Welcome to the daily Hannah update...

Do you mean proper veins standing out then?

Sorry, I thought this might be the official name of where they have the milk tracking up their bellies.
 
They run from the udder along the belly; some mares show them well, others don't!
Do not worry about the lack of wax or milk Becki; remember when Jennie foaled, she showed not a sign at 1am, no wax, very calm eating her hay, quite bored really; I went to bed, son came home from driving at 4.30am and was very miffed that I hadn't rung him to say she had foaled! Foal was dry and up and suckling so must have been born around 3.30; that's only 2 1/2 hours after I checked her with absolutelu nothing to make me think she would have it earlier than another couple of days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have to admit I was very embarrassed about missing it plus very miffed at her for not telling me so it can happen without the usual signs and I'm supposed to know what to look for - just to throw another spanner into the works for you!
 
She looks absolutely fine to me Becki!

It's only natural to panic and worry over your own but to me she looks completely normal for a mare that will foal in the next day or so. As someone said earlier, not all mares run milk by a long way and some don't even wax or they do but it gets knocked off before you see it.

If you've got the lovely sunshine that we've got here today, that might be her trigger to 'let it all out'
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Fingers crossed!
 
Doesn't sound like its going to be long now, keeping everything crossed that the lil'un comes along soon!
 
We have got the lovely sunshine but poor Hannah is in because she won't stay out for more than an hour at the moment... She seems bored on her own whereas I can usually leave her out for a good few hours on her own and she is fine. She is just snoozing in her stable at the moment in the sunshine (hubby just checked her for me as he drove past) but still not finished her breakfast so looks as though she just does not have the room for it at the moment.

She did have some yellow stuff on her teats, but literally it was just a small amount of crust that fell off when I knocked it by accident (didn't even see it was there to be honest). It landed on my shoulder (I was mucking out at the time) and was like a bright yellowy crust.

If you sqeeze her teats then some cloudy stuff appears on the end in a blob, but that is it... no milk running down her legs or milk veins (don't think I have spotted any
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). The only thing that has changed over the past 2-3 days on her bag is that she now has a big swelling just in front of the udder as well as the rock hard bag behind them. It is not tracking up her tummy but staying very constant even when she goes out in the field (I think you can see it from the pics).
 
Get her tail plaited. She might think she's off to a comp and the excitement could bring it on.... (joke). Tell her Aunty brighteyes has two - yes, TWO - of her precious Chocolate Hob Nobs resting on a colt foal before midnight!
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Seriously - the threads are better than Eastenders and the pics are hilarious. I know you are deadly earnest, but your mare must think you have gone potty! I can imagine her face when you are doing the 'unusual angles' should we call them. Keep them coming - and Hannah, GET ON WITH IT!!!!
 
Ohhh this is so exciting! I was in a breeding lecture at uni the other day and was told that apparently if you brush a newborn foal's mane over to the correct side while it is still damp from being born, it will always lie the correct side. Just thought you might want to try it, it might make plaiting and thing easier when your little star is all grown up!
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I reckon it will be tonight or tomorrow night! Fingers crossed!
 
Am so sorry if I am repeating what has already been said, as I have not the time to read the whole thread, but it really looks to me that she is not far off now! Her bag has increased hugely and her belly has dropped and it appears that the foal has started to turn, ready to foal!

Dead excited for you hun! There is nothing like your first foaling!!!
 
Thanks SN, and thank you so much for the PM too... really appreciate all the advice you have offered so far. That goes to everyone on here too!
 
Have you tried the "nail test" yet? To see what sex foaly is going to be...well allegedly it works. I'm going to try it on Cloud before she foals.
 
Tie a nail/screw (nail test sounds oh so much better than screw test, but I guess you could call it the string test
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) to a piece of string. Hold the end of the string over the mare's back above her pelvis. If the nail swings back and forth along her spine then it's a colt, if it circled anticlockwise then it's a filly. Who knows if it really does work or not....but a friend of mine did it a few weeks ago on 2 of her heavily pregnant mares .... and it worked both times!!
 
I don't think so. My friend did it a month or so before the foals were born but it might be worth a try doing it with yours at the moment....could be a bit of fun
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Becki, please do not panic. I noticed today with my mare that she seemed to have 'shrunk' in the wash today (she got wet out in the field), her tummy had subsided and her boobies shrivelled a bit.... she was thoroughly miserable. Maybe the weather does play some part in things, as what you describe about Hannah today is just the same as my mare!

Not wishing to depress you, but I have had mares go over their due date by as much as 4 weeks. My mare still has 3 weeks until her due date and I haven't even begun to prepare
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I have got as far as washing out the foaling box but it's not bedded down yet
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Hopefully Hannah will get on with it and have it in the next few days (Sunday please!)
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I really feel for you at this time, it's very stressful and very tiring.... but god, it will be so worth it when you are all gooey about your new foal - won't be long now, we hope! xxx
 
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