Possible Preg? Vet asked if she was preg from the way shes carring her weight

Question
This mare came from mississippi,(we live in oklahoma)I was told she was not taken care of when she was pregnant during the last three months. When she came she traveled with her 6month colt and another 5 month filly. I was told that the colt was weaned. She was really down and looked bad. When I got her home her bag swelled (I took this as the colt was not weaned). We have put her on pasture, wormed her and was trying not to put weight back on her to fast.after a month of having her I took her to the vet for loose stool and a snooty nose, and he asked if she was pregnant, I said not to my knowlodge, and he said she looked like it from the way she is carring her weight. And stated we might have a suprise. (She is a full arab)I was told there could be no way that she could be pregrant, but from what I was told about what I would call mistreatment where the mare was at someone elses place I think it could be a possiblity. I have owned horses for a while and have always had geldings, or older mares, and never intented on breeding or having foals, so I have no clue what to do or is expected. I would consider getting her vet checked but hubby is on layoff... so it would be a couple weeks untill we could. Is there anything else I could look for? She really has put on a belly, but I know with arabs sometimes that can be charaterstic.. (first time owning a arab too.) Please anyy advise will be helpful.. or could you recommend specific books that would help educate me more on pregnancy in horses. Thank you for your time it is truly appreciated.

Answer
Hi Alicia,
There really would be nothing to look for physically in an approximate 5 month pregnant mare that would tell you whether or not she is or isn't pregnant.

If she was extemely underweight when you got her, there is always the possibility that her big belly is just due to weight gain.  A horse will generally put the weight in their belly first before it starts to finally get up over their back, no matter the breed. A lot of folks refer to that as a "hay belly."  Also, if she is an older mare and has had a lot of foals, her belly just may be "broke down" and she will always kind of have a pot bellied look.

At 5 or 6 months, the only way to know for sure if they are pregnant, would be by palpation or ultra sound.  You wouldn't be able to feel foal movement until around the 7th month or so and even then, it takes quite a bit to feel that.  They also do not start to get in milk until about 6-8 weeks prior to foaling.

There is a wonderful book that I refer to time and time again on pregnancy and foaling.  It is called "The Complete Book of Foaling."  If it turns out that your mare is indeed pregnant, this book will help you a lot.  It will tell you what to watch for as far as impending signs of foaling, what to feed the mare during the last part of pregnancy, and it will even tell you all the horrible things that can go wrong during the foaling process.  It almost tends to scare you to death with all of the problems that can happen, but at least you would know what to look for to know if there is a problem.  It will even help you with the first couple of days of the newborn foal's life.  How to tell if it is healthy and doing the correct things.

Honestly, the best thing you could do to set your mind at ease to know whether or not she is pregnant, is just a simple palpation exam.

I hope all turns out well for you,
Sandy