FANCY may be in foal!!!

[iluvhorses28]

Yes! To my surprise... she COULD be in foal... having the vet come in ...the past couple of months we've dismissed it as her 'filling' out.. but now the belly seems to be ever so prominent....

I am amzed HOW exactly this could happen, and have no idea wven how far along she could be... but the old barn hand where we used to board nextdoor told me that sometimes, some horses let themselves out and roam about... I thought maybe most are geldings, but apparently some are stallions as well... and even though my mare stayed in her stall... all she needed to do was back up against the pipe stall... and BINGO! Baby on the way!

I am shocked at the moment, being I cannot possibly afford 3 horses board! And the responsibility of having a foal? I have no idea! Ofcourse my daughter who rides Fancy is not thrilled that our only other alternative is to sell the foal....

I am not one for selling or giving up my pets/animals especially if I get attached, but I suppose this is the nature of having horses.

The sheer thought of an extra expense is far beyond my budget... as it is, I am barely making it with our 2 horses....

The vet is due in Saturday, if he is open. I am excited, and anxious about this new venture.... you all know how PANICKED I was with Fancy & savannah when we first got them... now throwing in a foal makes me even more nervous about what to do...!

Friends say there is really nothing to it... but PATIENCE. ????
I am hoping for the best, but frankly PETRIFIED!

Any words of advice would be appreciated.... :confused:
P.S.

My daughter who rides her is ecstatic..(OFCOURSE) and does not want the foal sold...
hate to break her heart... BUT WHAT WHAN I DO??

[Est]

Whaaaaat? :eek: Little Fancy? Never!
I think the best course of action is to stay calm until the vet has been... it may be a false alarm. If she *is* in foal, there are many experienced people on here who will be able to give good advice. The main expense involved seems to be veterinary... you could always start a "slush fund" in advance.
Looking forward to your update on Saturday! :D

[Bobbin]

Oh my.....think I'd have heart failure if Bry turned out ever to be in foal

[Sammii]

Wow...what an eventful thread, to say the least! Definitely stay as calm as possible, because if she is in foal, you don't want her to get worked up from your vibes!
Oh my, that sounded so patronising....wasn't meant to be! :o

Good luck with everything! Keep us updated :)
xx

[iluvhorses28]

OK, so I spoke to my barn owner...she happened to be at the yard, and I mentioned how Fancy 'might' be in foal.... she walked over to her and said... "HOLY MOLEY! SHE IS!"... My heart skipped a beat!
A million things came up and about.... how could I not have known, what did I do wrong... did I give her anything she was not suppose to have.... regular wormers...etc??? I feel like a headless chicken running in circles!

Then she adds" I think she may have just 3-4 weeks left!" again...I just about fell over, as I realized how fast 3-4 weeks can be... Am I prepared? CERTAINLY NOT!

Then I tried asking for the stall next to ours, as Fancy and Savannah share one huge stall, i figured I would need to seperate Fancy soon! To add to the blows... she says, THERE IS NO ROOM.. that stall is rented out...
So now my only option is to divide the current stall in half... but wait! This gets even worse... She has no extra piping to divide it.. I'd have to buy it myself.. and it costs at least $100 from the local feed store!

I know I am frantic right now... but this really caught me off guard and I have no clue what to do.. can I sell this foal... will someone buy it? I don't know what breed the sire is...

Also, the barn owner called next door to the old barn, found out not only does my old barn owner own a stallion but 2 other boarders have stallions there as well. And just recently a woman's mare foaled , also not knowing how and who the sire was! Another 'unexpected' event!

It makes me mad that they have stallions unsecure in stalls that obvoiusly opens or gets easily opened.... and now I am the one left with the foal and all the expenses along with this.... don't get me wrong.. it's exciting, but at the same time I am petrified, anxious and mad!

Owning a horse is practically new to me, and I truly have no clue what the first thing to do with a foal! I am beside myself!:eek:

Vet is still schedule for Saturday... will have better grasp of things (and myself) then... I HOPE!

[Montana]

Ok - deep breath....:p :)

There's not much you can do now, except get it confirmed by the vet, then do the best you can. Make sure you have someone experienced to hand if at all possible. You couldn't have known because there was no reason to even suspect that she might be, and if you've never had an in-foal mare before, some of them are difficult to spot until last minute, when it seems you did.


Can Savannah not stay out for a while, and Fancy in the stall? Or do they both live in at the moment, I can't remember your set up.

Once/if the vet has confirmed it, speak to them about what you need to be thinking about, then get a good basic book on foaling and foals and give it a quick read:) Baby foals are easy to handle:D Just leave them to their mothers and stand back and make 'ooh' 'awwww' noises - especially if it's as pretty as Fancy:p

Can't your ask your barn owner if she'd be prepared to halp out with the cost of piping, or just with trying to keep an empty stall for you?

So - keep breathing, wait until the vet comes (you may still be giving yourself a nervous break down over nothing - I've seen extremely experience people convinced there's a foal when there isn't!), and let us know how it all goes. One step at a time - you don't need to worry about its breeding and selling it just yet;)

[Cupcake]

Your experiencing my worse fear! Skye's kept at a stud farm, so at any moment she could be jumped on by up to 10 stallions, which is why she's kept very far away from them. Accidents do happen though, just take a second to breath.

There's still some hope she won't be pregnant isn't there? Half the time Skye looks pregnant. 3-4 weeks is plenty of time to work something out. Mares do the majority of the work, so just sit back and relax while she cares for him/her.

Keep us updated :)

[iluvhorses28]

Thanks all... I think today, I am over the franticness of it all (at least for me anyway)

I am going at this one at a time, as best I can... First the vet, then the stall.
At the moment Savannah shares a huge pipe stall with 1/2 of it covered, I would say it's at least a 40x40 or 50x 50 stall, so it's pretty roomy.It's pretty much outdoors, so i need to somehow split this in half and somehow construct barrriers to it.. HOW? I am not sure, but OH is not to pleased that he is left with all the muscle work.

When i spoke to the barn owner, it seems she's not really open to the idea of dishing out some cash for the project, probobly figures, it's my mare, MY problem..

In any case... I am hoping that everything goes through smoothly.... I will get to reading about foaling and such... although I feel like so disapointed that I am just now reading up on it when she's practically due to foal! But Oh says, not to beat myself up with the situation... we didn't know and things just HAPPEN...

I'll keep you allposted after the vet comes Saturday..hopeing we also get the stall situated soon.

[teabiscuit]

could you use small straw bales to partition the stable or would that be even more expensive?

[Est]

If she is confirmed in foal, might your old barn owner be legally liable for some of the costs incurred? I read about a similar case in a horse magazine over here a few years ago. It could be worth getting some advice if it's going to make things that tough financially for you. But I repeat: get the vet out before letting your imagination run riot!! :p

[MrDCBags]

But I repeat: get the vet out before letting your imagination run riot!! :p

Second that! I had a mare a while back wo someone kndly "diagnosed" was in foal:eek: She worked at a racing stud near me and kept her horse on my yard. She was convinced that my mare was about due to drop, so much so that she brought down the her big boss. He too said that my mare was only a week off dropping:eek: Oh no thoughts I -a BOGOF one I truly could not afford.

The vet was called and one big fat out of condtion mare and £150 later- no foal:D :D :D

[iluvhorses28]

Well.. there is that sheer chance...(((HOPE))) she is NOT in foal... but her bag seems full and swollen... so I dunno about that.

Also, after half the day PLEADING (literally) to get the box stally next to where they are now.... the BO says she can give this to me , BUT for $400!
Whooooa! I am currently paying $175... see the BIG difference???
But I thought, I either plea some more of have a grumpy OH come down the barn and attempt to construct a shelter plus more money....

So no harm trying, I begged...! She dropped it to $300... still A LOT in comparisson to my boarding budget, but do I really have any such choice? I at least want her to foal in a safer enclosed area, and not have the baby rolling over the next stall.

Needless to say, I HAD to take this last offer..... OH is a bit mad that I now will spend an extra $100 but ... what can I do?

By the way, I also chatted with our horses' previous owner who is still next door at the old barn, and also mentioned the 'legalities' of it all...

But who is really liable? The barn owners there have a stallion, but kept in a box stall.. the other two are owned by boarders. I can't prove either way who it can be... and I'm sure they want no part of it being we would be talking about cost and such. Who would want that!

Could that be dismissed as the horse just 'getting out' on its own, and bear mo real responsibilties to the owner... an 'accident' so it seems?

[NicP]

Gosh what a surprise for you. I understand what you say about it being scary and exciting but it does seem unfair that you have to cover all the costs when your only "crime" is owning a mare.

Do let us know how the vet visit goes...

[Est]

I think the gist of this legal advice (it was in the letters pages so not very detailed) was that the yard owner could be held liable for not having in place safeguards to prevent this happening... In that case at least, it was the yard owner who they believed was at fault. If the vet confirms her in foal, I'd definitely get some legal advice (do you guys get an initial free consultation there like some places offer over here?) as it sounds like your new barn owner is out to squeeze every penny (or cent!) out of the situation that she can! Greedy wench :rolleyes: ;)

[iluvhorses28]

If the vet confirms her in foal, I'd definitely get some legal advice (do you guys get an initial free consultation there like some places offer over here?) as it sounds like your new barn owner is out to squeeze every penny (or cent!) out of the situation that she can! Greedy wench :rolleyes: ;)

Yes there ar efree consultations and well, ther eis the other woman with her mare who just recently foaled that is more than likely as clueless as I am...wondering what happened! That could be a good thing.

And yes... can you believe my barn owner? Making a profit out of my time of need! Really hard to find helpful genuine people, isn't it???

More info soon... tonight she is doing just fine... :o

[Grace O'Malley]

I think you're taking this very well :) ; I would be furious! :mad:

Let us hope the "experts" are wrong, and your mare is not pregnant. :cool:

If she is, then make sure you start keeping careful records of all expenses due to the pregnancy (vet bills, extra board, etc.). Then talk to a lawyer asap. If there are no stallions on your current yard, then she must have been covered at the old one. I'm no lawyer, but I would think you'd have an excellent case against the old YO for your expenses. Stallions wandering about the yard taking their pick??? :confused: :eek: :mad: = negligence on the yard's part, imho.

At the very least you need to know which one of the possible stallions did the deed. IIRC, your mare is a registered paint, isn't she? You'll need to know the bloodlines of the foal if you want to register it or sell it etc.

As for your current YO... If she's asking the current rate for an additional/different stall, I don't think you can fault her. But if she's trying to charge you *more* than usual because she knows you're in a pickle... Well, that sounds like price-gouging to me (which I don't believe is legal).

[iluvhorses28]

Hi Grace,

Yes.. as a matter of fact she was trying to get the better of the situation..... she asked me for $400 when I KNOW she only really charges $300.... I ended up paying for the 300, which is the TRUE price of the stall... but I can't believe she even tried!

She's a descent YO, but somehow picks and chooses who she is 'friendly' with... I am not asking she be friends with me... but at least TRY and be fair.

I don't even know where to start as far as the legalities of the issue. Do i call the YO nextdoor and tell them of my predicament?

At this point, I am just after knowing who the stallion is, so I can have records for my mare's foal...

[Grace O'Malley]

Hi Grace,

Yes.. as a matter of fact she was trying to get the better of the situation..... she asked me for $400 when I KNOW she only really charges $300.... I ended up paying for the 300, which is the TRUE price of the stall... but I can't believe she even tried!



*splutters with indignation on your behalf* :eek: :mad: :mad:

That is low.

As for the other yard... I don't think I would call. Has the vet been out yet? Establish the pregnancy first, as well as the best estimates of date when the mating occurred. Then get some legal advice.

Usually you start these things with a registered letter (requiring signature on receipt so they can't claim they never saw it) laying out the situation and what you want--and pointing out what you're legally entitled to (hence the lawyer). So, like I said, keep careful records of all your additional expenses (including legal fees!).

You mentioned there was another mysteriously pregnant mare? Do you know the owner? Even if you don't, that would be something to mention to your lawyer--that yours isn't the only one :eek:

[iluvhorses28]

So yesterday... YO called to say she already has a vet coming to the yard...after she knew I already made aSaturday appt. with another vet... in any case... it didn't cost me as much as we shared the vet call. Anyway.. YES! She is in foal.... and due in roughly 3 weeks.
OH BOY!

Yo talked to me more and actually recommended Fancy stay in the stall w/ Savannah for now as she has a ways to go. She said she and another girl at the yard are very experienced in breeding, so they will watch over my mare as she gets closer and then move her next door to the foaling stall when she is about ready, as she said this will save me $ instead of paying now when she is not yet due. In a way... I suppose that makes sense.

I was adviced to give her grain when I can... and just keep an eye on her.Oh, and to buy enema and betadine solution?
A few other people at the yard offered their assistance, which I thought was nice.

In any case... I guess we'll have a baby late this month or early June! :o

[KarinUS]

I was adviced to give her grain when I can... and just keep an eye on her.Oh, and to buy enema and betadine solution?



:confused:

[iluvhorses28]

:confused:

I know.... right.
With so many such advice, I am not sure who is right or who makes sense

[NicP]

So it really will happen!

Sorry to have no advice to give but do let us know how it all goes.

[chev]

Some people routinely give the foal an enema when it's born to ensure it passes the meconium. It's honestly not a neccessity; I've never in all the years I've had mares foaling had to give an enema to a foal. Better not to really, unless it becomes neccessary, so you can be sure the foal's guts are working as they should when it passes meconium normally.

We do use iodine or purple spray to spray the umbilical cord, to make sure infection doesn't enter the foal's body that way in the early days.

If Fancy is carrying a good weight and is bagging up as she should, I wouldn't give grain now. If on the other hand she looks lean, it would be an idea to give something along the lines of a stud mix so she has plenty of reserves when foaly arrives.

Try and make sure she keeps active; it's not a good idea for her to be spending most of her time in now. Even if you just walk her out in-hand until she foals, it's better to maintain some low level of exercise since mares who stay active tend to foal with fewer complications.

And good luck! :D

[iluvhorses28]

If Fancy is carrying a good weight and is bagging up as she should, I wouldn't give grain now. If on the other hand she looks lean, it would be an idea to give something along the lines of a stud mix so she has plenty of reserves when foaly arrives.

Try and make sure she keeps active; it's not a good idea for her to be spending most of her time in now. Even if you just walk her out in-hand until she foals, it's better to maintain some low level of exercise since mares who stay active tend to foal with fewer complications.

And good luck! :D

She is slightly lean... so I'm not sure what to give her.
As far as being active...remember, it wsn't but a few days agot hat we actually considered the thought of her being in foal.... so before this week, my daughter has been riding her once a week in lessons and even jumping... Goodness! Had I known!:eek: I feel awful, I hope that all is well and that cantering and jumping her was not bad.... nothing too high as she is barely beginning jumping at this time the highest is about 2 feet.

However, I still fell sort of bad she went through practically her entire pregnancy un noticed! But everytime I asked our Ri if she thought she was getting somewhat big in the middle... she said NO. When I mentioned if she could be in foal... she just said NO... HOW??
I mean granted I have no experience with pregnant mares, but RI had a few under her belt.. and did not even remotely suspected it with Fancy!
Had I known... I feel like I didn't do enough.

[Cupcake]

wow.. so your going to have a baby! Well not you... you know what I mean!

Ok there is one thing you need to consider. How did she get in foal? If it happened without you knowing it could just as easily happen again! This is something you really must think about before it happens again. Stallions shouldnt just be left to wonder around, she could have been seriously hurt.

Congrats on the foal though, hope everything goes smoothly :)

[PonyGirlAsh]

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!! So it's really happening!! I cannot wait to see the little foalie when he/she arrives!! I'm going to need some serious pictures...you never know, OH may let me sneak her over here...then again, maybe not! :D

[iluvhorses28]

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!! So it's really happening!! I cannot wait to see the little foalie when he/she arrives!! I'm going to need some serious pictures...you never know, OH may let me sneak her over here...then again, maybe not! :D

Well.. you already saw the NEW POST... BABY IS HERE...!