Is Your Mama a Mare:Care for Your Pregnant Mare

After shipping your mare to the breeding farm or having artificial insemination done, you should have a blood test done to see if the mare is pregnant. If a pregnancy test is positive in your mare, there are certain steps you should take to care for your mare during her pregnancy.

• Start a supplement of progesterone, usually over the first two trimesters


• Consider your mares weight and adjust it as necessary to keep her and the foal healthy as possible


• Continue to exercise her normally, until the third trimester, when her exercise load should be dramatically lightened


• Increase her food intake in the last trimester to insure her and the foal have enough food to continue growing


• When the mares delivery date gets closer, move her to a secluded pasture so she is not harassed by other horses

Is Your Mama a Mare: Things to Consider

Could my mare be too young or too old to breed?

Mares can often foal late into life as long as they continue to go into season regularly. A filly can become sexually mature at 18 months so a mare could foal at 2 years old technically. This can be problematic though because a mare continues to grow until age four, and being in foal can hinder growth. The best age to start breeding is age 5.

What is the best time of year to breed?

Mares naturally come into season when there is naturally more sunlight. This means that most mares will have their cycles during the summer, and they will cease to have cycles when fall comes around. The ideal time for a foal to be born is between May and July, because this is when grass is best to support the mothers milk. This means the best time to breed would be June through August.

How often does a mare come into season?

Mares usually show seasons lasting four to six days from the months of March to October. These recur 14 to 16 days after the end of the previous season. The means mares normally have a breeding cycle of around three weeks duration. After being breed, a mares cycle may become irregular if she does not become pregnant the first time.

How can I tell if my mare if pregnant?

Mares do not usually show signs of abdominal enlargement until the last three months of pregnancy. Also, mammary development is not obvious in mares until a month before the foal is due. The only accurate way to know ahead of time if your mare is with foal is to have an ultrasound done. This can also show if anything abnormal exists in the foal.

How long does pregnancy last in horses?

A normal pregnancy for a horse is 11 months or 340 days. It has been said that colts will always be carried longer than fillies. A premature foal can survive with proper treatment after 310 days. Also, on rare occasions, foals can be 3 to 4 weeks overdue.

Can mares carry multiple babies at once?

It is rare for mares to double ovulate but it is possible. it is hard on a mare to carry twins because the uterus is not made to stretch to accommodate two babies at once. It puts a large risk on the mare for ruptures and for complications during delivery. Often times if a mare becomes pregnant with twins, her body will automatically abort both babies. If not, a veterinarian can sometimes abort one fetus so the pregnancy can be carried out.

The Ultimate "Show Limo"

In our world today, when you think about the word limo, you are probably thinking about the fancy long cars (now a days… even Hummers!) that are used by celebrities or even just for special occasions such as weddings. In the world of horses, however, we have a slightly altered definition of our “show limo”. We prefer to call them Rigs… Show Rigs to be exact! The picture you see below is the perfect example of what a fancy Show Rig looks like. Who ever said that your horse could not be traveling in style too?!

A rig is made up of a truck and trailer. The size, price, and style of a show rig have continually increased and intensified throughout the years as horse lovers have deepened the desire for all the comforts of home… while not being at home! The trucks themselves have grown in size and strength in order to be able to successfully meet the pulling requirements of today’s insanely huge trailers. The Ford F-250, which at one time was the biggest truck on the market, has now morphed into the much bulkier and bigger Ford F-650. You may be asking, “What in the world would you be pulling that you would need a truck that size?!” Well ya’ll, I have the answer!

Sundowner Trailers has now created the trailer to be envied by any other trailer ever built! The brand new Luxury Liner is “the ultimate in luxury equine transportation”. This bad boy is a fifty three foot long hotel on wheels! If you do not believe me… wait until you take a peek inside. This trailer is absolutely ridiculous… yet incredibly awesome all at the same time!!!

From front to back, both interior and exterior of this Sundowner trailer is designed, fashioned, and created in a VERY attractive and stylish way. As soon as you step foot inside of the living quarters, you are greeted with a luxurious and spacious environment that looks like it came straight out of a mail order magazine. The numerous features of this rig are so unbelievable that I created a list containing just a few of the features to share with ya’ll.

FEATURES:

· Two ducted air conditioners

· Custom leather furniture

· Wood flooring

· Electric shades

· Sofa, dinette, J lounge

· Refrigerator with ice maker

· 2 burner cook top with cover, range

· Convection microwave oven

· Granite or copper counters

· Dishwasher

· Precision Temp heating system

· Intellitec control system for lights, pocket doors and shades

· 2 exterior waterproof speakers

· 10K Diesel generator and fuel tank

· Surround sound

· Satellite system

· Fireplace

· Ceiling fan

· Bathroom sink and vanity

· China toilet

· 36” marble shower with glass door

· Skylight dome in shower

· LCD TV flat screen with DVD player

· Stereo system

· Washer/Dryer combo

So, as you can see, this is no ordinary trailer! Sundowner Trailers certainly took the theory of “home away from home” and ran with it when they created this masterpiece. What are your thoughts about this Show Rig? Let me know what ya’ll think. Later Partner!