My mini mare is 291 days pregnant and is bagging up a little and her teats are a little big and her left side is bigger than her right and when you feel her, you can feel a hard kick by her udders about every 5 seconds! Her hips are sinking in and she is getting te pointy but look! I'm really excited since this is my first time having a mini horse foal at my house! Does anyone have an idea of when she will foal or if it is coming close? She had a foal in May 2011 and had a normal birth! She is bred to Little Kings Buckeroo's great grandson so I am pretty excited! Please let me know if you have any advise! I have pictures and I will try to put some on soon!!
Mini Mare Close to Foaling
kay56649
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Got her tail rapped???
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just the top, you can see what I have when I post the pictures! They will be on in a minute!
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I have about a foot of hay down. I chose hay, because shavings could get caught in the baby's nostrils or eyes. She is set in her stall with hay, water, and a hanging jolly ball. Ha ha, she loves to play with it. I even braided her mane, so there wasn't any extra hair laying around.
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You are right. Straw, not shavings. I supposed hay will work, if she doesn't eat it all.
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You are 100% correct.
I would use straw.......however, not shavings.
I put them back on shavings at one or, two days. (depending on weather)
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Keep her in her stall. Make sure you have foaling kit ready and on hand, close by. Make sure the stall has deep bedding. Keep the vet's number handy.
Make sure someone is close by but not in with her, all the time. No children/neighbours/dogs around. Quiet is the order of the day. Keep calm. She will likely lie down and get up and change position, several times when she's about to foal. Don't rush in to help. You should see a nose and front foot appear first. It might come out and get sucked back in a couple of time. Each time she pushes, it will appear again.
If you see the underside of a foot and no nose, she is in trouble. Call vet.
If you see a bloody/red bag, instead of a white one, you need to cut the bag open as soon as possible. The bag will be incredibly tough. You'll need a very sharp knive.
If she has been in labour for a long time and the baby keeps getting sucked back in, then and only then, do you go in quietly to help. You can hold the baby's legs to help it stay out and come along further, with her next contraction. Don't pull unless she is having a contraction. Pull out and down towards her hocks. If the baby comes out a little further, hold it there and wait til she pushes again. Pull it out a little at a time.
Since she has foaled before without problems, then she will probably foal well this time, without help.
Have clean towels to dry the baby. Pull the baby up towards her nose so she can smell and bond with it. Don't interfere too much. After the baby is out, medicate the belly button with a dilute Nolvasan (generically known as 2% Chlorhexidine) solution as soon as possible after birth and then 3 times daily for the first 2-3 days of the foal’s life. A good dilution is 1 part Nolvasan in 4 parts water. This makes a fantastic disinfectant which is not irritating to the delicate umbilical tissues. Never dip the umbilicus in strong iodine! Current research shows that iodine can actually kill some of the tissues of the umbilicus, leading to delayed umbilical healing which can increase the risk of umbilical infection. After bonding, the baby might need help getting to its feet but allow it to try for himself/herself, first.
Watch the mare. She might be aggressive toward you, with a new baby. Don't let a ton of people come to view the baby too soon. It might stress the mare.
Clean up the messy area. KEEP THE AFTERBIRTH IN A COVERED BUCKET. YOUR VET WILL NEED TO SEE IT.
Call vet to see the mare and baby asap.
Watch that the baby poos (passes the meconium), during the first day after birth. The vet will want to know.
Make sure the mare's water bucket is not on the ground. Foals are wobbly and many have fallen into water buckets and drowned.
If your area is cold, the foal might need a coat at night.
Lizzie
Make sure someone is close by but not in with her, all the time. No children/neighbours/dogs around. Quiet is the order of the day. Keep calm. She will likely lie down and get up and change position, several times when she's about to foal. Don't rush in to help. You should see a nose and front foot appear first. It might come out and get sucked back in a couple of time. Each time she pushes, it will appear again.
If you see the underside of a foot and no nose, she is in trouble. Call vet.
If you see a bloody/red bag, instead of a white one, you need to cut the bag open as soon as possible. The bag will be incredibly tough. You'll need a very sharp knive.
If she has been in labour for a long time and the baby keeps getting sucked back in, then and only then, do you go in quietly to help. You can hold the baby's legs to help it stay out and come along further, with her next contraction. Don't pull unless she is having a contraction. Pull out and down towards her hocks. If the baby comes out a little further, hold it there and wait til she pushes again. Pull it out a little at a time.
Since she has foaled before without problems, then she will probably foal well this time, without help.
Have clean towels to dry the baby. Pull the baby up towards her nose so she can smell and bond with it. Don't interfere too much. After the baby is out, medicate the belly button with a dilute Nolvasan (generically known as 2% Chlorhexidine) solution as soon as possible after birth and then 3 times daily for the first 2-3 days of the foal’s life. A good dilution is 1 part Nolvasan in 4 parts water. This makes a fantastic disinfectant which is not irritating to the delicate umbilical tissues. Never dip the umbilicus in strong iodine! Current research shows that iodine can actually kill some of the tissues of the umbilicus, leading to delayed umbilical healing which can increase the risk of umbilical infection. After bonding, the baby might need help getting to its feet but allow it to try for himself/herself, first.
Watch the mare. She might be aggressive toward you, with a new baby. Don't let a ton of people come to view the baby too soon. It might stress the mare.
Clean up the messy area. KEEP THE AFTERBIRTH IN A COVERED BUCKET. YOUR VET WILL NEED TO SEE IT.
Call vet to see the mare and baby asap.
Watch that the baby poos (passes the meconium), during the first day after birth. The vet will want to know.
Make sure the mare's water bucket is not on the ground. Foals are wobbly and many have fallen into water buckets and drowned.
If your area is cold, the foal might need a coat at night.
Lizzie
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ok that was perfect information! If I could "like" a million times I would. With her last foal she showed no aggression and had a perfect birth. Hopefully this one will be the same. The sire of this foal was smaller than the stud she was bred to last time, so that should be better too! I did not turn her out today, and I left her in the stall. I am still trying to post pictures of her udder and vulva!
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Whenever you take a break. That will be when it will come. 
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Who knows. Noone can really predict it.
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