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HELP!!! UNEXPECTED BABY!!!

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x iMuse x

PostPosted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 9:48 am


My mom and I are in a bit of a cluster.

We bought a Spotted Draft Mare named Valentine. She was (what they said) green broke to drive, and broke to ride, and we did want a dual purpose horse. She is 11 years old. So we took her to the Amish to get her broke to drive, and that didn't work out, but the guy said that she had never come in heat, and this was the spring. We were thinking about selling her, and then we got her checked by a vet, and she was more than 2 months pregnant. Now she was approximately bred in February, so this is going to be a January baby.
eek
That's the bad part. We're not exactly sure what to do. This is our first baby, and we have no clue how to foal a horse. We're thinking about foaling the baby and then selling them as two.

Help here please?

*UPDATED 8/2/08*
We decided to ditch the idea of trying to re-train her. She most likely doesn't like the back messed with for a reason. So, I'm going to ride her at the local fair this year, Walk-Trot Western Pleasure, and we just went to a local fair and got 4th.
Now, we are going to wait until the foal is born and then we will decide what to do with Valentine. We (well I) still want to keep her. I could show her under saddle and for showmanship. But my mom wants a horse good for trails. We worked with her the other day and she did good in the woods (and the lady that owned them had stuff in the woods from Halloween from last year, and that didn't spook her).
If anyone has any advice or links that tell advice on how to foal a horse, that would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you so much you guys!

Here's Valentine:

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PostPosted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:32 am


What is the "problem" with training her to drive? It sounds to me like any training she gets could be dangerous for her and the baby. I would either try to sell her as bred, or sell her with the baby. Or if you keep her, wait until after the baby to do any serious training. But again - my big question is - why couldn't the Amish train her and what method does the new guy wants to use and how can it ruin her - very scary stuff.

Daemon Mama


x iMuse x

PostPosted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 11:26 am


Daemon Mama
What is the "problem" with training her to drive? It sounds to me like any training she gets could be dangerous for her and the baby. I would either try to sell her as bred, or sell her with the baby. Or if you keep her, wait until after the baby to do any serious training. But again - my big question is - why couldn't the Amish train her and what method does the new guy wants to use and how can it ruin her - very scary stuff.


Well, the Amish guy said that if something touches her back legs, she will kick, but the problem is, if the cart is hooked correctly, it shouldn't touch anything.
And we were working with her and rubbing a whip around her hind legs and didn't even move. We rubbed it around her ankles, wrapped it around hooves and she was fine.
PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 8:58 am


I am asking because we are going to send my mustang mare to the amish in the spring and he was very specific that it would take awhile to train for 'a woman' to drive. Carting is more dangerous than riding and some horses do not have the temperment. Maybe your mare only kicks when hitched up - but that is a dangerous vice to have in a cart horse. Be glad the amish did not try to beat it out of her - very few are like that now - but there are a few trainers - amish and not - that feel that is the way to get a horse thru something. I guess you have to evaluate how much you want to keep her and what you want her for. I love my Lulu (mustang) - but if I can't use her - I can't afford to keep her. She is in training with an 18 year old Monty Roberts follower right now and he has had to go backwards a few times in her 'education' because she needs more time than we anticipated and I want her ground broke and even green broke for riding before I work on the cart training. Good luck - I am still a little nervous about what method the new trainer is going to use on your mare that can ruin her for riding.

Daemon Mama


Trite~Elegy

PostPosted: Fri Aug 01, 2008 1:51 pm


I would definitely get another opinion. Maybe by an actually qualified instructor - like at a college.

This might just be an issue because she was bred. One of my trainer's mares became extremely protective of her rear end after being bred, and she was the sweetest horse before. The kind of horse that loves being cuddled, would nuzzle her head into your chest and fall asleep, then it was a complete 180 attitude with her rear end after being bred - just brushing out her tail, she would begin to slowly lift a hoof as if to kick out and if you came up to fast behind her without giving her warning, she would kick out or try to spin around.

Also, I would break her to ride now, and then after the baby is born, break her to drive.
PostPosted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 3:58 pm


Trite~Elegy
I would definitely get another opinion. Maybe by an actually qualified instructor - like at a college.

This might just be an issue because she was bred. One of my trainer's mares became extremely protective of her rear end after being bred, and she was the sweetest horse before. The kind of horse that loves being cuddled, would nuzzle her head into your chest and fall asleep, then it was a complete 180 attitude with her rear end after being bred - just brushing out her tail, she would begin to slowly lift a hoof as if to kick out and if you came up to fast behind her without giving her warning, she would kick out or try to spin around.

Also, I would break her to ride now, and then after the baby is born, break her to drive.


Well, she is broke to drive, and I just rode her at the fair and got 4th. So she did pretty good.

x iMuse x

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