breeding/pergnant

Question
QUESTION: Hello,
I bought a horse from an auction 3 years ago. When I bought her I was told that she had aborted her foal at about 100 days and they said their vet believes it was because of stress. They were moving her around from one farm to another and she didn't like it. We tried to AI her the next year and she wouldn't take. My vet suggested a standing breeding. We teased her with my very stud like gelding and bred her 2 times each heat to a local stud. the 3rd time she seemed to have caught and did not go back into heat. This was at the end of June. Since then we just assumed she was pregnant. It's now march and I haven't noticed any changes in her size or anything. The vets are to busy to come out until the end of April due to the calving season. I don't want to haul her in because of the stress and what her old owners have told us. Should I have seen some changes? What should I be looking for? I have one mare that is about a month ahead of her and she is huge! She is much smaller then the one only 14.5 hands and the other mare is 17 hands so maybe because she is smaller she looks larger. I just can't tell.
Please help
Thank you
Danielle
ANSWER: Dear Danielle,
         Her size may have something to do with what she looks like when she is pregnant, but the foal may have been aborted. I would not risk moving her either, If she is pregnant she will eat more and become lazier. It has been almost a year since she was bred so it seems that she may have caught this time. Just keep her comfortable and don't stress her until a vet has time to see her.
Michelyn

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: So it is now the begining of may and no foal. I haven't noticed any changes other then her being more distance. She will not let us catch her and she is herded away from us by another mare all the time. She has not came into heat again and I have a very stud like gelding who tells us when ever one of there mares are in heat. My question is can you hear a heart beat of a foal in uterus? Also The other mare that was in foal had a colt 2 weeks ago and is doing very well. The mare that hasn't foaled is only 3 weeks from her due date but I hear that can very from weeks early to even being over do by a month. What do you think?
Thanks again Danielle

Answer
Dear Danielle,
         Yes most of the time due dates are only a estimate sometimes they can be weeks or months off. If she is pregnant you may see the foal moving around but it is extremely hard to hear a heartbeat from all the liquid that is surrounding the foal. If her teats have not yet filled with milk it is unlikely that she is pregnant and may be in heat now. During the winter months ever if you live in a warmer climate mares don't go into heat as much. The only way to know %100 is to get a pregnancy test.
michelyn