Overdue mare

[Pav]

OK, it's deja vu all over again with my mare. She was overdue with her first foal last year (351 days) and now she has officially surpassed that mark this year (day 352 and counting). She appears healthy, but she has not bagged up significantly yet. She had a nasty leg injury earlier in the year that she's recovered from, but don't know if the trauma caused her any delays. I know she's still in the "normal" range, so I won't worry too much yet, but just like last year, the wait is killing me. I'll keep everyone updated.

Pav

[LB]

I hate the waiting part, and I've never had a mare go significantly overdue. Good luck, I hope everything turns out perfectly!

[barnchick]

I had a perfect second foal of a mare at 360 days this year. The mare are wouldn't even lay down. They'll come when they come. Mom knows best. Rent some DVD's. Good luck to all.

[Jenny]

That would just do me in. Mine always go early! This year is the only time I had one mare go to her due date (340). So I am not used to having them go over. That would just drive me round the bend. I am a basket case anyway knowing what is to come. Thinking of all the possible scenarios. Good luck with the wait and I am sure It will be well worth it.

[madelyn]

Peaceful Treaty is still holding on, from an April 19th cover, so we are at 362 days so far...

[Bondama]

One of my mare-owner clients is getting jittery with his mare at 360 days now, too. And she's a quarter horse. (with a nice engine I might add!)

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[Diane]

I have a theory that the smart, instinct-wise ones hold onto their foals until after the full moon passes. It seemed pretty bright last night.

[Pav]

Sad news... unfortunately, the foal I've been waiting on was born dead this past weekend. According to the farm and vet, the foal was just too big and could not position itself correctly during labor and died before it could be delivered. Fortunately, they were able to save the mare and she is doing fine. (amazing how resilient she is ). The news regarding the foal has been very tough to deal with... it was my mare's second foal, but the first breeding that I personally was responsible for (she was in foal to Roar). Being relatively new to the breeding business, it's the first foal I've lost (and hopefully the last), but I know the extreme ups/downs are part of the business.

Aside from all of the emotions, I had a lot of questions that I discussed with the vet. I still don't understand it all. The problem was the size of foal (the vet said it was one of the biggest ones she's ever seen). Why was it so big? Is it genetic (both sire/dam are large horses)? Is it nutrition (overfeeding grain)? My mare was 2 weeks overdue when she delivered... why didn't the mare go into labor sooner before the foal got too big? Did her leg injury/fall several months earlier have anything to do with it (she went through a fence and had a seriod knee injury back in February).

My main concern now is how to avoid this in the future, particularly with this mare. Do I need to look for smaller sized stallions? Should I have her checked more frequently near her foaling date? Do I need to moderate her diet during the last couple months of gestation?

Any thoughts on any of this are welcome...

Thx,
Pav

[LB]

Pav, I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your foal. Having gone through the same thing this year, I know how heartwrenching it is.

Sometimes with horses, there are questions that simply can't be answered. Despite the best precautions and planning, s&^% happens. As I said when it happened to me, every so often Mother Nature just sucks.

It's great that you still have your mare and that she's in good shape. Best of luck for a more successful outcome with her next year.

[madelyn]

Wouldn't it be just great if we could INTERVIEW our mares?

Some wait for the first tastes of spring grass. Some wait for complete and total privacy. Some wait until they've been turned out a few hours.

It the foal came out whole and they didn't have to pull it/cut it apart, it is REALLY possible that it was not the size of the foal, it was a twisted or compressed umbilical cord which suffocated him. There is really nothing you can do. I lost a gorgeous colt like that two years ago.

Hold That Tiger was a horse known for throwing so large a foal that mares could oftentimes not be bred back in the foaling year. Perhaps Roar is one of those, also.

Better luck next year!

[Pav]

The foal was too large and as a result had to be cut out in pieces (not the best image that's been floating around in my head). I think this must have been, in part, due to genetics. Asking the vet, she implied (maybe mistakenly) that it's the mare that has more influence over the size of the foal than the stallion. Doesn't make much sense to me, particularly hearing how stallions often "stamp" their foals, which I'm assuming includes size. Roar is a big horse, but not sure how he compares to other stallions overall and/or his influence on the size of his offspring. Any other breeders out there with first-hand knowledge of the size of Roar's foals?

Thx,
Pav

[Mood Swings]

I'm so sorry Pav

I had the misfortune of being present for a fetonomy a few years ago. In this case the foal was deformed. As sad as it is sometimes things go wrong when the foal is developing. They are almost always unforeseen and sadly there is often nothing that can be done to prevent it. Mare nutrition can influence a foal. Do you risk underfeeding a pregnant mare in an attempt to influence the foals size? Probably not as overfeeding is not likely to cause the foal to grow too large, instead it would effect the mares ability to foal. As well underfeeding can increase your foals risk of developemental problems not to mention abortion. You said both the sire and the dam are large, so it is likely it was just a "genetic accident" that caused the foal to be so large. There is a stallion in Ontario that is known to throw above average sized foals. Some mares have been lost during or shortly after delivery because of foaling complications. However a friend bred her 15.2hh mare to this stallion and the foaling was uneventful. Serious injuries can have an adverse effect on the fetus but usually the fetus would be aborted shortly afterward in such cases.

Often after a mare has had a fetonomy they will not get in foal in the same season because of uterine trauma/scarring. Not to say she won't but it is entirely possible.

I know you mentioned that she didn't develop much of an udder before she foaled, was that still the case over the weekend? I ask because it seems that the mares body knew something was wrong by her going over her due date and her lack of an udder.

All you can do is try again. Hopefully your mares experience was an anomaly that will never happen again! I wish you a much better year and am glad your mare is recovering well from her ordeal. All the best

[henthorn]

So sorry, Pav! How awful for everyone concerned. My overdue mare is from an April 28 cover, and is huge. We already lost Vivid Dreams' foal that came at sixteen days late. I'm almost holding my breath until Glory has a healthy delivery.