breeders - how do you cope with the worry?

[aregona]

As title suggests. After just reading about the awful time that victoria25 has had how do you stop worrying that something will go wrong?

I've sadly lost a mare and a foal on seperate occasions during foalings. And with a mare due any day i can't help but worry.

I'm beginning to think my days of breeding are over as i just don't like the last few Weeks of worry

 

[s4sugar]

I lost a foal at 36 hours 20 years ago & can still see her in my mind.
I have had three more foals since so I'm not not a high volume breeder but the fear of loss is always there.
It is wonderful when you get a good result though although I have no plans to breed again - this is down to my age as last foal is rising four & should see me out.

 

[aregona]

My last foal is now a 2yr old and he is out of my event mare. The mare is very special to me and i was worried sick. It was like all my Christmas had come at once when i got mare and foal at the end of it. I thought i just worried because it was not a brood mare i was using but its my brood mare that's due and I'm still really worried.

 

[HBM1]

I can't..so not breeding again. I really couldn't bear to lose one of my mares.

 

[Spring Feather]

I'm not naturally a worrier. I'm more of a 'deal with it' type of person. I would pull out all stops to save my mares however. Foals, always nice to have them but not at the expense of my mares lives so my girls are my priority at each and every foaling.

 

[Choccie]

I believe in fate, and everything happens for a reason, but i still worry. I just try do everything i can to prevent anything terrible happening but at the end of the day Mother Nature has the final say, as with Victoria25's mare. I guess i carry on breeding the odd foal every few years as they bring a lot of joy and i enjoy producing them in hand and selling to homes where they can flourish. When horse breeding is good its really good and went its bad its really bad, you can only hope that there is some sort of balance over time.

On the flip side i have bought a horse to ride and after 18months she is quite poorly and only the next few months of treatment will decide her fate.

In both cases the only way to deal with the worry is eat chocolate!

 

[stimpy]

The mare is very special to me and i was worried sick. It was like all my Christmas had come at once when i got mare and foal at the end of it.

This is me and my situation last year. The joy and relief after foaling was much more intense than I had expected and told me that I was much more worried than I had thought.

I guess when you decide to breed you have to accept the risk/reward ratio, those of us who come out on the right side are very lucky and we have to thank our lucky stars.

 

[mynutmeg]

I plan. Obsessively.

 

[Deli]

My mare is at 315 days and I am sick with worry. I can't even plan because I don't know when it will come.

 

[mynutmeg]

Me neither but you'd be amazed how much you can still plan. In minute detail.

 

[Magicmadge]

My mare is 304 days now and im worried sick, even though i have bred before, twice, with out a hitch. A dear friend has just lost her mare and foal. Mare had a prolaspsed rectum (rare im told, vet hadnt seen one in 20 years) mare was pts and immediate cesarian to try and save unborn foal, foal was dead. Its horror stories like this that have made me sure this will be my last foal. I know the majority of mares foal without any problems but i always think what if!!!!

 

[aregona]

My mare that I lost also had a prolapsed rectum. She still delivered the foal and we quickly loaded them both into the trailer and took her straight to hospital. Sadly the foal had torn her rectum causing leakage. Her chances were very slim so she was pts later that day (perfectly comfortable so the vets kept her alive a few hours so the foal could get the colostrum.) Thankfully though we had a cracking colt foal. He is now 7yr old and is my lovely eventer. I guess every cloud has a silver lining and tom is ours. He means the world to us.

 

[henryhorn]

I think it's much worse if you only have one brood mare. We have up to 9 so you have to accept by the law of averages on some occasions there will be problems.
Four of my mares are now getting to the end of their breeding lives so every foal is a bonus.
I don't worry before hand at all, if things go wrong you do the best you can and have the items needed to hand , and the vet is very good. I am very sad when we lose a foal, all those months of watching and waiting and then when they arrive your hopes for their future, it always seems such a waste.
The worst we have suffered was losing our stallion recently, it wasn't an easy death and totally out of the blue, and after 12 years we treated him as a family pet.
We are lucky he has left many nice progeny behind and we have six foals due this year and enough semen frozen for some more. It's going to be a bitter sweet experience seeing foals arrive this time..
I honestly think you have to accept foaling is a dangerous business and sometimes it can go wrong, but worrying beforehand will change nothing at all, so it's pretty pointless!
I believe if you try and understand what normal foaling is like and call your vet asap if you don't feel confident there is little more you can do. Most births are problem free, it's just bad luck if you get one that isn't.

 

[Kaylum]

All ours foaled outside, less stress for the mares. Never had a problem with them. The tbs we had foaled inside (race horses) but we never stayed up with them. This was 20 years ago. People over think and don't let nature do its stuff. Would foal outside everytime if possible.

 

[Enfys]

I'm not naturally a worrier. I'm more of a 'deal with it' type of person. I would pull out all stops to save my mares however. Foals, always nice to have them but not at the expense of my mares lives so my girls are my priority at each and every foaling.

This.

I just assume everything will be OK, and if it isn't then I deal with it.

Has your mare foaled yet? Good Luck if not.

 

[Victoria25]

I’m considering putting her back into foal but worry is the only thing stopping me xx

 

[angrovestud]

The older I get the more I feel blessed when a foaling goes well my hubby and I have a tried and tested method, of looking after the mare and helping her foal to milking the mare and getting foal on to mum, we have the same routine with every mare and foal and its tried and trusted, you ever stop worring but you do learn with time to cope with the worry.

 

[aregona]

thanks everyone, great advise

she hasn't foaled yet. The vet was out this morning vaccinating so had a look at her before she gave her a tetanus, she is really pleased with how she is looking and on top of that she has waxed up, this is a first for her she normally doesn't give any signs. She also dripped some milk this afternoon. She had a very restless night last night so we will see what tonight brings.
I've installed a cctv camera which is linked to my laptop and phone so i can watch her all night without having to disturb her. Fingers crossed tonight is the night