From: Rachel
hi, I have an 11 year old mare whom I think might be lactating.... First of all, though, I'll tell you why I don't know if she's pregnant. I'm 16 and when I was 10, my parents got divorced and soon after, we could not keep my horse near enough to our house- so we contacted some family friends who lived in the country and had horses of their own. she stayed w/ them for about 5-6 years. We had her registered so they could use her for breeding (she had previously had one foal while she was with us.) they tried twice to have her bred, but both times she either didn't take or aborted or something like that. later, they moved her to one of their friend's places where I believe she was with other horses. I have just gotten her back (late June) recently.
Okay, back to my question. For awhile, I have noticed that her udders have become somewhat swollen and, when squeezed, produce a reasonable amount of fluid. at first I thought she might have mastitis, but her teats are not feverish or sore at all- whenever I "empty her out" I do it just as if I was milking a goat or something and she doesn't flinch the least little bit. today, I got a clear plastic bottle and collected the fluid--- it was clear and very yellow, and perhaps little thicker than water (thin cough syrup maybe?) recently, when I check her, her teats have little "plugs" in them--not waxy though, almost like sugar crystals. I am sorry this is so lengthy, but I am very puzzled by this and ANY information you could provide would be appreciated. Do you think she is pregnant? are there other possible ailments besides mastitis that could have this affect? my mare has good weight on her (not fat) and is ridden almost everyday. She has a negative on the Coggins test and is just generally in really good health.
Once again, thank you very very much for your time and any information you can provide!! -Rachel, TX
p.s.--"the complete idiot's guide to HORSEBACK RIDING" is excellent--read it cover to cover!
If your vet tells you that the mare IS pregnant, I'm sure that he'll also be able to give you lots of useful advice about the management of mares and foals. Where you're located, what condition the mare is in, what sort of fencing you have, what other horses are on the property... your vet will factor all of these things into his advice.
There is another possibility, though - the vet may find that your mare is NOT pregnant. And "not pregnant" does NOT mean "has mastitis" or "has something wrong with her". It's not at all unusual for a mare to produce fluid even if she is absolutely, positively not pregnant, especially if she has had a foal or two in the past. Some mares go on producing some amount of fluid for years - sometimes many years - after the last foal is weaned. YOU may actually be contributing to the amount of fluid she's producing! If you don't insist on expressing the fluid - if you just leave the mare's udder alone, only checking periodically to be sure that there's no excessive swelling, heat, or hardness that might actually indicate a problem such as mastitis - then she won't produce a lot of fluid. If, on the other hand, you keep "milking" her, you will cause more and more fluid to be produced, and eventually she may end up producing actual milk! Something similar happens sometimes with first-time breeders who feel sorry for their mares when the foals are weaned, and keep "milking them out" in an effort to help dry them out. It doesn't work. On the contrary: milking the mare tells her body to produce MORE milk! In the case of a mare with a just-weaned foal and a tight, uncomfortable udder, it's best to remove just a tiny bit of milk, enough to make the mare a little more comfortable, and then leave her alone. The milk will eventually dry up, but not if production is constantly stimulated, whether by the foal or by the anxious owner.
If a mare IS pregnant, then it's a good idea to get her accustomed to having her udder handled, because otherwise she may be quite shocked and surprised when a newborn, hungry foal begins bumping and butting against it, especially if the mare is sensitive and the udder is full and sore. But once she is comfortable with having her udder handled, you can back off. Don't overdo it! Owners who milk their mares daily before the foal's birth "just to see what she's producing" can inadvertently milk out all of the colostrum, and that's a tragic mistake, because a newborn foal needs that colostrum if it's going to be truly healthy and strong.
Either way, have your vet check her over and tell you if she's pregnant (and, if so, when she is likely to foal). And please drop me a line and let me know!
Oh, and thanks for the kind words about the "Complete Idiot's Guide to Horseback Riding". I had a lot of fun writing it. Those "Idiot's Guides" and "- for Dummies" books are extremely useful - I own quite a few of them myself. ;-)
Jessica
Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE is a free, subscriber-supported electronic Q&A email newsletter which deals with all aspects of horses, their management, riding, and training. For more information, please visit www.horse-sense.org
Please visit Jessica Jahiel: Holistic Horsemanship® [www.jessicajahiel.com] for more information on Jessica Jahiel's clinics, video lessons, phone consultations, books, articles, columns, and expert witness and litigation consultant services.