Hi everyone, I know I am in the wrong section but I figured more people will see it in here.
Basically I have noticed that Star is getting very very fat recently, at a really fast pace but strangely it is growing down and although she looks humongous you can still slightly see her ribs!
I am now worrying because I worked out that she hasnt had a season in 7 months roughly (I just wasnt paying that much attention to them and didnt realise it had been this long) and she has started biting quite agressively when anyone touches her stomach or touches the top of her back in the wrong place.
Looking back to last August/September we were at an awful livery yard that one day she had an accident in the field, I went down in the evening to find she had cut both back legs to shreds on the inside of her legs, Apprently people had been in the field with her all day and not noticed and apprently had no clue as to what happened (even though this yard suposedly prides itself on taking such good care of the horses and check on them constantly) which really wound me up and 4 days later we moved yards. It is since then (well roughly) that she has not been into season. I have done some reading up and they say you cannot tell if they are pregnant until roughly the last three months, this would be now. I rang the vet this morning and they said there is a high possibilty she is and the onyl way of kowing is to have her blood tested.
Does anyone have any ideas on how I may be able to know myself without havoing the vet out? Our vets come to us on Fridays and other than this friday it will be another 3 weeks due to bank holidays and I am desperate to know! I will try and get some pictures tonight and post them for opinions!
Please help!!!!

Get the vet out this Friday is my advice! If you need to know, and a blood test is the only way, that's what you've gotta do!
Even if she's not pregnant, if her belly has grown in such a way and she doesn't like you touching it, couldn't something else be seriously wrong? It won't be a wasted visit either way.

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RIP - Marsh, Hugo, Mako, Rufus, Seamus, Lavender, BigBoy, Tetley and Fitch <3

That is a very good point! Problem is that I have never had mares, only geldings! So I dont even know how often they are suposed to come into season. The only thing I know is that the year I have had Star she has always (before them totally stopping) come into season every 2 weeks-1 month like clockwork!
Can you please enlighten me? Have done some research onlikne but hard to know what is truth and what is made up!
Feel really stuck!

I have no idea about mare's seasons either - I'm not a horse owner lol, but the vet should be able to enlighten you and put your mind at ease if you can get to the bottom of it with them on Friday.

What will you do if she is in foal? I'd suggest contacting a local breeder for help and mentorship if you're inexperienced with birthing etc.

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RIP - Marsh, Hugo, Mako, Rufus, Seamus, Lavender, BigBoy, Tetley and Fitch <3

Mares dont usually come into season during the winter months - so the fact that she hasnt had a season for 7 months isn't really an issue.

For her to be in foal - there must have been a stallion at your previous livery yard? If that is the case - then the yard owner was very irresponsible to allow it to be out with mares.

Your vet may be able to tell by doing an internal examination of your mare - that is how they decided my mare was in foal.

Are you still in contact with anyone from your previous yard? They may be able to tell you if there was a stallion at the yard.

I hope she isnt - trust me it will be hard work for you if she is!

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My family :
Sox 31 year old pony
Zara 15 year old horse
Chloe 12 year old black Lab
Sasha 9 year old black Lab
Francis (allegedly) 14 years Rescue Dog
Tosh 17 year old rescue dog - RSPCA prosecuting owner - sadly pts 28.07.11
Saffron 18 month old tortoiseshell cat
Spike, Prozac, Ginger and Snap, and now Ritz & Ryvita the Guinea Pigs

R.I.P Gabby Guinea Pig - passed away 26.01.11

There were stallions at the yard but they were in different paddocks. The problem was that everything joined on the yard and wouldnt have been hard if one got loose to get in with her. It is by far THE worst yard I have ever set foot on and an absolute disgrace saying they are experienced horse owners and livery yard owners!! I wouldnt contact them again as I left on VERY bad terms and to be honest I wouldnt put it past them to know exactly what happened and to keep it from me knowing I would leave after the incident anyway.
I wont be best pleased if she is but if she is, she is! Just gotta try my hardest to get on with it and manage it the best I can.
I am just thinking that all these signs lead to a pretty obvious answer! Like when you have owned a horse foir so long you know when something is different dont u!

OMG! What an awful yard! Where I keep mine any stallion is kept in it's stable until all the other horses on the yard are back in. Or the stallion is turned out in the indoor for a while - never would a stallion ever be in the situation where it could get to a mare.

I bought my mare March 2000 and found out she was in foal in the June - gave birth to a lovely chestnut filly 2 weeks later I was so stressed out for those 2 weeks. I was lucky with my mare - the vet had said she would foal in 6-8 weeks but 2 weeks later she was very restless so I asked the livery yard owner to check on her late that night and to contact me if she looked as if she was in labour - he thought I was over-reacting as she wasn't 'due' for 4-6 weeks at this point. Anyway, he checked her at 11pm and decided to check on her again in the early hours - I got a phone call at 2.13am on 21 June 2000 telling me she had done it all herself. So all I had to do was to get a vet to check both mare and foal over that day.

I hope you are as lucky. And IF she is in foal - instill manners into the youngster from day 1. A friend had a foal 6 weeks before mine was born and she laughed at me when I told my foal off and made it walk properly in a headcollar from the day she was born - 4 years later - mine was a doddle to break/ride/load - the other ladies youngster was a total nightmare - couldnt do a thing with it.

Keep us updated on if she is or not.

Whereabouts in country are you?

ETA - yes you do know when something isnt right - I agree with that

__________________


My family :
Sox 31 year old pony
Zara 15 year old horse
Chloe 12 year old black Lab
Sasha 9 year old black Lab
Francis (allegedly) 14 years Rescue Dog
Tosh 17 year old rescue dog - RSPCA prosecuting owner - sadly pts 28.07.11
Saffron 18 month old tortoiseshell cat
Spike, Prozac, Ginger and Snap, and now Ritz & Ryvita the Guinea Pigs

R.I.P Gabby Guinea Pig - passed away 26.01.11

I am in Kent!!
Yes the yard was awful. I stayed a total of 6 weeks and then moved because Star was miserable there, always hurting herself, and the owner started telling me that Star was dangerous and would injure someone on their yard (in my opinions they could not handle a 16.3 TB and hated the fact I, a 5ft2 20 year old, could handle her easily!) and that I was ignorant and rude because I didnt feel I could even talk to the people there as they were all total stuck up idiots so went and done Star morning and night and didnt waste time interacting with everyone else. They also told me going morning and night was too often and I didnt need to be there so much and also threw my insturtor off the yard as soon as she arrived, soon found out it was because even though the yard were giving lessons not a single person on the yard was qualified to do so! I soon spread the word to anyone I knew to steer well clear of the place.
Problem is I cant get off work this Friday meaning I still have to wait 3 weeks. My main concern if she is, is that I have been working her 5 days a week recently and wouldnt want her to be in work if she is heavily pregnant!!

My mare was being worked until the day before I found out she was in foal - so 2 weeks before giving birth!

Can't your vet come out any other day? My vet's practice arrange visits for any day - sundays emergency only.

If not - could you just hack your mare out from now until the vet comes out? So she is still getting exercise but not too much?

If it is any consolation - as I didnt know my mare was in foal - she had no extra feed, supplements, change in routine at all until I found out - and then she was just turned out with extra feed. And she gave birth to a perfectly healthy foal.

Fingers crossed all is well - it could be a phantom pregnancy - my mare has had 2 since having her foal - and her foal (who is 11 this year) had a phantom pregnancy last year. It seems they are quite common - 5 on our yard last year

Has your current yard got a big enough stable for her to give birth in? Would she be able to graze in a field - just her and her foal - if she is in foal?

__________________


My family :
Sox 31 year old pony
Zara 15 year old horse
Chloe 12 year old black Lab
Sasha 9 year old black Lab
Francis (allegedly) 14 years Rescue Dog
Tosh 17 year old rescue dog - RSPCA prosecuting owner - sadly pts 28.07.11
Saffron 18 month old tortoiseshell cat
Spike, Prozac, Ginger and Snap, and now Ritz & Ryvita the Guinea Pigs

R.I.P Gabby Guinea Pig - passed away 26.01.11

If your vet can only come out on Friday - have you a friend who could hold your mare to have blood taken and then the vet would phone you with result?

__________________


My family :
Sox 31 year old pony
Zara 15 year old horse
Chloe 12 year old black Lab
Sasha 9 year old black Lab
Francis (allegedly) 14 years Rescue Dog
Tosh 17 year old rescue dog - RSPCA prosecuting owner - sadly pts 28.07.11
Saffron 18 month old tortoiseshell cat
Spike, Prozac, Ginger and Snap, and now Ritz & Ryvita the Guinea Pigs

R.I.P Gabby Guinea Pig - passed away 26.01.11