horse pregnancy

Question
hi i have a newforest cross pony she is 19 n came from a not very nice place we were told she was in foal been running with stallion in forest so we were told she had a foal came wiyh her which clearly wasnt hers she wanted to really hurt it when i phoned to say they said it wasnt hers we got her last september (late sept)she was very thin not good condition at all now she looks good but no foal as yet her tail has dropped with wrincles at top it looks like she dropped at hips they r sticking out again her tail is going mad n to 1 side a bit n i have milked her a bit n she has milk but no bagging up! a couple weeks ago it was clear coming out of teats i no it all sounds as though she is getting ready to foal but i have not seen any movement wat so ever all the way through today i did ph test on the milk n it was 8.4 n it should go down to under 7 if ready to foal do u think she is pregnant after so long n should i still watch her really carefully or has it been to long she has also gone bit flatter on her sides  sorry its a long 1 but wanted to give you as much imformation i could  regards sally

Answer
Dear Sally

I would have my vet look at her. Older mares that have had foals can sometimes have fluid 2 years or more after foaling.  Other things besides pregancy such as hormone imbalances can cause some interesting symptoms. In your shoes, I would have my vet check her out and eliminate the guess work.

As I read your letter, I think you are saying you bought her and the foal. As far as that foal; a mare disliking her own foal is possible and can also be a hormone issue. I am a bit unclear from what you said whether you received both or only the mare. In any case, I'd recommend a veterinary examination.

Good luck,


Lynne Curtis Gudes
"Common sense isn't."