I just bought a Pregnant Thoroughbred Bay Mare, need advice on care. First time owner.?

Question

This is my first time owning a horse. She is 2 months pregnant and I rescued her from being slaughtered. She is out in the pasture right now, and will be staying out there in the winter. What would be some things I should do. There is no barn for her so she won't have any shelter. She has papers and is registered but I am thinking of sellin her for $1500. I need advice on (vitamins, diet, excersice, grooming), pretty much what a typical day should be when I'm out there with her. Thanks a bunch! I really love her and want her and her baby to have a healthy life. She's 12 years old.

Answer 1

Ooof you took on a load for your first go! First off, where are you located? Is it fairly warm out all winter? Even if it is, you might want to consider making a "lean to", basically one wall that blocks the worst of the weather and a roof, just in case something nasty blows up. Definitely get her checked out by a vet to see how healthy she is and if she needs to be wormed and so forth. She'll NEED vaccinations, so don't skimp on those! Dont' let your mare eat fescue grass (if you don't know if your land has it, find out, this grass carries a spore that can cause miscarraige and keep your mare from lactating once/if the foal is born). DO exercise the mare, it keeps her healthy and toned, and as long as you're not racing/jumping her there's no risk of harm.
Check out this site, it has good information on it: http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/showarticle.cfm?id=319 Also, go to your library and read up! Its free and you'll get TONS of information.

Answer 2

Sell her!!!!

A first time horse owner has no business with a pregnant mare. I am sorry to be so blunt.
She needs adequate vitamins, minerals (of the right kind), a good source of hay, and proper water. She needs someone who knows a lot about foaling and someone who knows a lot about training. She's going to have a baby and there is so much to owning and raising a baby that if you're unsure on what to do, it's just asking for trouble and heartache to try.

I would sell her to a good, experienced home for around $500. Take the loss and be glad she's in a better home. If she is trained and safe, you might be able to get $1500 for her. But, if she's a neglect case or a problem horse, you might even consider giving her away for free and take the gratification of knowing you saved two lives as payment.

What you did is not wrong, just don't make a wrong choice now. What you need is a totally broke horse that can handle your blunders. Trust me, your first horse is your sacrificial lamb. You make so many mistakes with your first horse. A pregnant mare and soon, a foal are NOT meant to be sacrifical lambs.

Again, you did a good thing by saving her. Just don't do a bad thing by keeping her unless you're armed with help and knowledge you trust.

Do whatever you think is right. Just follow your gut feeling and things should work out alright.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Oh boy have you taken on a task! I hope you have lots of experience with horses for the months that are ahead of you.

First you need to make sure she has some place to escape the weather. A run-in shed or nice grove of trees - somewhere she can take shelter. Horses are generally happier and healthier left out in the pasture so don't worry if you don't have a "proper" barn for her. She'll be just fine for now.

As far as her pregnancy, you're in for a long haul. Mares in foal need special care - and are a greater financial investment than your typical horse. Someone left a link to a really great site, here is another one:

http://www.meriwalker.com/marecare.html

Good luck!

Answer 4

Wow...your first horse is pregnant and Thoroughbred...lol you did indeed take a load on! I would have told you to get a gelding Quarter horse. But anyways, shelter, lots of water, and good, healthy foods are a must. Contact your vet to get her up on vaccinations that she can handle while pregnant and for a list of vitamins that are good for her and the foal. Most horses get vitamins with thier feed everyday as well as pasture grass. She will have the baby sometime in November or around then, so you NEED to get some sort of shelter for her and her baby for the cold of that time of year, even if you live in a warmer place. Metal shelters arent a good idea-theyre cold in winter and hot in summer...make sure your horse has access to at least 2 buckets of fresh water set about the pasture every day. Also, dont ride her at all while she is pregnant. It really isnt good for her or the baby. I dont remember the cut off point to stop riding her-I think its 3 months? If you really are unsure of what youre doing though, maybe you should consider selling her to somebody who knows horses better, for her own good. But only if you feel you cant provide her with what she and her baby need. Good luck! She will teach you more than we can here.

Answer 5

First off I have to agree with the selling, if it is your First Horse you took on a heck of a responsibility. I do applaud your effort for saving her though. My Father taught me one basic rule, research, ready then Buy, in otherwords research the animal, ready the shelted/home then get it... My reccomendation would be a Horse of around 15yo for you with proper care older horses live well...even a 20 yo IF its recieved good care you wont even know the age persay...

Now if you Plan to kep her you have to realize that By feeding the mare it doesn't mean OVERFEED... she needs roughage... Alphalpha and coastal mixed is good, the closer you get to due date, monitor her habits... she needs to be seen by a vet regardless if pregnant or not and more so NOW that shes pregnant, worming vaccines...ect...you need to have checkups make sure the pregnancy is good, they have covered the first aid, the fescue grass, the shelter...clean water is a MUST the warmer it gets the more likely mosquitos will lay eggs..you DONT want the horse swallowing larvae...If your horse begins chewing wood, its not a good sign, make sure she has a mineral/salt block out there with her, IF she isnt licking it, 5tsps a day can be added, I would suggest a multivitimin, with calcium phosperus and selenium...Sho glo has all of this in it.... the mare needs it.

Just because shes pregnant doesnt mean you need to cease activities, you can ride a Mare up until shes 8-9 months pregnant, AS LONG as your not racing jumping or over exerting her....lunging is a good form of exercise when you just dont feel its a good day to ride, she can at least stretch her legs... I would suggest daily hoof picking, not only does it help prevent problems, but it gets her used to being handled by you, brushing. If you decide you dont want to ride her anymore as it progresses.... dont just quit, wean her down...still allow her to stretch her legs. even when she is ready to Birth the foals months and months and months down the way she needs to have a comfortable place to do it, she needs that shelter regardless, If i were a Horse I wouldnt want to be stuck in the elements...I would suggest a minimum of 30min a day spent with her even if it is just bonding....

Answer 6

Contact a vet ASAP. No horse - pregnant or not - should be outside with no access to shelter. Shelter would be a lean-to (a three sided building) where she could come into to get out of the elements. She needs GOOD quality hay and being a TB, probably some sort of a grain product as well. You would need to consult your vet about that as every horse is different. And access to unfrozen water - snow doesn't count for water. She will need extra vet work because she is pregnant. Consult your vet about this, too. She will also need farrier work, too.

Answer 7

You're going to want to provide some shelter for the horse, especially in winter and summer. The shelter doesn't need to be a huge expensive barn, some sort of lean-to would be fine. Enough so that if the horse wanted, she could get out of the weather. You are going to want to contact your local veterinarian as well to get prenatal and postnatal care for the horses. You are also going to want to get her on a good diet and be sure to provide enough roughage (i.e. grass hay, alfalfa hay, oat hay, etc). I would build a shelter, then contact your local vet, as well as a farrier at some time. The horse is going to need to be shod every 6-8 weeks as well. Good luck!

Answer 8

ask ur vet n stufff... get her some feed made 4 pregnat horses, if she id due u should put her into a lil paddic with no dam...if the foal goes in it might die....try n touch the foal from almost just born...make sure u handle it..get a lil holter 4 it the sooner the foal gets used 2 it the better, but take ur time dont rush it

Jarmi

Answer 9

There are SO many needs for a horse, especially a pregnant one.
First of all, your horse NEEDS some sort of shelter. Whether it's just a stall or a whole barn, your horse needs shelter. If it gets cold during the winter where you live a horse blanket would be ideal for while she's out. I have found a blanket with a high percentage of wool works best. It may be a bit more expensive but worth it. This type of blanket will keep the horse warm, wick the moisture away and last for years. You could probably also board your horse if you can't bulid some sort of shelter. Although, I don't know what the boarder would say about a pregnant horse when she's getting close to her due date.

Has she been seen by a vet since you got her? She needs to be seen by one at least once a month while she's pregnant.

Every Day
Provide fresh clean water.
Provide adequate fodder and concentrates.
Provide adequate shelter and blanketing according to the weather.
Do a visual check for scrapes, cuts, bruises and puncture wounds.
Do a visual check for signs of illness such as runny eyes or noses, or sounds of coughing or wheezing.
Clean hooves and check for bruising or cracks, or loose shoes.
Muck out the stall if your horse is stabled.

Every Week
Check the amount of concentrate, fodder and bedding on hand.
If horses are kept in a small acreage, clean manure from paddocks (could also be done daily).
Check fences for broken rails, loose wire, protruding nails etc.…that could cause injury.
Scrub out water trough and feed buckets.

Every Month
While she's pregnant, she should be seeing a vet at least once a month.

Every Six to Eight Weeks
Have your farrier in to trim hooves or re-set horseshoes.

Every Two to Three Months
Administer de-worming medication.

Once a Year
Have teeth checked and floated by an equine dentist or veterinarian.
Have immunizations administered by veterinarian.

diet;
The horse needs approximately 2.5% of its body weight in food per day. This may include grass, hay, haylage and hard feed. The weight of a horse can be worked out using a weight tape, which may be purchased from a tack shop.
Most horses in regular work will need a ration of 60-70% grass/hay and 30-40% hard feed. These ratios must be considered when increasing the horses' workload, as the hard feed ration may need to be increased or decreased accordingly.

A horse that is not ridden daily or subjected to other stressors can maintain adequate nutrition on pasture or hay alone.


ALWAYS;
make sure she has fresh water, horses require at least 10-12 gallons of water daily.
feed 2 or 3 times day
keep her feeding schedule regular, horses like routine, this also helps prevent cholic

NEVER;
-excrecise after eating, give her an hour or two between them
-feed old, rotten or moldy hay
-make sudden changes in her diet, introduce things in 2-3 weeks
-overfeed or leave food sitting out, horses don't have a sense of being full, if you let them they'll eat themselves to death and they can't throw up either, so make sur your horse doesn't get into anything

It would also be a very good idea to have a horse first-aid kit and, if you plan on keeping her, a birthing kit.

First-aid

Thermometer (a digital one is more accurate)
Petroleum jelly (to use as lubrication for thermometer)
Salt (for saline solution, which is used to clean wounds)1tsp Salt to 1 pint of cooled boiled water
Cotton wool (for cleaning wounds, not dressing them)
Animalintex/poultice dressing. Even disposable diapers can be cut and used as a poultice as they draw moisture out of wounds. Kaolin clay may also be used as a poulice.
Gamgee, to be used as padding underneath bandages
Sharp, clean scissors, reserved for first aid kit only
Clean bucket, reserved for first-aid kit only, for washing out wounds
Clean sponge, reserved for first-aid kit only
Bandages - 4x stable bandages, and some rolls of self-adhesive vet wrap
Poultice boot
Latex/medical gloves, unused
Clean towel
Soap and nail brush to scrub your hands
Your veterinarian's and farrier's telephone and emergency numbers.
A paper and pencil
Suitable box/container for all of the above, to keep them clean and tidy.
If your horse will be doing strenuous or risky work, it is always good to have a leg brace/stabilizer and/or a few short planks of wood on hand, in case of a broken leg. A horse whose leg has been broken but not stabilized has a very little chance of surviving.

There's still a lot more to know and you should check out my sources. The first for basic horse care and the second, third and fourth for pregnant horse care.
Hope this helps!

Answer 10

I agree with Greydrakkon, but don't give her a West Nile Vaccination when she is pregnant. The baby will probably die or be born deformed and then die. Trust me, you do not want to see what this vaccination can do to foals.