Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

>   Could someone clear up a question on milking a little each day
> (1/2 teaspoon or less) from my mare that is due JUNE 15th (today)?
First of all, remember that mares do not have "due dates"--they have "due
ranges."  The normal gestation range for the mare is from 305 days clear
up to 395 days.  So I wouldn't set much store by her "due date" that is
just a computation of average.

That said--the test kits that I've seen only require a few drops.  I
personally don't bother with them, but I'd suggest that if you DO want to
use them, don't start until you feel the mare is getting pretty close
anyway.  (Not by the calendar--by her udder, etc.)  Then be very judicious
about how much you take.  You ARE taking colostrum, and by the act of
milking, you are triggering small spikes of the hormone oxytocin, which in
turn may cause her to let down more milk and lose it.  (So it isn't just
what YOU take...)  I'd certainly limit it to once a day--perhaps right
before you might otherwise go to bed, to decide whether or not to make
night checks.

Heidi (currently covered in placenta and colostrum from one who gave me
enough signs to do night checks last night, but didn't foal until nearly 4
pm this afternoon...)


============================================================
There are few places where the horse does not fit in; at least in my world,
as delusional as that one may be.
~  Howard Bramhall

ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/

============================================================