Thank you for the advice. Specially for the photos Mona. I had a good look at them and going from your mare and her size I think mid to late January is still the best guess at a date.
I grabbed the camera today and went and took some photos of the mares in their paddock and near a dam. I took one of Donna’s udder as well which is only a teeny bit swollen.
How long before the foals get a brain and follow their mothers around instead of the mare following the foal? Calves it is about two weeks, sometimes more I think, if the calf is slow.
Donna will not tolerate being left alone. She will have a hysterical hissy fit that can go on for days and days so I don’t want to stress her at this late stage so I have to leave her with her sister. I am hoping that after she has her foal she will be OK just the mare and foal together, we will see.
I do not have a stable. I could put her in a 100 ft square arena that is currently grassed over. The only thing I don’t like about that is that the site is very exposed to winds and she can’t get shelter The weather is good this time of year so it should be OK. Photo of arena fence is in photobucket album.
I put some photos on photobucket.
http://s968.photobucket.com/user/runninghorse-2008/library/Mares%20and%20Stallion%20Xmas%202013?sort=2&page=1The Album is Mares & Stallion Xmas 2013. If the link does not work let me know, thanks.
There is Donna, the chestnut who has the obvious baby belly. Her ½ sister Sally, black, who might be due mid August. And photos of the stallion.
Re: Stallion. I guess this is likely to be the first TWH Australian brumby crosses. For lack of TWHs in Australia I was trying to get them to a gaited Saddlebred stallion, but after a number of years of that not happening, and lack of any other suitable stallions close, the neighbour loaned me his stallion, who I still have here. He was caught as a foal at Kiandra and run in the paddock with the neighbour’s horses. He is not handled but is very friendly for a horse that has only been chased away with sticks. He is 5 and has never had his feet done and has perfect hooves. The guy who loaned him to me asked me not to fuss with him as he does not want anyone getting hurt, which I can understand. I got him in the yards and got a halter on him and worm pasted him without much fuss the other day. Michael has bred three foals from him, all grey, and next door has a black filly from him – see photo.
Any links to good websites on what to do with foaling mares?