Moving in-foal mare

[no_no_nanette]

We moved our mare Beth over the weekend to a new livery, a lovely little yard which used to be the old stud farm for the local agricultural college .... She is due to foal in 8 weeks, and is VERY large! I'm terrified that the foal will be enormous and that will cause problems. I'm sure that I won't be nearly such an anxious mum if and when my daughter decides to have kids!

She loves her new stable, which is enormous, and has a couple of resident cats who sit on the horses backs - but she has been very clingy over the weekend, and when she was first turned out yesterday tried to come back out of the field with me! Poor baby.

But I'm sure that she will be very happy once she has settled entirely, and its just so much better an environment for mare and foal than the livery where we were. Too many kids/dogs/poor fencing and people bitching about one another! I'm already planning to set up a camp bed in the next door stable to her when we get close to the foaling date. We are thinking of ordering one of the milk testing kits to tell when she's likely to foal - has anyone used one of these?
And by the way, I've banned her from reading Hannah's postings, just in case she decides to take Hannah's example and put me through a lot of stress and waiting!

 

[MillionDollar]

Great News!!! You definitely did the right thing! I'm sure you both will be a lot more happier at the new yard.

Have you got any recnt piccies of her?

The milk kit- Tia is using one for her mare, and if she has success i am definitely going to get one or two.

Let me know where you get yours from.

 

[_jetset_]

I am really interested in these milking kits... but presumably there has to be milk, which we don't have

 

[lisaward]

try future sports horse eb site i think thats them
http://www.futuresporthorses.co.uk/Future_shop.htm

 

[sanda]

Surely you ned the mare to wax up before you can use them. Well once shes waxed up[properly] you know shes going to foal soon anyway .

 

[no_no_nanette]

Yes that's the contact that I've been given.

I'm struggling with trying to post piccies, I'm just soooo hopeless at the technology, but will keep on trying!

I am really pleased that I decided to take the plunge and move, and I think it will work out really well. I shall feel even happier when Beth settles down in her field. And of course it doesn't help when one of the people from the old livery yard says "Oh I do hope that it won't effect the foal, if Beth is upset about moving!"

 

[magicgirl]

TB brood mares are routinely moved weeks before foaling and they seem ok.

 

[no_no_nanette]

Just what I thought, and I reminded myself that loads of people move their horses to stud to foal ... but it gives you a flavour of the sort of remarks that were often passed at the old livery yard!

 

[_jetset_]

I was going to move mine a month ago due to an issue I was having, but the YO sorted something out for me. However, I would not have hesitated moving her at that stage as many mares go stud 4 weeks before foaling (maybe I should have sent her, the bumpy trailer ride could have moved things along a little)

 

[no_no_nanette]

Becki - so hoping for your sake that she's not going to string it out any longer! I was away over the weekend, and as soon as I got back last night went on the forum 'cos I was convinced that there would be piccies of foal and proud but exhausted mare and owner ... It will all be worth it when the foal arrives, so don't worry; I think that as some people have suggested that the weather (which is just foul down here!) may have something to do with the delay as well. I'm saving all your porno pics so that I can study Beth very carefully and compare when we come a bit closer to her due date!