yes, she’s due in 2-3 weeks.
Hey! Vet says she’s looking good. Wants me to keep on with the extra stuff I’ve added, but does want me to put her on a feed with a higher caloric intake, like Strategy, until the baby is on the ground, after which he wants her on mare and foal (and of course introduce it before foaling). I’ve reorganized my lower level of my barn to store some more hay so I can keep her in the paddock and control her diet, and he says she looks like she’s bagging up fine and predicts 2-3 weeks. He also looked through lots of photos of my fields and of the grasses surrounding the barn in the paddock and thinks we might be fescue free, but he’s got domperidone for me as backup just to be safe. We’re taking a mower and cutting what’s left of the paddock as short as we can go and I’m going to be giving her hay from my square stash till our rounds get delivered next weekend. Double checked with my hay guy, and thankfully the supplier I finally chose has hay that does NOT have fescue in it. What a relief, and I think I’ll order some extra now!
I’ve already tracked down a tent for mare stare so I can help in case we have any membrane or placenta problems, and we’re going to keep checking her every day. Her foal was healthy and kicking hard when he did a palpation today, kicking like it was saying “Get out of here!” LOL :lol: I felt her belly while he was checking her and that little baby was going to town like it was banging on a drum! She was a doll through the whole procedure, and he said it feels healthy, she’s bagging up well but isn’t super slack in her hind end yet, so we do for sure have a little more to go.
She’s in the paddock tonight with a buddy, two big water tubs and shelter in the side of the barn. I can’t find my weight tape, but I’m going to replace it and start tracking her remaining girth increase until foaling. Trying to get positive about the whole situation, and trying to get excited about the idea of a foal 
Still a little mad that we’re foaling, still a little annoyed I didn’t notice till now, but it’s not really Classy Lady’s or the foal’s fault, just stupid humans involved. You better believe I’m NEVER boarding my hooker hoebag mare at a farm with a stud on the premises no matter what they try to tell me about how secure he is… At any rate, maybe we’ll get lucky and maybe baby will look more like Mama
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Congrats! On having a fun new baby soon and on handling such a surprise/oops like a champ-sounds like you definitely have the right attitude and mama and baby are lucky to have you.
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Just looked at your blog and realized Ivan was a CANTER Gulf South horse! How fun! I used to volunteer for them (though I didn’t take his listing) and it’s always exciting to see the listed horses happy in their next lives
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I LOVE that you refer to your mare as a “hooker hoebag” :lol: I have known many a hussy mare who would have fit that description perfectly. I might have to borrow it and share it with a friend (who happened to own all the ones I am referring to).
LOL - It’ll work out girl. Glad the vet check went well though!
Shoot around our place its not my stallion I have to keep in place (his butt really does stay behind his electric fence even if its off) - its the stinking mares that will break the fence to get into his pasture if I’m not careful to make sure its on lol (and yup its the TWH mare more then the TB mares that is causing the problems)
*Sparky - that would be because Ivan was listed from his home farm and had been home from the track for a few months when his owner decided to list him.
I would put her on a good mare/foal or growth food now, not Strategy. The m/f and growth feeds are formulated specifically for pregnant/lactating/growing horses. Strategy is not.
If you can get Triple Crown Growth go for it - that’s the lowest sugar feed of this type I know of
This. Vets are not nutritionists.
[QUOTE=JB;5789320]
I would put her on a good mare/foal or growth food now, not Strategy. The m/f and growth feeds are formulated specifically for pregnant/lactating/growing horses. Strategy is not.
If you can get Triple Crown Growth go for it - that’s the lowest sugar feed of this type I know of[/QUOTE]
third this. And my latest arrival is also due to ho mare finding her way into Mr. Studlys pasture. I went out to feed one morning and had an extra head greet me at the gate. There is a paddock between him and the mares so she had to cross two fencelines to get in there.
Well, congrats!
And again, don’t be so sure it was the stallion who came after your mare – I’ve had mares come from 5 miles away to my stallion(s).
Nature can be very powerful ;).
Years ago I had a Paint mare come and actually break in to be with this older Arab stallion I was leasing as a teaser stallion. He was actually a nice boy (had sired my favorite riding mare) and won some shows in his day.
Owner did not miss her for THREE DAYS…I finally had to track them down.
Boy were they pissed that their mare had been bred by a (ick!) ARAB!!! But I told them they could spend some $$ on vets or on fencing – their choice.
I was not tossing an unknown mare into the pasture with my preggo mares…no way! So she went in with the stallion (which is where she wanted to be anyway) during the time it took me to find the owner.
That foal (now 7 or so yrs of age) is still around.
Mares can be just as slutty as the stallions.
However, it was still dumb to put a stallion & mare that close with just one fence line to separate them…
Fourth it! Strategy is a good feed for the average maintenance/light work type horse, but there are better choices for a broodmare! The Triple Crown Growth is AWESOME stuff, if you can get it. Purina’s Enrich 32 could be used, too, but since it’s a forage balancer, it won’t necessarily have the higher calories that you’re looking for.
Enrich 32 would be fed at 2.5-3lb at this point, and once she foals, about 5lb. So, it MIGHT be enough calories, but might not be - all depends.
If you need to add calories, you can - beet pulp, alfalfa pellets, rice bran are good choices.
But, if you need to add more than a couple of pounds, it will be a good bit cheaper to use something like the TC Growth, or I don’t even mind Purina Ultium Growth
[QUOTE=sparky6;5788992]
sounds like you definitely have the right attitude and mama and baby are lucky to have you.[/QUOTE]
Thanks! That just made my day I’m lucky to have my mare I’ve had her since she was a yearling, so almost 8 years. We’ve been through a lot together, though I didn’t expect THIS adventure for awhile…
Yup! Katarine on here was actually who sent me his link, and then MardisGrasTimeStable is who helped me get him! It’s her friend who owned him, and she was the one who helped him get listed. I almost didn’t go see him because I thought I needed a big, tall horse, but Ivan turned out to be my favorite!
Haha, share away I think it’s a pretty accurate description at the moment. She certainly doesn’t fit her name of Classy Lady, that’s for sure…
Oh I have no doubt that Classy Lady had SOMETHING to do with it. I warned her that she was a hooker hoebag before I moved her. Hell, that’s why I got my ass chewed when I made it out there after the couple of days of absence when I asked about why she was in the dinky paddock farthest from the barn where her stall was – because she was “teasing” the stud and trying to “incite” him to tear down the fences. I will say, however, that he did bust out into the barn yard a couple times right before I moved them, and it took almost an hour to catch him…
[QUOTE=JB;5789320]I would put her on a good mare/foal or growth food now, not Strategy. The m/f and growth feeds are formulated specifically for pregnant/lactating/growing horses. Strategy is not.
If you can get Triple Crown Growth go for it - that’s the lowest sugar feed of this type I know of[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I’ve skipped the Strategy. He did say M/F after birthing, though. I just decided to go ahead and introduce it now, though, so it’s not an instant switch, particularly since she could use a little extra weight before baby comes. I bought the only bag they had of mare and foal type stuff last night, which was Omolene 300. I looked up dealers for TC in my area and called a few that were listed on the site, but the first 3 I called said that they don’t carry TC feeds anymore. I was busy doing stuff with my mom all day today and didn’t manage to call more feed stores before they closed today (blah, early closings on a Saturday and none open on Sundays), but I’m going to call Riverside and see what they have that might be decent and if they don’t work then I think the Coosa Valley Mill carries TC and some other stuff, they’re just farther away from where I usually drive. If I go to either of those feed stores, I’ll just need to go ahead and stock up since they’re so far. The store where I usually get my feed carries Ultium Competition, but not Ultium Growth, and they’re a pain in the butt to get special orders through PLUS they try to jerk you around and not accept Purina Coupons. Since grad school at UA starts again this week, Riverside will be close enough for him to pop in at if I need him to, and THEY accept coupons and will at least place special orders for me and get them within a week.
LOL really? I think I would have a heart attack! Mine is pretty good about respecting more solid fencelines, and she’s definitely no problem when there are multiple, but apparently there’s no stopping her (or him) with a grounded out electrical tape line…
[QUOTE=JB;5789871]Enrich 32 would be fed at 2.5-3lb at this point, and once she foals, about 5lb. So, it MIGHT be enough calories, but might not be - all depends.
If you need to add calories, you can - beet pulp, alfalfa pellets, rice bran are good choices.
But, if you need to add more than a couple of pounds, it will be a good bit cheaper to use something like the TC Growth, or I don’t even mind Purina Ultium Growth[/QUOTE]
Hey JB, I know you’ve given me tons of great feed advice before, where does Purina Omolene 300 stack up against Ultium Growth? I’m pretty sure Riverside doesn’t carry TC feeds, but they can order Ultium Growth for me and will allow me to use my coupons, plus I think they carry Omolene 300 regularly. They’ve ordered my Enrich 12 for me before (I have a bunch of non-working easy keepers that belong to a friend helping mow my acreage at the moment, so that’s for them since they stay pretty healthy). Coosa Valley Mill is over an hour away from me, but I’ll make the drive if I have to since I definitely want the best nutrition for the foal and I certainly don’t want Classy Lady to lose any weight while nursing. I briefly babysat an acquaintance’s mare and nursing foal for a month after the previous BM just let them graze instead of feeding them anything extra, and that poor mare was skin and bones when she was brought to my farm. Baby was 3 months old and fat and healthy, though.
The last I know, Omelene 300 was reported at 38% NSC. I have never found the NSC of the Ultium Growth but given that regular Ultium is 16% NSC, I would wager the Growth is not far from that, making it a much better product.
I could be wrong in my wager though, but probably not too far off
[QUOTE=ClassynIvansMom;5789951]
LOL really? I think I would have a heart attack! Mine is pretty good about respecting more solid fencelines, and she’s definitely no problem when there are multiple, but apparently there’s no stopping her (or him) with a grounded out electrical tape line…
.[/QUOTE]
that is how she did escape. We had pvc coated hotwire along the top of the fenceline but it was shorting out and it took us a long time to find out where…we checked every dang insulator and couldn’t find it. Eventually figured out it was where part of the buried cable went under one of the gates…the insulation cracked was was shorting out underground. This particular mare jumped the fence for the first time at 4 months old. Wasn’t even weaned yet or anything…talk about giving me heart failure…
[QUOTE=JB;5790080]
The last I know, Omelene 300 was reported at 38% NSC. I have never found the NSC of the Ultium Growth but given that regular Ultium is 16% NSC, I would wager the Growth is not far from that, making it a much better product.
I could be wrong in my wager though, but probably not too far off :)[/QUOTE]
Oh ok, then I’ll probably ask Riverside to order me some. It’s easier to order Ultium Growth (unless they have something better on hand in stock) than to drive over an hour away to the nearest TC supplier. I’m pretty happy with Ultium’s results for my gelding, so hopefully it’ll work just as well for my mare.
[QUOTE=camohn;5790251]
that is how she did escape. We had pvc coated hotwire along the top of the fenceline but it was shorting out and it took us a long time to find out where…we checked every dang insulator and couldn’t find it. Eventually figured out it was where part of the buried cable went under one of the gates…the insulation cracked was was shorting out underground. This particular mare jumped the fence for the first time at 4 months old. Wasn’t even weaned yet or anything…talk about giving me heart failure…[/QUOTE]
Jumped the fence at 4 months? Wow, yeah I’d be having a conniption for sure!
Out of curiosity, if she had jumped 2 fences to get in there, where did you find her? In Mr. Studly’s pasture or did she wander her way back to where she belonged? Haha, I had this funny vision of a sneaky mare tiptoeing around in black ninja pajamas, jumping into the stud’s pasture and getting her freak on, then strolling back to her own
Did you mean the extra head at the gate was HER head at HIS gate or was an extra foal head at HER gate? I thought you meant a foal meeting you at the gate, but now it suddenly dawned that it might be hers and his.
[QUOTE=JB;5789320]
I would put her on a good mare/foal or growth food now, not Strategy. The m/f and growth feeds are formulated specifically for pregnant/lactating/growing horses. Strategy is not.
If you can get Triple Crown Growth go for it - that’s the lowest sugar feed of this type I know of[/QUOTE]
Sigh - I sure wish I could get Triple Crown (growth or otherwise) in my locale. It really is the best of the best.
I agree with JB - I would put the mare on the best mare/growth formula that is also rather on the low side for sugar. It is healthier all around, plus it has the better calcium to phosphorous ratios, extra lysine, copper, vitamin e, A, protein, etc., etc., everything growing baby needs while in utero, and everything mom needs to stay fit before and after. Plus it doesn’t take long before the little gaffer will start nibbling at momma’s feed so this formula is balanced for him too.
Have fun with your foal!
[QUOTE=Kyzteke;5789591]
And again, don’t be so sure it was the stallion who came after your mare – I’ve had mares come from 5 miles away to my stallion(s).[/QUOTE]
Haha, oh no, she’s been called Hooker Hoebag before for a reason… She’ll respect two fencelines, but I have no doubt in my mind that they were telling the truth when they said my mare was “teasing” the stallion along his fenceline. One fenceline when she’s in season and he’s ready and willing are just not enough to keep nature in check.
Why were they pissed that he was an Arab? I love Arabians! My first (leased) pony was an Arabian, and she was fabulous and had a few titles in her heyday of competition (my parents let me start taking lessons on her when she was 25… I hear she lived till almost 40!) My last competition pony was an arab/welsh cross, and my last leased horse before getting Ivan was my mare’s best friend, Isis, who was an Anglo-Arab that reminded me of old arab/welsh cross pony (but bigger :))
Yeah, no kidding! One of her many less than bright moves… I still have horror stories I could tell, but I’ll save those for now
If HoeBaby does turn out to be fugly I’'ll see if I can get permission to post before and after pics of the fugliest foal I’ve ever known. At a week and a month and a year old, all you could do was shake your head and laugh when you saw him - and he has turned out to be a really solid citizen and more amazingly, a good looking fella.
You're *sure* you wouldn't have picked a TWH/Friesian/App X as your breed of choice? Pity the Appalachian Trail doesn't go through Tennessee - 'cause I'm thinking a Throughhiking Friesaloosa is a breed name which needs coining...[QUOTE=ClassynIvansMom;5790584]
Out of curiosity, if she had jumped 2 fences to get in there, where did you find her? In Mr. Studly’s pasture or did she wander her way back to where she belonged? Haha, I had this funny vision of a sneaky mare tiptoeing around in black ninja pajamas, jumping into the stud’s pasture and getting her freak on, then strolling back to her own
.[/QUOTE]
I went to feed at breakfast time and she was in his pasture. His pasture was supposed to contain 2 horses…Mr. Studly and his gelding pasturemate. There were 3 horses at the gate that morning.
PS>the mare is black! No need for the PJs!
Baby Oops is very cute though…
http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j276/camohn03/?action=view¤t=704d5a2e.jpg
Mommy is sunbleached and no longer looking black by August though in the pic. See the white horse in the background? That is Daddy-O.
Momma is a Hannoverian/TB cross (all of 3 years old herself/hopped the fence at 2 so I had the preggo teenager) and Pops is a mostly TB Paint.
I always put my mare on “Mare Plus” vitamens - more when they’re pregnant, 1/2 ration for general nutrition when they’re not (gelding is on it also).
You can order it in a 20 lb box for best price.
