Care of a rescued 6 y.o mare that is in foal?

Question

Okay, I am taking in a 6 year old qh/haflinger cross mare this week. She foaled in april 2011. The stallion that she was penned with was not sold until august, so I'm pretty sure she is bred. I guess I'm just looking for a little more info about how to care for her and her foal. She will be housed with her 6 mo old colt, my 9 year old belgian, and 9 year old pony. I am guessing she is about 900 pounds, and about 15 hands. I feed my horses a round bale which typically lasts me 5 days, mostly in part to my belgian, is it okay for her to have free choice access to hay? They are also fed purina strategy twice a day.

Would this feeding regimen be sufficient for a pregnant mare? How much grain should I give? Is grass hay okay, or should I feed alfalfa? I am aware of shots and such during pregnancy, just unsure of how to feed her, and if i should use supplements. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

She is a little underweight at this time, which is one of the reasons I am taking her, they are not caring for her properly and she has been forced to stand in her own manure, I don't even want to think about how her feet look, not to mention she has been confined to a small area for quite some time... Should I feed extra to boost her weight, or just feed a normal amount to slowly build her weight up?

Thank you for your time!

P.S. Don't tell me to ask a vet, because there are not any that i would trust around here, and almost none do farm calls around here anymore.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Before you do anything you need to know if she is in foal. Also make arrangements to wean the colt.

edit.. It does read like the foal is with her, with it saying housed with her 6 month old colt.

You will most likely find she will put weight on very quickly now the foal isn't feeding from her. We have a mare who is a very good mum, to good. She always looks thinner than the others.
I disagree that if she is feeding she might not be in foal. We have mares with foals at foot, 6 months old and due to foal next year. So I defiantly wouldn't use that as a sign she is empty.

edit ? or now Lilian, how could she produce a Jan foal? her foal at foot is 6 months old. She could have a foal heat cover if with a stallion a week-9 days after she foaled, but even if that was the case she would still not have a 11 month gestation and produce a foal in January. It is going to be April-May at the earliest.

Lilian · Answer

You could be easily getting a Jan foal!,    Mares usually will have a 9 day heat which they will only be in and accepting the stallion for a little while.   Then she would be in heat again about 28 days after she foaled.    They must be very small round bales if they will last only 5 days.   Horses waste so much hay when they are permitted to wade into and eat off a round bale.

zakiit · Answer

And what would you do if there was an emergency if you will not get a vet?  Do you know it is illegal to deny horses or any other animal proper veterinary care?

I would feed her to bring her weight up slowly.  If you do put too much weight on her and you do not know if she is pregnant then she would be overweight.   You really do need to find out whether she is.

If she is still feeding the foal at foot, then it is unlikely that she will be pregnant.

? · Answer

At my old stable, pregnant mares got fed the same as everyone else. So im pretty sure your feeding regimen will be just fine. Just keep an eye on her to make sure she is getting enough. Also, i would keep out a salt or mineral lick. As said, once the colt is separated you will notice weight gain since he will not be taking all her nutrients.

All in all, just keep and eye on her. Im sure things will go fine. congrats on Rescuing her btw !

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Care of a rescued 6 y.o mare that is in foal?

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