT feed her extra for her pregnancy - mares can take what they need 'off their backs' and she doesn't want to get any fatter!

Concentrate on some quiet handling and building her confidence in you - as if she DOES have any problems foaling - you need to be able to help.  I wouldn't be too worried about the likelihood of twins - they are relatively rare in ponies - particularly if she had a foal on her and wasn't being well fed at the time she was covered.  And if it IS twins, there's nothing you can do about it now anyway!  You CAN make sure her feed is restricted a little to prevent a big foal getting too much bigger (you can feed her up to boost her milk supply after foaling!)


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## Fools Motto (23 September 2012)

I'd say she was in foal, and would say within the next 2 weeks or there abouts.

Whatever happens, she is as close to a true thelwell  from those pics that I've ever seen! Good luck.


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## Archiepoo (23 September 2012)

i have no experience with pregnant mares so sorry i cant give any advice -but i just have to say shes sooo cute!!!


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## lizzypeg (23 September 2012)

thanks all.shes not been getting anything other than grass since she came as all mine are natives that lives out and don't get any extra feed, even my youngsters are on grass only.
shes on organic grazing that doesnt get fertilized and is poor to ok not rich or lush.
she was out with her son and two other younger rescue shets but has been in own paddock for last month as didnt think she'd apprieciate them helping if she is in foal.


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## Maesfen (23 September 2012)

Will be very surprised if she isn't but at the same time she is grossly obese; you only have to look at her quarters in the last pic to see that (and I see a gutter too, sorry)
Hope it goes well for her, Janet's handling advice is sound.


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## djhope120 (23 September 2012)

Hi, its difficult to say because i have a gelding shetland that looks similar when he gets fat! 
Couple of questions though, have you noticed her in season at all since you have had her? You mentioned she had a foal at foot when she arrived, how old was this foal approx? because if she was running loose she will most probably have been covered on her foal heat which would give you an approximate due date. 
I wouldnt worry too much about the size of the sire, if it didnt damage her covering her all should be fine because the foal will grow to her capabilities until after birth.


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## alfiesmum (23 September 2012)

looking forward to the baby pics


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## lizzypeg (23 September 2012)

hi foal was prob 6 months when he came in feb maybe a bit older.the rescue wasnt 100 percent sure.
shes not a mare whos really shown seasons but not sure if thats just her as i know they are all different.
foal had just been gelded by rescue when we took them on in feb.
mare is approx 15 years according to rescue


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## Truly (23 September 2012)

I'm sorry but this really upsets me to see this  ...she is grossly obese! 

She'll end up with laminitis and will be in terrible pain and 'could' end up being put to sleep.

No way is this natural for her breed....I have had shetlands all my life and they can not be out on good grass whether they get no other feed. They are good doers that naturally survived on little vegetation not our lush fields in England.

I can not believe your vet said she was ok weight wise?...they also should have taken a blood test to know for sure she was in foal or not.

I'm being brutally honest because I care and don't want to hear she has ended up with laminitis.....please restrict her grazing and get some nutritional and management advice from a vet that knows what they are talking about.

Please take this as caring advice and not a personal dig at you x


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## CBFan (24 September 2012)

I agree, she looks in foal but also looks very overweight and I would be very concerned about the risk of laminitis.

She looks to have access to more than a good bite of grass - too much for a pony her size IMO.


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## Amymay (24 September 2012)

Looks in foal to me too.

And also very fat.


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## DGeventing (24 September 2012)

You've had her around 7 months, she spent time with a rescue beforehand, so why isn't she handle-able yet? I've worked with abused horses, wild Mustangs and semi feral Chincoteagues etc, and even the most aloof would tolerate a veterinary type examination after that amount of time? 

She may be pregnant. Even if she is, she's still very overweight. The size of the neck, the total absence of definition over any of the limbs, I'm seeing fat rolls and pads  Even if pregnant she ought to be on reduced grazing ASAP!


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## Amymay (24 September 2012)

DGeventing said:



			You've had her around 7 months, she spent time with a rescue beforehand, so why isn't she handle-able yet?
		
Click to expand...

Have to agree with this. Even more important as she's probably going to drop a foal on you any day.


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## alfiesmum (30 September 2012)

any updates on this pony?


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## Clodagh (30 September 2012)

I don't know about in foal but she is grotesquely fat, poor little thing.

I stewarded at a driving trials a week or so back and there was a pair of shetlands in it, you wouldn't have thought they were the same breed. My 17hh horses aren't on that much grass!


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## Bennions Field (2 October 2012)

OP - i know how hard it is to keep shetties weight down, but please please be very carefull, i'm not being critical just really worried for your lovely mare, i have two mini's that are really restricted with grazing and give them a slab of hay each day (in winter only ) between them to ensure they get some fibre but they really should live on next to nothing, and certainly not fertilised grazing.  I have attached a picture of my two mares, the white one is the preferred weight the brown one (black) is still slight too fat, she's resticted in her movement as she has deformed legs (she's very happy i might add) so cannot run around as easily.  She's also an escape artist and regularly slides between the post and rail fencing / dives under the electric fence   so makes it harder to restrict her grazing !  (this is a picture of the gateway/driveway to my yard, they do have a little more grass than this but only have 1/2 acre between them - the broom is maisy's toy she drags it around the paddock all day ! )







I'm not convinced your little mare is in foal or just overweight - they do tend to have very low bellies and if allowed to get fat their bag can easily look like its starting to fill - both mine do this when they get too fat - 

either way i wish you the very best of luck with her, she looks to be a nice shettie and very pretty


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