for people who know about breeding/have had their mares bred.

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alfirules

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just asking for a little bit of help really!

i am doing some research on the behaviour of mares when they are pregnant. so basically if anyone could tell me about any behavioural changes in their mares whilst they were pregnant, it would be very much appreciated!
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thanks in advance
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Well with my mare I can tell if she's in foal within days of her last covering as she goes very very quiet. She goes back to her normal nutty TB self at about five weeks, then goes quiet again for about the last two weeks. She also gets very clingy to me when she's a few days off foaling.
I am curently looking after two broodmares for a friend, but one of them has turned out not to be in foal. These mares have been in the same home & kept together for years, but the one who is in foal has become the dominant one of the pair, which is a complete role reversal - she's normally way down the pecking order!!
 
my mare was very quiet for the first month or so after being done by AI. she was back in the field galloping around after that till she was due to foal. She became very clingy at around 7 months and wouldnt leave my side
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. She also just walked away from the horses if anything looked like it was going to kick off. She would walk away from her feeds if another horse approached rather than guarding it. At around 9months stage she would wander away from the herd and stand for ages on her own which again is not her normal behaviour.
When I fetched her up to the stables to foal she was like my shadow
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- wherever i went she was right behind me. Right up to the day she foaled she wanted my 100% attention even to the point of making me stop what i was doing eg mucking out to fuss her/scratch her etc. Soon as foaly arrived - didnt want me anymore.
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Amymay was very quiet after comming back from stud at around 40 days pregnant, and remained very peaceful for the rest of the summer. Now whether that was down to hormones, or the fact that she was just very content in the field I couldn't say.

However at 7 months pregnant, and stabled in the night - she is back to her usual self, and I would say she was no different than before.
 
My mare is due at the end of march and is becoming quite grumpy! she dislikes her tummy being touched and doesnt like being fussed over at all, she also cant be bothered to walk to the field anymore (its a 2minute walk)
 
none of mine - native x mares - really showed any changes at all

all 3 of them however carried their foals till 359 and 360 days - with foaling times varying from end march thru to may - so not weather related

all 3 seemed 'reluctant' to let the little thing pop out

one mare once foalie arrived changed from being affectionate to me (I bred her and she was 7 when she had the first foal) to being totally evil to me and protecting her foal like I was going to hurt her

her 2nd foal she was even worse - to the point of being dangerous for the first 2 weeks - made it nigh on impossible to put the iodine on the umbilicle of the foal without help

I haven't bred from her since - but certainly one thing is certain - having a foal didn't calm her down (mini-racehorse) one little bit - she's just as nutty at 15 as she's ever been !!
 
Have bred hundreds of foalies. (worked on large stud farm)
Now just breed one or two Sports horses as a hobbie.
Can now tell if mare is having colt or filly depending on her behaviour in the last trimester.
Would put bet on her having a colt this year. She is sooo bossy even her hubbie is taking a step back when she kicks off. Usually a lovely fussy mare.
If they go all gooey and dont want to be alone thats usually a filly. if they dont want to be fussed over its a colt.
Not guaranteeing it but.... good fun guessing :-)
this has nothing to do with the foal proud syndrome that can make them lethal when baby arrives.
 
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This isn't the bloody answer to my question!! DOn't make a new convo on my Email!!

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What is your problem??
 
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This isn't the bloody answer to my question!! DOn't make a new convo on my Email!!

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Woah - have I missed something?
 
B was MENTAL for the first trimester and exceedingly bossy to my other horse (gelding). By mental I mean serious acrobatics in the field - like WOW, stop and stare kinda stuff!! Since then she's just been lovely! Very sweet, very obliging, worries if she thinks she done something wrong and absolutely had NO control of her foal! She did start to try and instill manners in him when he was about 4/5 months old, but by then he knew he was her boss!
 
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This isn't the bloody answer to my question!! DOn't make a new convo on my Email!!

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dont quite understand that!

thankyou everyone else for your comments, they are very helpful!
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One of our mare's is due at the beginning of April. She was the same after being bred, no change. All summer she was very mellow and then at about 7 months pregnant she started to go off on her own.

She is now 9 months pregnant and pretty much keeps herself to herself. Some days she loves being ridden and other days she just can't be bothered so we don't take her out on these days. She has a "air" about her at the moment, very relaxed and calm. Doesn't like us touching her teats though and this is probably the biggest single difference! She has always loved us gently scratching her teats.

I have enjoyed feeling the foal kicking but nowadays she doesn't really even like me touching her tum anymore. She's still quirky though and happy.
 
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Woah - have I missed something?

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No SN, it certainly isn't you who is missing something.......
 
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