I have a rather strange situation and it’s not something I’ve ever noticed nor experienced before. I’ve had my youngster for almost two years now, she will be four in April. Therefore I’ve been around for her heat cycles, on and off season.
This afternoon, I went to groom my mare and noticed that her left teat (more so in front of the teat) was hard and swollen. I typically regularly clean the gunk between her teats, hence why I was able to notice. It seemed slightly tender but didn’t bother her too much. I haven’t noticed any signs of her being in heat (we’re in the dead of winter) and I’m not even particularly sure that this would be a symptom of that. She has not been around any stallions so there is no chance that she is in foal.
I have made a vet appointment to check it out just in case, but until then and for my own peace of mind, does anyone have any experience with this? Would this be considered a normal part of a mare’s development? I’m totally lost and I can’t seem to find anything else not relating to a mare that has been bred.
Thanks in advance.
EDIT: I figured it would be worth it to mention that we have been dealing with a strange hind end lameness, diagnosed in the neck and treated accordingly. This flare up occurred on the same side by which she was lame, so I’m curious if it was potentially an underlying issue that was contributing to the lameness. Any insight on this would also be appreciated!