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 Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12708
   
| For those who have had mares go past 360 --
How many had ok outcomes?
Did anyone have the long gestation be a warning of something amiss??
I have an older brood (19) at day 363 today. She has been heavily 'practicing' for several days now. She will ramp up to the point where I think, "OK, time to grab the foaling kit!" Only to have her shut it down and go to sleep for the rest of the night. Yesterday practice started in late afternoon, with a second round in the early evening, and another about 10 pm. Then she shut down at 11 pm with only one restless time later before dawn.
If she was at 353 I wouldn't worry a bit. Might be getting impatient, but not worried. If she was much younger I wouldn't worry much. But she's an old trooper at this foaling thing and this scenario is not typical for her. A few practice sessions are to be expected, but we're talking charging forward energy during these past two or three days.
I have foaled out many mares in the past 15 years. The only other one that was late (and not 360+ even on her) and was so actively practicing ended up orphaning her foal.
And yes, I've spoken with my vet. He's going to be on farm Wednesday for spring floats and such and if she hasn't foaled by then we will palpate to see which end is where. It's a tough call to induce a mare, as anyone who breeds knows.
Edited by lonely va barrelxr 2015-04-14 11:07 AM
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| Don't feel bad. Mine is at 367 days and doing exactly what yours is. Sounds like this is pretty common this year.
Oops edited to say mine is at 368 days today lol
Edited by Firen On All Four 2015-04-13 12:06 PM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 941
Location: Kansas | We had a mare go a week past 1 year last year. I began to question that situation also. She foaled a live foal that was pretty small. I think possibly her implant wasn't real good and the foal wasn't getting enough nutrition. The foal is fine now. I would be concerned if the mare has been exposed to fescue toxicity either in grass or hay. That can cause them to go over or have large foals they can't deliver (plus the many other problems it causes). Mares tend to gestate longer as they get older and the quality of their uterus goes down. My last mare that went a year was 21.
I hope she presents you with a healthy foal soon so you can stop worrying. Waiting is hard! |
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  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4557
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | We have had mares 2 Arabians and one paint go 13 months every year that they were bred. As long as the horse is not laying down and getting up repeatedly you are in good shape |
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| Let Mother Nature decide when the foal is ready to come out of there and don't do any messing around to create a problem ..
Now is the time the foal is moving into position in the birth canal ... so keep your hands to yourself and let it get in the correct position to jump right out of there. if you disturb it half way around the circle by messing around checking the mare ... you can create your own problems.
Your vet should know better ... he is not going to be able to do anything right now and he may say the foal is up side down etc etc ... when if left alone 3-4-7 days would put the foal in the correct position .... HANDS OFF!!
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 Expert
Posts: 2097
Location: Deep South | Had a maiden mare (18 years old) go 368 this year. Momma and baby are doing perfect. No birthing complications. |
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Location: Texas | None of our mares have been early or even on time this year. All of ours have been 5-8 days late but all the babies have been big and healthy, with no complications. Mother nature knows best, and as the saying goes 'better late, than never'.
Is she out in a pasture or being stalled/kept close to the barn?
Knock on wood, we have never had any problems when the mares foaled in the pasture. Seems to be less stressful and scheduled. |
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Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12708
| Thanks for the replies.
She is in a 7-panel round pen attached to a run in shed. I let her out some days (weekends while I'm home) to wander and nibble on the not-yet-growing grass. I've been using this set up for all 15 years I've been foaling. I've had a couple foal under the cover of the round pen in rain/storms, but most make themselves a nice rolled in area for the foaling out in the middle. My foaling cam has night vision but does require some light to see. I can't light up a whole acre with the 11 watt bulbs! I have two friends who help me watch during the night (an insomniac and a night shift worker) so with all three of us I can be sure of being there in case something goes amiss. I've had a couple 'amisses' over the years so it's important to me to watch.
My vet's concern is size. Foals pack on the weight in their last days/weeks in the uterus and when they go 3+ weeks past their butts can get dangerously phat! I won't induce another mare unless something critical were to happen. My first foal was induced using Peridone and he wasn't finished baking, even tho the mare was 365+. But this mare has not been exposed to fescue like the other mare had.
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Location: KS | I have a fairly small mare, barely 14 hands. The first time I bred her I chose a 15.1 hand stud. She went 361 days. I had her ultrasounded the week before she foaled and everything was in the correct position and fine. I watched her pretty carefully and I'm glad I did because we had to pull the colt. Everything was ok he was just really big and she wouldn't have been able to have him on her own. |
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Location: Texas | lonely va barrelxr - 2015-04-13 1:38 PM Thanks for the replies.
She is in a 7-panel round pen attached to a run in shed. I let her out some days (weekends while I'm home) to wander and nibble on the not-yet-growing grass. I've been using this set up for all 15 years I've been foaling. I've had a couple foal under the cover of the round pen in rain/storms, but most make themselves a nice rolled in area for the foaling out in the middle. My foaling cam has night vision but does require some light to see. I can't light up a whole acre with the 11 watt bulbs! I have two friends who help me watch during the night (an insomniac and a night shift worker) so with all three of us I can be sure of being there in case something goes amiss. I've had a couple 'amisses' over the years so it's important to me to watch.
My vet's concern is size. Foals pack on the weight in their last days/weeks in the uterus and when they go 3+ weeks past their butts can get dangerously phat! I won't induce another mare unless something critical were to happen. My first foal was induced using Peridone and he wasn't finished baking, even tho the mare was 365+. But this mare has not been exposed to fescue like the other mare had.
I was just curious, not knocking your program or telling what to do.
Hope everything goes smooth for momma and you have a healthy baby on the ground soon! Don't forget to take lots of pictures and share! |
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Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12708
| EqualRanch - 2015-04-13 1:52 PM lonely va barrelxr - 2015-04-13 1:38 PM Thanks for the replies.
She is in a 7-panel round pen attached to a run in shed. I let her out some days (weekends while I'm home) to wander and nibble on the not-yet-growing grass. I've been using this set up for all 15 years I've been foaling. I've had a couple foal under the cover of the round pen in rain/storms, but most make themselves a nice rolled in area for the foaling out in the middle. My foaling cam has night vision but does require some light to see. I can't light up a whole acre with the 11 watt bulbs! I have two friends who help me watch during the night (an insomniac and a night shift worker) so with all three of us I can be sure of being there in case something goes amiss. I've had a couple 'amisses' over the years so it's important to me to watch.
My vet's concern is size. Foals pack on the weight in their last days/weeks in the uterus and when they go 3+ weeks past their butts can get dangerously phat! I won't induce another mare unless something critical were to happen. My first foal was induced using Peridone and he wasn't finished baking, even tho the mare was 365+. But this mare has not been exposed to fescue like the other mare had.
I was just curious, not knocking your program or telling what to do.
Hope everything goes smooth for momma and you have a healthy baby on the ground soon! Don't forget to take lots of pictures and share!
I knew that - I have thought recently about what it would take to light up one of my small fields so I could still watch on the cam and decided my neighbors would be a bit piffed if I installed that kind of lighting!
Two years ago I had a foal present with one front leg through each opening. If I wouldn't have been there to perform an emergency radical episiotomy I would have lost them both. As is, both survived and are doing great. The mare can't foal again, but she went back to barrels just fine. After that I just can't bring myself to 'hope for the best.' I will be there. I even watched most of the night in the hospital while I was waiting for an apendectomy two weeks ago when this mare was already a few days late.
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 718
Location: BOSSIER CITY, LA | My mare has been late both times she has foaled. The vet said she just doesnt have a large uterus and it takes her longer to bake the baby. Both times she was at the vets to be foaled out and they assured me everything was fine. Both babies were small but caught up in no time. |
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| Several years ago I had a mare go waaayyyyy over due. Cannot remember exactly how many days, but it was in the 380 range. This mare was older and very skinny when I purchased her. I did question the breeding date, but was assured that it was correct. She had a little bitty foal, but he was healthy. Sold him as a weanling, and just recently caught back up with him. I think she said he was 16 hands and clocking 1D/2D as a 5 year old. However, the following year this mare foaled early for her, even though it was technically term. That foal was dismature - had eye entropion and other signs of a foal born early. He did not make it, and my vet said that his intestinal tract did not appear fully developed. I never was able to get this mare back in foal, so I'm assuming that there was something going on reproductively, likely due to age, that led to those events. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: In the wrong place at the wrong time | My 20 year old maiden made went 372 and delivered me a nice healthy colt and he was not huge for having been in the oven that long.
I was getting anxious too but try to relax. I"m sure everything will be fine. |
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 Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | It seems like there are alot of overdue mares from my facebook feeds.. Praying for a healthy baby and momma and yes photos when the lil one arrives :) |
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 Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | All mine have just turned out to be colts instead of fillies :) I have had several carry a full year. No issues ever except 1 had contrated tendons that were fine after he got up and moved around some and the mare tore just a teeny bit having him that was an easy fix with a few stitches. That was the worst case for me anyways. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 972
Location: Texas! | We just had one this morning and of course our foal alert system didn't go off. She was due March 5 so she was a month plus overdue and a maiden. I woke up at 5am to horses being loud in the barn and the rain I went out to check and surprise baby was up and had already nursed and all was perfect. It was a filly :) that being said our ranch manager had a similar experience where the baby ended up being dismature. |
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Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12708
| At least I didn't have to worry long -- big colt born about 1:30. Up and nursing fine in less than an hour. I promise to post pics later after work! |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| Congrats!! |
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Tried and True
Posts: 21185
Location: Where I am happiest | lonely va barrelxr - 2015-04-14 5:34 AM At least I didn't have to worry long -- big colt born about 1:30. Up and nursing fine in less than an hour. I promise to post pics later after work!
 Cant wait to see pics.  |
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