Change of Plans.

I've called off the purchase of my PRE mare. I found out that she had a history of twin pregnancies and that she hadn't been scanned early enough to rule out twins this time. The vet told me that he was unlikely to be able to tell if she was carrying two foals at this late stage, even with a scan, and if she was they were very unlikely to survive until full term and very likely to be born weak and die at or soon after birth if they did.

I knew that twin foals were bad news but I hadn't appreciated just how great a risk they pose to the mare's chances of survival as well. It was a useful lesson to learn and if I or any of my liveries ever breed foals again I will definitely opt for early scanning (16-18 days) and preferably several more scans after that.

I very much hope, for the mare's sake, that she's not carrying twins. As far as making a decision about what I should do was concerned I did what I always do and asked myself what I'd advise someone else to do in this position. The answer was obvious - walk away, at speed, from the inevitable months of worry, possibly ending in tragedy and much expense. Breeding's a worrying enough undertaking without this added and unnecessary risk factor thrown in!

I am SO grateful to the vet. I nearly didn't bother with having her vetted as, being the eternal optimist, I still always assume that everything will turn out alright in the end and I'm very lucky in that mostly it does! I will definitely always go for a vetting in future - he was worth his weight in gold!!! Another useful lesson learnt!

Jack had colic tonight. It was mild and we walked it off together quite quickly but it served to remind me that I shouldn't take my lovely ponies for granted and should make the most of them.