Need input from breeders Update! 2 babies aborted

Pedestal*Pony · Need input from breeders Update! 2 babies aborted

First and foremost, if this is not appropriate to post Carol, please delete it or I can take the picture out.

Our hearts are all breaking because one of my sisters mares aborted her baby at 7 months yesterday, 11-10-11. The mare is fine and totally acting and eating normal. The baby appeared to be totally intact and normal.

She just felt it kicking the night of the 9th and when she came home on the 10th, she found the baby and afterbirth in the back pen.

Does anyone see any obvious signs of why or what could have happened?

It was a colt. He had eye lashes and he was marked beautiful. She was bred to her paint stallion (my sister owns both the mare and stallion).

Her other mare is bred to the same stud and she is fine. I hope it is just a fluke thing and so very glad at least the mare is Ok.

PasoBaby_CarolU

I am heartbroken for your sister and her mare. I know that foal looks perfect, but Nature said, "no.". Without a necropsy she will never know why, and even with one, it could be a problem with the mare and this pregnancy. I lost a foal at ten months for no reason that I could see.

I do know many breeders though, and will tell her that as sad as it is, these things do happen.

I am so sorry. I know there were many hopes and dreams lost.

Pedestal*Pony

Thank you Carol. This is my sisters first experience in having baby horses and breeding. She has had horses as long as me (35 years) but has never bred any of her mares.

This mare is about 10 or 11 years old and she came off the track in approx 2006 and went to a university called Tuskegee University, I think in Alabama and was used for some kind of research or study program and when they were done with them, they were sending them to slaughter.

My sisters mare was rescued and made her way to some kind of friends of the lady we got her from. Well these friends starved her almost to death (the other mare died).

I have no idea what kind of research or study program they did with the horses. But she has tons of pin fireing in her front legs.

I dont know if my sister is going to breed her back in the spring or not. What do you think? He was a jam up looking colt for sure!!

doubletop · dead early foal aborted

very distressing for your sister.the mare appears to have walked away from the foal,which indicates that the mare thought the foal was not normal,she did not clean it,which is another sign.A mare that has a a foal that dies will guard it for weeks sometimes and will show emotional stress.From the photo the foal's heard looks big.If you want a foal you have nothing to lose by trying the mare again next spring,your experience is probably a one off for the mare.REMEMBER when you have any livestock ,it is sad but true that there will be a percentage of deadstock.Put it behind you and carry on. It seems, the mare has moved on.

Good luck next time,

PasoBaby_CarolU

Jody, I had such bad luck breeding horses that I completely gave it up - and that was when there was a "horse market." I actually own an AI breeding to one of my favorite stallions, but have been too chicken to breed any of mares with it. I worry myself sick.

Only your sister can make that decision. When I was expecting Bruiser I read "Blessed are the Broodmares" preparing for the delivery. I think it said that 95% of the time everything goes as hoped for with no problems, although that may have just been a figure thrown in.

I finally decided I was better off just shopping for babies. Then I can get the color and sex and breeding I want, without the stress of breeding and waiting 11 months.

merle

Sorry to hear about the foal. By any chance did the mare eat fescue during her last trimester? Also, did the mare receive a rhino vaccine? Infested fescue can cause pregnancy problems and not having the rhino vaccine can cause aborted foals.

Pedestal*Pony

My sister went out to work her stallion today and this is what she found in his pen that we built yesterday. I am taking a guess here that this is why she aborted.

She said this second baby was alot smaller. Plus we found the first one on Thursday and she found this one today which means it was out there drying out for 2 days.

I have better picture of it but for some reason I cant get it to load. Grrr!

PasoBaby_CarolU

So I am guessing twins? If so this is pretty normal. It is why most breeders ultrasound and pinch off one egg early.

PasoBaby_CarolU

I'm sorry for your sister and her mare. It is very unusual for twins to survive. Yes, it is probably why she aborted.

barnelda

Our horse Fury's mother gave birth to 3 sets of twins.Only one set was aborted.The other two sets were born raised and sold.One of the ottb's when I was a kid aborted her twins.

So So sad and sorry for the loss

thebundychick

How terribly terribly sad

My friends mare was scanned at 60 days with twins, and come "d" day, delivered 1 healthy foal. the other one had reabsorbed. The delivery was not easy, she faced a red bag delivery, as well as a breach, against all odds, and by divine intervention only, the foal was delivered alive & kicking.

xx

Clarissa

Twins! Such a pity but probaby for the best in the long term. You will get a return service for free no doubt. I assume the same thing applies in USA as does here which is called 'Live foal guarantee' which means if the foal dies within a week of birth the return service is free.

Many people say their mare never got in foal or the fetus was reabsorbed or whatever but often the mare was in foal but slipped & the fetus/es weren't detected. We here, don't have to go back many months to have first hand knowledge of that sort of event.

I wish your sister all the best if she want to rebread her mare.

Copious_Amour

becky b

Oh how sad.

CoolsLadyInRed

Jodi. I am sorry about your sister's horse losing the foals.
Over the years people have told me to breed my mare because of her genetics and I was tempted to but I feel there are so many adoptable,unwanted foals and didn't want anything to happen to my mare. I know it doesn't happen often that the mare dies but for me that was something I wanted to avoid. (Mother nature has a way of taking care of things.)

Need input from breeders Update! 2 babies aborted

dead early foal aborted