Pregnant Mares

[Cobland]

Ive 2 mares and both are pregnant, the yard are all debating over what they will have.

Any ways of telling? Some say if they are filled out at the kidneys, then they will have a colt, or if they are huge its a colt.

If my girl has a filly, im keeping it lol

 

[Dougie]

afraid u just need to wait, think in the earlier stages u can scan?!?!?

 

[Cobland]

Mia is due next month and my black cob (Mae) is due in May, so well past the early stages lol

 

[Dougie]

lol, starting to get excited?

 

[Tia]

A lot of us have done the nail/string test. I has been successful with the first foal so far.

My mare who is due in a few days is supposed to have a filly according to this test.....we'll see in just over 2 weeks whether it was right or not.

Anyway, what you do is get some string, tie a nail or a screw to one end of it and hold the string with the nail pointing downwards directly above the mares pelvis. If it swings backwards and forwards along the spine then it is supposed to be a colt. If it spirals around in an anti-clockwise direction then it is supposed to be a filly.

Try it and see.

 

[Enfys]

I've never heard of the filling out over the kidneys one before. Who was talking about the nail test for sexing foals in utero? Was it Becki before Troy arrived? I'm sure that Tia has mentioned it as well.

Anyway, as I remember it was the old wedding ring (or in this case a nail) on a bit of string held over the back. I did it with my horses, 2 barren mares and a gelding got no reaction at all, just howls of laughter from my husband, but when I did it over my infoal mare the nail did move. Just a little at first, then round in definite circles, that shut hubby up. The problem is that I can't remember if circling meant a colt or a filly, for the other sex, (I'm not very helpful am I?

) it is when the nail swings back and forth along the spine.

Someone will no doubt correct all this, it's a bit of fun anyway, as long as your foals and mares are healthy and have uneventful deliveries that's all you can ask really.

Good luck with them. When are they due?

Edited to say:

Hi Tia, I thought it was you. Ah, so Lola should be having a filly then? It will be interesting to note what percentage of foals the nails were correct about over the next few months with all these HHO babies due.

 

[Tia]

Hi Enfys

. I'm going to try it with my wedding ring tomorrow and see if I get the same result.

I also did it with a gelding and a barren mare and the nail did not move one bit. When I put it above pregnant mare it swung around and around in a circle of about 4 inches in diameter. I tried it on the other pregnant mare and it wasn't so forceful but then she isn't due until August....not sure it if makes a difference.

 

[Enfys]

I was stunned when I did it, I really wasn't expecting anything to happen! At first it was just a little movement and then it really picked up momentum and just swung round like crazy. Mick did suggest that we try it on the pregnant cat but somehow I don't think it would work really

 

[magic104]

I delayed the 45 day scan to 60 days as my vet said it was possible to find out then, if the foal was laying in the right direction. Needless to say it wasn't, so will just have to wait like everyone else.

 

[Cobland]

Im really really excited now, keep ticking the days off on my calendar. Mia is due around the 29th-30th April and Mae is due around the 25th May.

Looking forward to the sleepless nights.

TBH I would have been happier if they werent in foal! Havent rode mae since the end of february and i really miss riding her. Shes got so grumpy too, and thats not like her.

Hubby said if mae has a filly that we can keep it - woohoo