Maiden mare - unusual to get "big" quickly?

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Gingernags

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Our other two maiden mares, when in foal, didn't really start to show a lot til late on but Asti has changed shape hugely!

Bearing in mind she's still out 24/7 but the grass is rubbish, she's getting one feed a day of lo cal chaff (couple of handfulls) with some lo cal stud balancer - I'm expecting her to be maintaining not putting on weight. With a weight tape she's currently 447kilos (Usually fluctuates around this mark and up to say 460 - she used to be nearer the 480-490 mark but was fat.

She's not on as much excercise as normal though is still on short hacks and the odd dressage test.

Now from a distance she's looking nice and healthy and not fat, you can feel ribs, and see the shade of them as she moves but they are nicely covered and everywhere is normal... except...

The back end of her belly as dropped and is getting pretty wide too, she looks like she's 9 months instead of not quite 3!

Is this normal, do some mares, even maidens, sometimes get a big pregnancy belly early on? Have never seen it before, making room so early!

Shouldn't be worm related, they are due now but only our three on otherwise ungrazed land and an effective program so not likely to be that...

She's otherwise happy and healthy and full of beans!
 
Bloss is just starting to properly show and shes coming up to 6 months....... Up until about 2weeks ago she was still being ridden daily with just one day off a week. Now im only riding her around 3-4 times a week.....
 
Teazle changed shape very very quickly even though she stayed in work up until 5 months. Bramble didn't change shape at all until 9/10 months!

They are just like people I suppose
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Our pony who was in work right up till about a month before her due date, remained slim and fit until then. It wasn't till about 9 months before she really started to show. After birthing, she slipped right back into her nice trim body again.

The other mare who came lame very quickly after being served, became incredibly huge within just a few months. She was not worked at all during her pregnancy, so not sure if this has anything to do with it. She is just about to re-start some gentle work however she still looks fairly big, but then she is an incredibly solid and muscley QH mare.
 
Thats OK then, if others have been the same I'll not worry. You've seen the photos of the mare Tia, she thinks she's a quarterhorse anyway!

She's looking normal and tip top in general, not getting fat elsewhere, just getting a big pregnant belly behind and its dropped! Bless, never seen her look anything but fit and trim!
 
One of mare's is a maiden and only about 110 days along and is showing and my other is about 4.5 months along and had a foal about 7 years ago is huge! Would think it was twins myself if I didn't know better.
 
Mine is only 85 days bless her! I think its her defence mechanism from the evil 3yo - don't pick on me I'm pregnant - and making sure she looks it!

Its just so sweet - this time last year she was still in show pony mode, then all clipped tidy - this year she's a total furball. Must be the first time I've ever left her furry and not clipped and had her groomed to perfection!

We went to dressage the other week, riding club league. Everyone else had clipped and clean horses... noooo not me and Asti, I'd only brought her in from the field half an hour before, got her out of the trailer covered in mud
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Well I *did* brush her before we went in!!!
 
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