labelwench

Madelaine, the Morgan is now at day 294 of her gestation, and in the third trimester of equine pregnancy. When viewed from the front, her ribcage extends well beyond her shoulders on either side, and from the side, her abdomen now extends slightly below her sternum.

In horseman's terms, she is carrying high, wide and handsome.

She is now requesting more water, and I dutifully attend with bucket brigade as the nights are still too cold to set out water troughs and she has a preference for water with the chill taken off, which no doubt helps her to conserve energy, as much is now being diverted to the rapidly growing foal.

In nature, the foal is experiencing the most rapid growth while resources are at their least available. This may seem counter-indicative, and yet it serves a purpose. The mare seeks out those foods which are more nutrient dense at this time, and I have observed them to paw the earth and lick for minerals which may be lacking in the domestic diet, though they have a salt and mineral lick at hand. Likewise, fresh green hay will languish while the mare goes looking for last year's aspen leaves and dead grasses and sedges, pawed out from beneath it's cover of snow. They have some means of discerning their nutritional requirements if they but have access to natural forage.

Additionally, I am now offering most days, a small portion of whole oats, top-dressed with some canola oil, as such adds calories without adding bulk and does not skew the critical ratios of certain minerals which are important at this late stage in fetal development.

Mares, like women, find these last weeks of pregnancy to be burdensome. I observe Madelaine now swishes her tail quite frequently and turns her head and neck to glare at her abdomen, with ears slightly pinned......

Oh yes, little one, you'd better settle down. There's a while longer yet that you must abide your close quarters.....