# Rigs - can they put a mare in foal?



## LeneHorse (30 June 2007)

Great excitement at the yard today. A new mare who has been there about a month started acting oddly - restless in the field looking at her flanks,  and her belly was kind of moving! Also her udders seemed a bit swollen. The view was that she might be about to foal. (i know nothing about foaling so did not offer an opinion). Turns out that at her last yard she was out with a horse thought to be a Rig. So - my question is - can a rig sucessfully get a mare in foal? Will we be hearing the patter of tiny hooves?
PS in case anyone says it looks more like colic - which was my initial guess - she apparently was passing plenty of droppings so they decided not colic.
PS 2 - there is so much grass in the field they all have great big bellies and look pregnant.


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## pixie (30 June 2007)

in a word - yes


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## Irishcobs (30 June 2007)

Rigs are sterile. So unless she has had access to a stallion, maybe a vet should check her. Just because she is passing lots of poo doesn't mean it is not colic.


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## JM07 (30 June 2007)

most definitly not.


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## brackenhappy (30 June 2007)

possibly..............only as a friend's horse was got at by a rig and the mare was pregnant, that may have just been a fluck but she defo had foal as seen it with my own eyes! (the foal not the deed!!) up till then i was always under the impression that rig's could not impregnat but from what i remember the vet tellin my friend if the pipes and testicle (cant think of tecnical name for them!!) are not damaged then sperm can still be made in remaining testicle and pass through and ends in pregnant mare!!! dont think this is very common though but to ease owners mind its prob best they have pregnancy test.


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## Breezesbenefactor (30 June 2007)

Castration...no balls no foal. I'd be tempted to get the vet out and ask him to have a good look. Phantom pregnancy? has she become agressive?


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## Honeypots (30 June 2007)

I think it depends on how far the testicle has desceded as to how well it is doing the job. 'Most' rigs are infertile but not all..


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## Cobland (1 July 2007)

May seem like a dumb question but what is a rig?


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## brackenhappy (1 July 2007)

a rig is a colt thats been gelded but aint been done correctly! tends to happen if testicle has not fully decended and vets been unable to remove


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## Patches (1 July 2007)

Either not gelded and has retained testicles or not all hormone producing tissue has been removed. 

However my understanding has always been that even if the horse was entire, but with retained testicles, they would not be fertile as the increased temperature to the sperm from being in testicles inside the body cavity would make them sterile. 

Yes, they have the hormones and the urge, but I genuinely thought it wasn't possible for them to impregnant a mare.


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## PapaFrita (1 July 2007)

[ QUOTE ]
in a word - yes 

[/ QUOTE ]
Really? I was sure they couldn't


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## LeneHorse (1 July 2007)

Update! The mare was kept in last night and was fine this morning. They now reckon it was very mild colic - not about to give birth! But they are getting the vet out anyway to check her over.


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