Put my Silly Worry to Rest...........Colt Owners/Breeders

fairlady

New Member
Jul 14, 2007
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Bristol
Over the last few months I have thought how well Sioned has looked, especially coming out of Winter, in fact have had several comments from people about how good she is looking.

Yesterday whilst grooming her she got rather moody whilst I was grooming her sides..........I ran my hand over her tummy and she put her ears back and looked at me........totally unknown of for her.........

Today as I was leaving the field I glanced over at her and thought, blimey she looks a bit FAT.......how can that be......we have so little grass.....then I had an awful thought...........................and it made me feel quite sick tbh

Could she have been 'playing' with Foaly Boy...........

I am being silly Right?

I can't quite get underneath him properly but I am pretty sure there are no testicals dropped as yet..the times I have rummaged I have found, or seen NOTHING..............He is just coming up to 10 months........I have not seen him show the slightest interest in her in that way since day one of him arriving ! He has been far more interested in getting some grub into himself.

PLEASE tell me it is just my imagination running wild, I couldn't bear it !
 
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I am 99.9% certain that it couldn't be him,especially as if she is 'showing' now (I am guessing that's what you mean by looking well??),she would have to be several months gone,which is a definite no-no.

My heavy mare always looked good coming out of winter,almost too well.I figured it was just that I paid more attention to her feed etc over winter to ensure she didn't drop condition,and maybe did too good a job:redface:

Don't foget it's been a very mild winter,so am guessing many have faired better this year than usual.

Pretty sure you have nothing to worry about,other than putting her on a diet if she carries on 'looking well':wink:
 
I would be absolutely DEVASTATED

She is looking good but for some reason with her being very 'touchy' about her belly and then just glancing back it popped into my mind !

Have been up to check tonight just to make sure it wasn't any 'colic' type
signs and she is happily grazing, called out to me and came trotting over so she is fine..........

I really hope it was just my imagination running WILD :bounce: Feed wise she hasn't had that much thro' Winter, they have had excellent hay and an abundance of it tbh, but other than that she has just really had Happy Hoof with carrots, perhaps because it was quite mild and I did rug her earlier with the bad Weather she has just faired better..........FINGERS X'D
 
Have you had the vet do a check to see whether either one is ready to drop? I know they can drop from 6 months onwards, but not fertile until roughly 18mths.. I'd get him checked for peace of mind..
Maybe Sioned is feeling a bit hormonal? Is she coming into season?
 
Kay, it would be very unlikely - I had a colt of HC's age who was leaping fences and blatantly serving the mares in front of me and whilst it isn't impossible, the odds are stacked highly against him being fertile at his age. He was booked for his "op" quick-smartish and whilst I offered to have the mares injected, just in case, vet's sensible advice was to wait to see if they all came back into season 3 weeks later.... which they did, thankfully. Is he behaving coltishly at all? That's a good sign that hormones are kicking in.

Has Sioned had her first season of the year yet? Some mares get very touchy reacting to their first one each spring....
 
How old is she? I doubt she is pregnant. My little black cob loved being groomed until one spring, she was about 3 I think. She started to get well touchy about her tickley bits, then started to produce milk. Vet was called, she had scans and hormone tests and everything came back fine. It eventually cleared up on its own. Looking back I think the grass may have been too rich. If it happened to me now I would restrict her grazing and put her on hi fi molasses free, speedibeet and soaked hay for a while.
 
I had a weanling colt in with a yearling filly. My vet said that would be fine until he was castrated at 10-12 months. BUT a friend then had an unexpected foal from an 8 month old colt. I phoned my vet again who said ';highly unlikely but theoretically yes an 8 month old colt can impregnate a filly/mare'. Which is very different to 'it's fine'. I wanted no chance at all. I separated them and did a pregnancy test which thankfully was clear. So as far as I know it is unlikely by not impossible. I would check personally, for peace of mind as much as anything else.
 
OK thanks everybody, I have had a good look today and definately no sign of Testicals as yet, Sioned doesn't look so bloated today either:smoke:

Heathcliffe has shown absolutely no Coltish signs whatsoever so I think I was just having a bit of a silly blip, although I appreciate it wouldn't be impossible I do think its highly unlikely as I have been watching them very closely.

When we move to Cooksters Yard the plan is to seperate them anyway and have him Gelded as soon as all necessary 'bits' are present.

What I had forgotton was that two days previously she had got out on the grass with Heathcliffe, so maybe just a bit of grass bloat and the way she was stood..........certainly doesn't look so rounded today !
 
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