Horses can become pregnant as early as 18 months of age and their pregnancies typically last 11 months. If you suspect your mare might be expecting, she needs proper care from day one of her gestation to maximize both her health and that of the foal’s development. Here’s everything you need to know about pregnancy signs and stages as well as caring for a pregnant mare.
How Can I Tell If a Horse Is Pregnant
The only surefire way of knowing whether your mare (female horse) is pregnant and that its gestation is progressing normally is to visit an equine reproduction specialist veterinarian 14-18 days post breeding to have her checked over and examined for signs of gestation.
Pregnancy can usually be confirmed two weeks post-breeding via ultrasound imaging.1 Mares should be examined for twins by ultrasound at day 15-16 as earlier exams may miss one that is too small to see.2 Blood and urine testing can be completed two to three months post conception while an alternative option would be for the veterinarian to manually feel an embryo in her uterus via rectal palpation – usually done around six weeks in gestation, and sometimes earlier.