Mare producing milk when not in foal??

Equestria

Equestria

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Sorry if this is a daft question- I don't know much on breeding stuff.
But this bay cob mare, 21 years old, is producing milk when she is not in foal, is this normal?
She had foals in the past, and she isn't producing loads of milk, it only came out because I gently squeezed her teats (Out of curiosity). The milk looks quite watery, though again I am not sure whether or not it's supposed to be like that!
Also, is horse milk good for people? (Don't worry, I haven't tried any, I am just curious!)
Is I like cow's milk where you can drink it? (:
 
My mare produced milk even as a maiden mare, it was watery in texture and never seemed to be an issue. Vet was quizzed about it and wasn't concerned. Later on she had a foal and long after being weaned off she still produced milk and at that time I had to occasionally strip her out as her teats would become sore but she literally never dried up after Wills was weaned. Again I sought vets advice and again it was something I managed. Must admit never to have wanted to drink it myself though!
 
It's not something I know much about tbh. My mares never foaled but a few times in spring has milk for a few weeks. Asked both a vet & a breeder & both said in her case to leave it & let it dry up. I do know milk production increases with demand though so unless there is a reason to milk them the less done the better. I have known a few ex broodmares that would produce it often, who did need more assistance than mine. But not something I know a lot about so not sure what the general rule is.
 
Ah that's alright then, nothing to worry about. (:
I didn't really think she's in foal as the only contact she's ever had with a stallion in the past year or so is a little wild shetland stallion when I was riding her on a common, the little thing barely reached past her knees!
It is strange though, since the last time she could have had a foal would have been over 4 years ago, perhaps even more than that!
 
Mares producing milk can be a sign of cushings, as it affects hormones, considering she is of the age where she could be affected it be may be worth getting a cushings test? You can get a free one online at talkaboutlamintis.co.uk ! I found out my mare had cushings about a month ago.
 
My lovely mare is also producing a watery milk I was concerned but have been reliably informed that this can happen she is young and in very good health almost too much so when you see her flirting with anything that even looks slightly like a horse!
 
I know I'm not a horse but I breasfed both my boys for eighteen months both times and whilst I haven't had a child on my boob for two and a half years, I still produce milk now and leak a fair bit. Maybe it's a similar thing in the if youve fed once or twice for a period of time then you maybe still produce. Sounds silly!
 
She could have mastitis. Our mare (who has had a number of foals) gets mastitis almost every year when the flies come out. If she's swollen and/or sore, this could be the problem.

Mastitis is common in cows, but horses get it too, trust me!
 
It's a bit of a new craze in France at the moment apparently, you can get ice cream made from it and it's very expensive!

Hope there is nothing wrong with her :-)
 
my old mare used to produce milk. I had her tested for pregnancy but she was clear. Vet said it was just something that happened sometimes and not to worry about it.
 
In addition to the Cushings check, if your feeding soya based feeds, ration balancer or have lots of clover in grazing, could also be a reason. But ties in to hormonal and IR.

Terri
 
I was putting fly cream on Star's udders a couple of years ago, and she was lactating as well. She even lifted her hind leg to give me better access - hussy :D
 
My maiden mare gets this in the spring and autumn when the protein in the grass is rich, it isn't milk according to my vet, due to the excess protein and more common if they're overweight. She said mares get it sometimes instead of laminitis. If they are hot and sore or she has a hard lump in her glands it could be mastitis so I'd get it checked out but if not leave it and it should dry up as her body gets used to the grass, don't milk them as she will only produce more. Probably due to the extremely rich grass we have this year due to the weather :-)
 
When one of my mares foaled three years ago, the filly foal was born with a bag and running milk!
Vet said it was nothing unusual and was caused by hormone transference. It surely was an eye opener!
 
N'awwh' (:
Hmm, the place where she is kept at, the grass isn't rich at all, if anything she has lost a lot of weight! Hopefully her owner will get a blood test for Cushings or something, and see what happens' (:
 
This may be too much information, and I apologise if it is, I breastfed my youngest child who has just turned 20, I can still get milk if I try. I know I am not a horse but I am sure this is one of those things that is the same across various species. Sorry if I have given you an image you would prefer not to have!!:o
 
Haha, it's okay, perhaps it is something normal, since I've never really checked under her before (I looks after her once a week for her owners), perhaps she's always had it!
 
xmillyx said:
Mares producing milk can be a sign of cushings, as it affects hormones, considering she is of the age where she could be affected it be may be worth getting a cushings test? You can get a free one online at talkaboutlamintis.co.uk ! I found out my mare had cushings about a month ago.
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Agree with this
 
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