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Colt or Filly??

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Miss Annie's foaling thread

31K views 349 replies 54 participants last post by  Stirrup 
#1 ·
Ok...so I actually started one for Annie a back in October...but didnt contribute to it often because I became so involved in other foaling threads,,,lol..and I was a tad discouraged with some of the terrible comments some people were making...not on my thread..but others. Well...now in my fourth month of HF...I feel Im ready to take any comment!! Ha! Anyhow, Annie is my beautiful 3yr old registered paint, she is bred to an AQHA stallion named "Watchem Two Step" aka "Jack", who is one of "Two Eyed Jack"s great grandsons...he is...I believe...a red dun...

Annie's due date is up in the air as the previous owners said the stallion was in the pasture with her starting in march of last year...and we purchased her at the end of may...we were told he was seen covering her the week before we took her home..not that that matters...I have heard of many mares still letting stallions cover them long into their pregnancies. So...I guess she could be due anytime from end of feb...to end of april...im guessing closing to april as I find it hard to believe she was in season first off in march..but anything is possible here in canada..LOL

Ok...so...Ive done as much research as I can possibly do...she has been checked by the vet a couple times..who seems to think she is due sooner than later...so who knows...lol and now as the time draws nearer...Im getting excited!!! She is looking good and is the sweetest girl...well...IMO...the baby kicks up a storm during her evening treat fest and its soo cool to watch...so...here we go...bear with me...LOL

Here are some pics ranging from the day we brought her home..til our famous New years photos...:D please enjoy!!! if you dont....please dont tell me about it!!!
 

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#6 ·
FGR...no she has not bagged up at all yet...only difference I see is that her nipples are larger and thicker than they used to be. She is also a maiden mare...so could make it a little harder to guess!!!
and Merlot...your thread is THE BESTTT!!! You have actually inspired me!!! Poor Annie is getting so large she can hardly walk...lol the others try to get her to play and she used to love it...now she glares at them as if to say " can you not see how frickin BIG my stomach is"???????? LOL
 
#8 ·
Yes! I dont mind constructive critizism...if someone thinks Im doing something horribly wrong...lol..I guess Ive seen too many threads about how no one should be breeding...blah blah blah...lol One observation I have made in my herd...well small herd of 3...but herd none the less...lol...is that my daughters QH pony is now bossing Annie...when Annie was the lead mare for the last 7 months....now Annie still is the boss of my gelding Jasper....thought that was kind of weird...Ive been doing some research on herd behaviour..and the only thing I can come up with is that sometimes mares later in their pregnancy will give up there lead spot...simply because they dont have the energy...but usually take it back once they have foaled....has anyone had a simular experience within their herd??
 
#9 ·
Yep herd dynamics are a constantly changing thing. It fascinates me - I manage a herd of around 5 - 7 horses (depending on time of year we shift some in to other paddocks etc)
Everytime we move or change something, the herd dynamics shift.
Merlot was very meek during her pregnancy, through most of it she wouldn't have anything to do with Persil who was her companion once we shifted her out of the herd. The morning she foaled she was all over him like a rash but now that she has her baby she is treating the Persil as if he is a the local paddock paedophile LOL.
Persil behaves like the paddock stallion when he is in the herd but is being very mild around Merlot and Zephyr I am pleased to report ;-) (so far anyhow)
So yes herd dynamics change constantly.
 
#10 ·
Thanks Merlot! Thats what I figured...just thought it was weird after all this time that suddenly the little pony moved into the lead!!! Im also wondering...its so hard with not knowing her exact due date...when am I supposed to separate her from the others?? I think this will stress her greatly...alot of our friends are telling us she should be brought into a stall every night soon....but they have two shelters...one of them being right in the barn...and Annie has never been in a stall before...they are outdoor 24/7...I think this may upset her more than needs to right now...or anytime for that matter....and another thing Im getting sick and tired of ppl telling me already is that we should wean the foal by 5 months...NO WAY....they can rake me over the coals all they want for that one...but I dont care....growing up I always had horses...not that that makes me an expert...but I certainly recall the day when my pony had her filly...they were never separated from the heard...that mamma took care of her...and when she was about 9 months old...that mamma told her to STOP nursing!!! LOL I remember poor Sharra trying and trying...then just giving up...:)
 
#11 ·
ok tHERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT THOUGHTS ABOUT THESE WUESTIONS SO i'LL GIVE YOU MINE FOR WHAT THEY ARE WORTH - Oops sorry didn't mean to shout LOL.
1. I am totally against horses living in a stall HOWEVER I live in NZ where the climate is mild so everything is done out in the paddock. I realise that some of you are dealing with bloody awful climate conditions - heavy snow etc so I am not the one to ask about this but my gut instinct is always to look to the wild...if your weather is not too bad around foaling then leave her out in the paddock - she will choose her own 'nesting spot' (yes they do) and she chooses around a week before she foals.
2. Regarding separation, if she is in a herd environment with mares she does not need to be separated - as long as you have a big enough paddock and she can get away from the others, she will be happier left with them however (there's that word again) if you have an annoying busy-body gelding (like I did) then separation may be necessary at least a week or two before foaling but only to a next door paddock so they can still touch and see each other over the fence. Always remember horses are HERD animals and herd animals MUST HAVE the company of other members of their herd in order to feel safe and comfortable.
3. last point (I promise) - God how I love to lecture ;-) Weaning - once again I believe that weaning should not be done before 9 months - again look to the wild - they're not weaned until just before the next foal is born. It's not just about milk but about learning to be a horse. My favourite article on this is here (Scroll down to progressive weaning)
Natural Horse World Articles-Foals
I think this woman is great.
Do NOT get talked into weaning earlier UNLESS there are major problems with the mares ability to care for her foal.
All and all it sounds like you know what to do and good for you - shtick to your gunsh :)
 
#13 ·
Thanks again Merlot! So Im on the right track...because that is exactly how I feel on all account!! Annie is in with one other mare and one gelding...who she bosses miserably and wont come near her without permission...if I separate them...I would have to put him with the other mare so he is not alone...Im hoping she doesnt foal out til closer to april...at least late march would solve the problem of the whole stalling idea...I could easily keep her up in the winter paddock, where she has access to a large 20 x 30 run in within the barn, thats where they all are now...I have been putting straw bedding in there which they all like to lie on...sometimes together...lol and I could move the other two to the back paddock where there is a separate run in...so I do have a plan....I just hate the thought of separating them at all...but know I may have to...as it is right now, my daughter's pony is trailered off to lessons weekly, leaving for about a 3 hour period...and geeze..when we get home you would think she was gone for a year the way the other two carry on!!! I have read the article...and many others alike and fully agree when it comes to weaning...they really do need more than just nurishment from their mothers...we have a big outdoor sandring here at the farm..im soo excited to work Annie in the ring with the little one following behind!! He will be learning too!! (and I only say he because I just have a feeling its going to be a colt) lol
 
#17 ·
oh...lol...well when we saw him at the farm where we purchased Annie.. we were told he was a bay dun...he has the tiger striping on legs and dark dorsal stripe...his registration papers say that as well....not that I care...between you and I...I want the foal to be painted sooo bad...so,,,prob wont happen...LOL
 
#19 ·
Im guessing no...from the likes of where she came from...lol...Im still not convinced that the stallion wasnt always in the herd...the previous owned has changed her story a few times...and when I asked that same question...she pretty much told me it was a ridiculous question to ask....and while Im on that note...I want to ask your opinion..and anyone else's who is reading this...the previous owner added me on facebook a couple months ago...to keep up with Annie's progress...which at first..I thought was cool...so when I took some pics a couple weeks ago(new years etc) of Annies belly...I tagged her in one of them...thinking she would think it was nice to see how big her belly was and how she was coming along...well...tonight when I came home and checked my facebook...there was a NASTY message from her saying that she DEMANDS I take the picture down...that is was EMBARRASSING for her to have that on her facebook and for everyone to see...that no one wants to see how fat she is or cares about her HUGE belly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and I put the words in capital...just like she did.....am I crazy???? or is that just weird????? here I am...and everyone who knows me..soooo very excited about the fact that I can see the foal move...and how much she is progressing...and how the time is getting closer....and about 20 ppl commented on that same photo saying how awesome that is...how cute her belly is..how we must be getting so excited...and on and on...and here is her previous owner....telling me that it is an embarrassment and I should take it down...IMMEDIATELY....can someone please explain this to me???? Im losing my mind here....
 
#26 ·
The only way I can see how she'd be offended is if she somehow thought you were calling her fat by tagging her in the photo of the prego mare??? Whatever the reason, unfriending her was probably the best decision. If she wants to add you again, I would limit anything she can see. If it's a diss being unfriended, it's a bigger dissbeing refriended and not able to see anything more than if you weren't friends with the person.

On the note of putting her in the barn, I would play it by ear. Since you're in Ontario, snow is definitely a factor and it isn't unheard of for anywhere in Canada to get a freak snowstorm between March and May. That being said, you may want to accustom her to being in the barn sooner rather than later should you find that the weather neccesitates you to have her there when she's near due. If it becomes a routine, she won't feel as much anxiety.

When my mare was in foal, we didn't have a large pasture on the yard where she'd be able to go off and pick her spot away from the others and our larger pasture was too far way from the yard (1/4 mile away) that I was comfortable leaving my mare out there to foal. We did separate her from the herd about 3-4 weeks prior to her due date. To help ease some of the anxiety, I made sure I spent as much time with her as possible, grooming etc., especially the first couple of days. After that, she settled right in and didn't mind being solo. Of course I made sure I went out daily to groom, give her treats and lovings, etc. and she had no issues foaling outside. That was late June though, so there wasn't a risk of snow or cold temperatures.
 
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