How to Know If Your Horse Is Going to Have Twin Foals?

Twin foals are extremely rare in horses due to the fact that mares are not really physically set up to accommodate multiple fetuses in their uterus. In most cases, mares that have conceived twins experience complications during pregnancy and end up miscarrying and losing one or both foals. It is very rare for a mare to carry two healthy foals to term. If you suspect your mare may be likely to conceive twin foals, your veterinarian will be able to confirm or deny your suspicions by performing some basic tests on the mare.

Things You'll Need

  • Ultrasound
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Instructions

    • 1

      Have your veterinarian perform an ultrasound on your mare prior to breeding her, especially if you have an older mare. This will alert you to any possible problems within the uterus, such as cysts. Cysts can be mistakenly diagnosed as a twin during the early stages of pregnancy.

    • 2

      Have your veterinarian perform a second ultrasound on your mare after she has been bred. Ideally, you should perform the ultrasound on either day 15 or 16 after conception for a full-size horse and day 14 or 15 for a pony mare. If twins are detected at this point in time, your veterinarian should be able to reduce the pregnancy by eliminating one of the fetuses. Eliminating a fetus will make the mare and single foal more likely to survive the pregnancy healthy and in good condition.

    • 3

      Continue to have your veterinarian monitor your mare's pregnancy via ultrasound. In some cases, your veterinarian may not be able to reduce the pregnancy. You may have to choose to abort the pregnancy if your mare does reduce the pregnancy down to one foal naturally (which happens more often than not).