Im new to this....

[soph]

my mare has just gone to stud, providing she takes, when is the ideal time to have the first scan?

Any information would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

[holiday]

Is she just being covered naturally? If so I would scan about 18 days after she has gone off.

However if you scan before covering, you can see exactly when she needs covering, and can see if there is a possibility of twins with the follicles being noted, and any cysts which could be mistaken for a pregnancy.

We scan for covering, just after for ovulation, then 14 days after that for pregnancy then 28 days later for embryo, and heart beat.

We can also see the pregnancy is developing well and growing correctly. if there has been a possibility of twins the mare would be scanned at about 10 days from ovulation and again at 14 and if twinned one would be squeezed. Then again around 17 days to check the twin left again was growing and still there.

These above things cannot be noted if the mare has not been scanned before covering. i.e. cysts and ovulation. The vet then has to make doubly sure he has not missed anything.

I would assume your stud will be able to advise you correctly.

[vjc]

excellent advice from holiday, i totally agree with her comments:)

[sarahp]

All very good information, but I suppose it depends on how she is being covered (natural or AI, which requires lots of scanning), what you are scanning for, what you are prepared to risk and how much vets' bills you are happy to pay. The risks will vary too depending on what sort of mare she is - for example twinning is rare in native ponies and far more common in TBs.

If you are just checking for pregnancy, 18 days is handy because she can then be recovered at the next season, wait any longer and you could just miss it. But if it is a case of no foal free return, you might want her done later on to check she is still in foal before the relevant date, usually October.

[soph]

Thank you all very much, she is being covered naturally, and is a native!!