Re-cap on Megs

If you've been reading my twitter feed, or my facebook page... we've had some concerns Megs might be preggo. She was leased out last year so she wasn't under my supervision during the time she could have been exposed. I don't think there were any stallions around (in fact I left explicit instructions she never be brought within 50' of anything with balls...) but there was a gelding mounting mares in the field (which I didn't find out about until months after the lease ended). 

Meg do you have something to tell us?

Long story short, she's put on so much weight since she's been here it's hard to tell what's going on now. Meg always been an easy keeper, but after being under-condition she really ballooned up on all the hay & grass once she got home. So either way we're really hoping it's just fat, but she's on a diet. Steak went back in with his momma and the horses have moved to the back sacrifice paddock for the winter (where I can control their hay intake). Little earlier for steak to go back in then I wanted, but we have to do something about Meg's weight, it's not healthy.

It may also say something that the first horse the vet saw out in the paddock was Maddie (he was a ways away) and was sort of himing-and-hawing like Mads could be pregs (Maddie would be the gelding... uh, he's a boy.) So apparently we should just start a fat camp for skinny horses! (I owe all that to my first horse management teacher Joanna McDonald from Spiritwood Farm, she knows everything there is to know about nice fat healthy horses!)

Vet says the lump is just a fat deposit.
Yep, that's embarrassing!

The vet came out this morning but wasn't able to check because after 2 doses of tranq (she's not a cheap date!!) she was still trying to pop up and double-barrel him. Checking for pregnancy in a horse involves inserting your arm up their back-sides, you don't want the animal jumping around or you'll end up with a broken vet & horse. So he drew blood to run a test that way, hopefully it will prove conclusive & negative. We should know early next week.

Which means more waiting, and nerves for me, but the vet seems to think she's more fat then anything else. Unfortunately horses don't show a lot of outward signs that they are pregnant. Although Megs had some heat cycles, like all mammals, there are always exceptions to the rules and that doesn't exclusively rule out pregnancy. Big signs like udder-development don't always happen in maiden mares. Horses that are really fat (like Megs) can hide that they are pregnant so you won't even see foal movement.

Fat rippling or foal movement?
(The reason the blankets are on the ground
is I took Meg's off & dropped it in surprise.)

The vet & I also came to the conclusion that when we do want to breed Meg, live cover then just a wait-and-see approach may be best. (lol)

All I can say is the net is really closing in on Meg's former leaser... man, there are a lot of people in this area that are pissed off at that woman. She was given every opportunity in this business, SO many people (including myself) giving time, energy, money to help her succeed. I don't have an explanation for any of it. At this time I don't even feel the need to publicly rant on about the whole thing because everyone of consequence in our area knows (If you live in the area and don't know, and think you should, you can get a hold of me privately).

I guess that also really shows the benefits of speaking to people like farriers, vets, feed store owners, etc. when looking for a new trainer or instructor.

A friend of mine gave me a good chuckle with this comment:

"Yeah, my first horse got (fat) like that. Someone asked my if she was in foal and I said; 'No, but any day now we expert her to deliver a small green paddock.'" - Judy