Q. We just bought a mare in foal. She is a roan. She is due any day. Her bag dropped and I see the nipples. How much longer? I am a nervous wreck. Thanks, Lea NJ A. See the foaling article by Jan Easter A. The signs vary from mare to mare. Here is a link. http://www.equine-reproduction.com/articles/predicting.htm -Shatena A. Can you express any milk out? This can often give you good indicators of impending birth - it will usually go from more clear and slippery to white and pasty feeling - but this can also happen just as she is birthing! When the nipples start pointing away from each other instead of toward each other, you are getting closer. Watch her belly daily - when the foal moves into position (unless it is already there), she will go from very rounded out on the sides with more "slab-sided" and her belly will hang lower. She should get very "jello" like around the tail head and her privates should get very elongated and loose. Now this is too much for some people but also a dead giveaway for my mares, but if you check their vulva area (just part it a bit), they will get much more red than previous days - sometimes streaky dark areas - this is increased blood flow and a very good sign of impending birth. Sorry if that is much more than you wanted to know. They day or so before birthing, she may go off her feed (this was a dead giveaway for one of my mares) - she may get very sweaty in the shoulder area and very restless, up and down, sometimes rolling a bit to position the foal better. Her manure will get more soft and more often as well before foaling. These are just signs I've noted to look for before foaling - not all mares will get them but it's good to know them anyway. Good luck! ~Sandy

Q. It's been so long since I bred my QH mares I can't remember exactly . . . . . . if my mare has been in with my stallion since June 16 - and was in season until about June 19th from what I observed . . . . When should I expect to see her come back in season if she didn't take?  I was thinking it was like 18 days or something?  I'm so hoping it is around that time as we are leaving on vacation on July 13th and I want to know if possible before I leave if she possibly took so I won't be wondering next year when she might be due. Now, my other question is I have just left her in with my stallion.  They get along fine . .  she puts him in his place which he needs and he seems much calmer and happy.    How often do they let the stallion mount when they are already bred?  (anticipating them continuing breeding even if she is bred as I know this happens).  I can take her out of his pasture - but they seem happy and I thought I could just leave them together if they are getting along. Sandy  A. A "normal" cycle is every 21 days. Meaning that she should come back into heat 21 days from the start of the last heat cycle. So if she came in on June 16th, then expect her back in on or around July 7th. Mares can vary from about 18 to 31 days. Older mares may have longer than normal cycles. Ovulation (or the fertile period) generally occurs 24 to 48 hours before the mare goes out of heat. I have seen them breed the following cycle even though by ultra sound the mare took the cycle before.( maybe the body didnt know if was preggo yet LOL) I have never seen them try to breed beyond the first cycle after they settled. If they are all happy together I would leave them in with one another. My opinion. DENA

Q. I bred my stallion to one of my mares for the first time this year. I actually let my membership expire from the AMHA/AMHR just because there was no real reason for me to join this year. I'm now not sure when I have to file the breeding report with both memberships - is there a deadline? ~Sandy   A. You can download forms and info at both reg. on line, yes there is a deadline. http://www.amha.org/ http://www.shetlandminiature.com/ -Bambi Roylance [lazyrranch@email.com] A. The deadline for the AMHR and AMHA is January 15 – there is no fee if filed before that time. In regard to AMHR, you cannot put a miniature mare on a Shetland stallion report – or a Shetland mare on a miniature stallion report. If your Shetland mare is not AMHR also, then the resulting foal can only be registered as a National Show Pony after DNA testing. Same if your stallion is Shetland and not miniature – then the miniature mare’s foal can only be registered as a NSP. You do not have to have an up to date membership for AMHR to file the stallion report if it is filed on time; you will have to have a membership to register any foals. I am not sure what AMHA’s policy is on membership and filing the report. Both registries have a $25 late fee if filed after 1/15 – however, AMHA also has a $10 per mare fee after that date and requires DNA testing of the foal if the foal is born before the report is filed. Cathy and Mike Buehrer