Movement of the pregnant mare.

Question
Hi Sandy,
I have 2 mares that were exposed in August to September of 2007. I saw the one mare get bred and I estimate she is 9 months. I am very excited for summer as I know they still have a few months to go. I am fascinated with watching their bellies start to grow. However, I was wondering, how do I know if I am seeing the baby move or not? The one mare had lots of "wave like" motions on the bottom of her belly closer to the back while she was eating. She got a little restless and stomped her back foot a few times. What should I watch for??
I am very excited and relaxed about this pregnancy but curious as to what I am watching for.
Thank you so much for any advice. :)

Answer
Hi Lacey,
Yes, at 9 months you should be seeing foal movement in your mare.  A lot of times when they are eating though, you'll see movement in the flank area and think it is a baby when in reality, it is just their muscles moving while they are eating.

Strong foal movement will look like an alien is trying to burst out of their flank and sometimes it will make the mare's whole body start rocking. Later on in the pregnancy, like anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of days prior to foaling, you can actually see the foal moving in the croup area right next to the tail head.  That will be the baby doing its "exercises" to prepare for foaling.

I promise, when you see foal movement in your mare, it will be unmistakable!

Happy foaling.