pregnanent horse

Question
we have a 6-7 year old mare we sent her out for training last aug the barn where she was being trained at called us and told us that there stallion got out and my have got our mare(approximate date 14 aug 2010)the date today is july 31 2011 we think we are close to the 340 days. one teat is bigger than the other, we have been separating her from the herd at night and we put her with the herd in the daytime she has two large veins under her tummy and her stomach is seems bigger than normal we are new at having foals are we doing the right thing  at this stage of her pregnancy other wise she seems to be normal ,running rolling eating drinking, or should we be calling a vet or waiting a another weeks

Answer
Dear Jim
Frankly, if I sent a mare of mine out for training and the "trainer" mis-managed his stallion to the point that he "thought" it may have impregnated my mare- the first call I would be making would be to a lawyer. Breeding, as I am sure you are aware, should always be carefully planned. The auction yards are full of indiscriminately bred "mistakes." Then there's the damage this horse could have done to your mare during an un-planned breeding.
However- the deed may be done. My second concern is that either this trainer has waited an absurd amount of time to inform you of this unplanned event or you have waited until the mare is nearly due to determine if, in fact, she is actually in foal. She should have been ultra sounded at 30 days- then again at 60 days to ensure that she did not absorb the foal. The pre- foaling care of the mare is critical- proper nutrition- what shots she needs and what type of wormers are safe are all affected by pregnancy.
I would call your vet immediately and have the mare checked to determine if she is in fact in foal. I would then be making sure that this stallion owner is prepared to pay for all of the costs associated with foaling.
Sincerely,
S. Evans