I need some serious advice

I bought a pony for my boys at the beginning of Jan. The woman that owned her had bought her in a package deal in Sept. Beyond that we have no history. She was pretty fat when we got her for a pony and on way to much feed so I cut her back.

2 weeks ago I noticed her teats starting to swell. I thought maybe it was hormones and she might be going into heat. Someone asked me if she was pregnant and I said no. She still had not lost any weight despite the diet.

Fast forward to yesterday. I went out to feed yesterday evening and was checking everyone over and wow her teats/udder were the size of large oranges!

So I emailed the woman I bought her from. Yes a stud broke lose at their place but it was in Nov. And she wouldn't be showing these signs if she was exposed to this guy...so our best guess is she was bred by the previous owner (with or without her knowledge).

I am 99% sure she is pregnant. I am including pics of her and her swollen udder/teats. Do you agree??


Also this means she has had no vaccines that she would have needed while she was pregnant and of course we are not ready for a baby!

I have read from the net they foal early am usually...tonight I put her up in a stall away form the other horses. She hasn't had any waxing or leakage.

Is there anything I should be doing? What should I have on hand? I have had horses all my life but never dealt with breeding or babies.

Please help!

Oh yeah, baby time, lol.

I would call your vet in the AM and see if there are any vaccines or deworming you should be doing for her now or just after the foal is born. He should be able to give you a list of things to have on hand for the birth, as well as his emergency number.

Just keep an eye on her. When you see waxing, keep her up in a stall or paddock by herself with lots of hay and water, and check on her often. And keep your camera close by and ready!! .

She is a cute little girl! Her color is called Silver Dapple.

I would get your vet out to check her over. Good luck!

Oh yeah....she's pregnant. Or she looks it. She is pretty. Get your vet to check her soon. Cause I know you aren't supposed to deworm or give any vaccines within 30 days of birth. Which would mean you should vaccinate the baby once its born.

Definitely call the vet as soon as possible, funny I am dealing with the exact same scenario. I bought my 11 yr old a buckskin pony last month, couple weeks go by and I notice her belly is starting to get bigger and somewhat lopsided(bigger on the right than the left). I dewormed her the day I got her so I'm thinking "what's up with this?" I called the guy I got her from he said he didn't know if she had been exposed or not, she belonged to a friend who had fell on hard times so he bought her and her 2 yr old filly. Needless to say the vet is coming out to check her.

Definately a good idea to get the vet to check her over. If her bag increased really big, you don't have too much longer to go. Mares will foal ANYTIME of the day, but most due go around 11pm to probably 3am? Mine prefer to foal between 11pm and midnight so far. My trainer's mare foaled about 11AM last week. You just never know! They usually go at night because they want to do it privately. A barn camera really helps because you can watch her from your house so as to not disturb her until she's in real labor. You can get one for $40 at Radio Shack and connect it to a TV in your house really easy. Good luck! Read all you can now about foaling out mares and how to correct problems during the birth just in case! :)

From November to March - if that is the only time she was possibly exposed, no she would not be showing signs like this. Gestation is approximately 11 months.

Some mares do show signs of pregnancy/foaling but it's a false pregnancy. I would also advise you to have the vet out.

Oh, how exciting! Kind of like a recently married daughter announcing she's pregnant -- all on the up and up, and a positive thing, but definitely a surprise!!!

If you look on the 'net you will find lots of recommendations for a foaling kit. Make one up and keep it handy. How far away is your vet? If more than 10 - 15 minutes you may want to see if you have a horsey-friend closer that has some experience with foaling so you can call for help -- with the foaling, or to recognize if there is a problem, or to help with a problem until the vet can get there.

Good luck! That baby is going to be sooo cute if he looks anything like his mama!

Stopping by the vet tomorrow to see what he says. I was super sick with a migraine today. Will keep you all updated!

She's not a bad looking pony, either way.