Category: Horses

Just like other animals, horses often show many signs that they’re pregnant. Often, it is harder to notice their pregnancy in the beginning. However, as the pregnancy continues, it often becomes easier and easier to tell that the mare is pregnant.

If you’re interested in whether or not your mare is pregnant, there are many signs you can look for. However, not all horses show obvious signs of pregnancy. In many cases, you’ll need to consult with a veterinarian to determine if your horse is pregnant or not.

Furthermore, you’ll need to get your horse regular vet care while she is pregnant.

The 4 Signs That Tell You a Horse Is Pregnant

1. Physical Changes

Many females exhibit at least some physical changes when they are pregnant, especially as the pregnancy matures. Some of these are pretty obvious, while others may be harder to notice. Often, keeping an eye on your horse for any apparent changes is the best way to pick up on these differences.

Most of these changes occur during the latter part of pregnancy—with practically none occurring at the beginning. Therefore, it’s often a while before you notice pregnancy if you’re basing it on physical changes only.

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2. Behavioral Changes

Mares often experience several behavioral changes throughout pregnancy, as well. These vary a lot from horse to horse. Some may pop up and be quite obvious for a few days before disappearing completely. Others may never show up at all, or they may appear at the beginning of the pregnancy and then never leave.

Not all females experience these changes. Every horse and pregnancy is unique. However, these changes can help indicate that your mare is pregnant.

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3. Ultrasound

An ultrasound is a noninvasive way for a veterinarian to confirm pregnancy. It’s used for a wide range of different animals, including horses. Ultrasounds can also be utilized to detect abnormalities in the fetus and measure its size.

During an ultrasound, a special gel is applied to the mare’s stomach area and a handheld device is utilized to transmit high-frequency sound waves. These bounce off tissue they come into contact with, which the device detects. In this way, it can create a view of the fetus and surrounding structures.

Ultrasounds can be performed fairly early effectively, sometimes as early as 14 days after ovulation. The pregnancy can be confirmed by looking for a small structure called a gestational sac that develops very early in pregnancy.

Ultrasounds can also be utilized to monitor the pregnancy as it develops. Because it’s noninvasive and rather simple to perform, it may be done several times throughout the mare’s pregnancy to ensure that everything is developing properly. It allows complications to be picked up early.

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4. Bloodwork

Bloodwork can also be done to confirm pregnancy in mares. Specific hormones and proteins found in the blood only occur (or occur at raised levels) when the mare is pregnant.

One specific hormone that they measure during these blood tests is the equine chorionic gonadotropin. This hormone is produced by the placenta, so it is only around during pregnancy. Levels in the mare’s blood raise rapidly in the first few weeks of pregnancy, allowing blood tests to be utilized rather early.

Progesterone can also be measured to determine pregnancy. This hormone is around for most of the time throughout a mare’s life, but its levels raise substantially during pregnancy. It’s one of the hormones that helps the mare stay pregnant. Monitoring the levels of this hormone can help detect complications early, as well.

Equine bloodwork may also look for specific proteins, like pregnancy-associated glycoproteins. As the name suggests, these proteins are associated with pregnancy and can be detected as early as 40 days after ovulation. Therefore, they are another indicator that the mare is pregnant.

Along with ultrasounds, bloodwork plays another key role in determining if a mare is pregnant.

Final Thoughts

Physical signs of pregnancy don’t occur in horses until later in pregnancy. Therefore, they are often not an accurate way to determine if a mare is pregnant or not. The mare should be receiving extra supportive care long before physical signs may develop. Therefore, it’s important to use diagnostic methods to determine if a mare is pregnant.

These diagnostic methods are bloodwork and ultrasounds. Both of these tests can determine that a horse is pregnant rather early, and they can help ensure the pregnancy is developing properly.

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Featured Image Credit: Marie Charouzova, Shutterstock

The post How to Tell If a Horse is Pregnant: 4 Signs to Look For appeared first on Pet Keen.

Healthy female horses, or mares, go into heat periodically throughout their life. Heat means that the body is ready to be bred. It is important to know when your horse is expected to go into heat for a number of reasons. Mares in heat are hard to deal with and can be dangerous. Heat is also when your mare can become pregnant, so you need to manage that to facilitate pregnancy or prevent it. Mares typically go into heat every 3 weeks during the breeding season but they don’t go into heat year-round. They also don’t go into heat as they age. Every horse is a little different so you should track your horse’s behavior to get exact numbers.

Here is everything you need to know about how often horses go into heat, how long heat lasts, and what parts of the year they go into heat.

Overview

Heat Every 3 Weeks

During the breeding season, horses will go into heat every 3 weeks. Typically, that means three full weeks from the end of the previous heat cycle. This is called the estrus cycle. It is important to track when your mare is in heat or going into heat because mare’s can become extremely unruly during these times. The presence of nearby stallions can make mares in heat very hard to handle.

It is also important to know the heat cycles for your mare if you are planning on breeding your horses. A mare can only get pregnant when they are in heat and are paired with a fertile stallion. You need to know when to put your horses together for the best results.

This means that a healthy mare will go into heat roughly once per month and will have an estimated 5 days in heat per month.

How Long Do Heat Cycles Last?

Heat cycles can vary in length. The shortest heat sessions can last just a day or two. The longest heat sessions can last up to 10 days. The exact number of days that your mare is in heat is going to depend on your mare. Every horse is different. It can also be influenced by your horse’s age, health, diet, and whether there are any stallions nearby.

Long Day Breeders

It is important to remember that horses are long day breeders. That means that they do not go into heat during the winter months. Horses will start going into heat around April after the spring equinox when the days start getting longer. They will have heat cycles through summer until the autumn equinox when the days start getting shorter again. That means the horse breeding season runs roughly between April and September. Horses always breed when the days are longer than the nights.

The exact season can vary based on your particular location. If you live in far northern or far southern regions the days will get shorter or longer faster which can lead to shorter or longer breeding seasons. Equatorial breeding seasons will be longer than northern ones. That is one of the reasons that Florida and California are big areas for horse breeding; they have longer seasons.

Signs a Mare Is in Heat

There are some obvious signs that tell you that a mare is in heat. They will stand with their legs spread more broadly. They will urinate frequently. Mares will also become more vocal, especially if there are stallions around. This vocalization can manifest as a high-pitched squealing. Mares will also lift their tail more and turn to show their backside to other horses in the area.

Mares in heat can be hard to ride. They might not want to stand or tie. They can kick, rear, and run off, even if they don’t normally exhibit this kind of behavior. Mares can be sketchy to ride if they are in heat, especially for inexperienced riders. It can also be dangerous to handle or ride a mare in heat when there is a stallion in the area.

Look for these signs and plan on dealing with your mare differently if you suspect that they are in heat.

When Do Horses Start Having Heat Cycles?

Horses typically start going into heat when they turn 2 years old. They will have heat cycles every summer until they are about 20 years old. Like people, these numbers can vary from horse to horse. Some horses might have heat cycles past 20 and others might start a little later in life. But typically, 2 to 20 is the age range for horses in heat.

My Horse Stopped Going Into Heat

If your mare has stopped going into heat after having regular cycles, then the mare is likely pregnant. If your mare skipped a few heat cycles and then appears to be going into heat again, it could have gotten pregnant and then lost the pregnancy early. Roughly 10% of mares will continue to show signs of an estrus cycle while they are pregnant, so that is something to keep an eye on as well.

Conclusion

Horses go into heat every 3 weeks during the longest days of the year. Horses are long day breeders and will have 6 months of the year in which going into heat is common. A healthy mare can be in heat for 30 to 60 days per year, giving you ample opportunity to breed if that is your desire. As horses age, they will stop having heat cycles, usually around 20 years old.

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Featured Image Credit: Sarah Olive, Unsplash

The post How Often Do Horses Go Into Heat? (Understanding a Mare’s Cycle ) appeared first on Pet Keen.

Anyone who has spent time around horses can tell you just how intuitive and intelligent these majestic animals can be, but horses are also known for being a little bit flighty. This trait aside, horses are actually exceptionally intelligent animals that tend to act pretty reasonably.

Horses are so intuitive and intelligent that the phrase “horse sense” was coined as an alternative to common sense. There are a lot of intelligent things that horses do, but one thing that they’re often not given credit for is their uncanny ability to find their way home.

Can Horses Find Their Way Home?

Horses are extremely efficient at finding their way home, as long as they are familiar with the environment. If you just recently moved your horse, then they may struggle to find their way home if they get out. Horses are so good at finding their way home when they are familiar with the territory that they have been known to independently take home injured or sleeping riders.

Horses are animals that tend to appreciate staying within their own familiar territory, so it’s no wonder that horses would want to get themselves home. They have a great sense of vision, as well as direction and hearing, all of which work together to help horses find their way home.

However, it is possible for a horse to become lost. Some horses may get turned around and struggle to find their way back, while others may have an ornery streak a mile wide that will keep them stubbornly straying further and further from home.

Helping Your Horse Get Home

If your horse manages to get out, there are a few things you can do that can help them come home. While some horses may come when they are called, standing outside and yelling for your horse may also create a sense of anxiety or tension for your horse that will cause them to stray further. Make sure you stay calm and positive throughout the efforts to find your horse and get them home.

If your horse gets loose on your property, you will likely have success finding them if you go searching. Make sure to take a halter and lead and some of your horse’s favorite snacks so you can lure them closer and get them back home.

If your horse gets loose on public land or in an unfamiliar environment, then there are precautions you should take. The first thing to do is ensure that you are in a safe situation. Once you know that you’re safe, make sure you know what direction your horse is headed. If there is any chance your horse is heading towards a road or highway, it’s important that you call emergency services to let them know. A horse being hit by a vehicle can do a massive amount of damage to your horse, the vehicle, and any people inside the vehicle.

If they are headed towards private property, let the landowner know if possible. Stay calm and when you do find your horse, make sure to approach slowly and gently to avoid spooking them away.

In Conclusion

Horses are exceptionally talented at finding their way home if they get out, although they are far more likely to find their way home if they are familiar with the area they get out in. Stay calm and positive, and make sure to approach your horse calmly to keep them from getting spooked further away.

Routinely check your fences to ensure they are secure enough to keep your horse in. Otherwise, you risk your horse getting loose without you realizing it.

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Featured Image Credit: Pixabay

The post Can Horses Find Their Way Home on Their Own? The Surprising Answer! appeared first on Pet Keen.