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Preparing for Foaling
  I
know that this economy brings on all kinds of stress, and probably the
last thing on your mind is foaling. For me, I begin counting the days
until foaling. The shortest day this year is December 21, so of course
it is only on to longer days from there, and my favorite part, the
arrival of new babies! Many of the horse industries have their mares
foaling as close to January 1 as possible to get the size and maturity
needed for their sport. This results in many “Decembuary” foals,
although most barns will never admit to owning one. The arrival of
foals is exciting, but can be heart wrenching and exhausting as well.
It helps to know your mares signs for foaling, have a foaling kit ready,
and know when to call a vet.
 Knowing
your mare really helps you to know when that foal will arrive. Many of
us have mare that is either new to us, or is maiden. Depending on when
you get your mare, do your best to make sure that all vaccinations and
worming are up to date. We worm our mares a minimum of every 6 - 8
weeks. The vaccinations for the Rhinopneumonitis abortion (Pneumabort)
should be given at the 5th, 7th, and 9th
month, especially if your mare is introduced to many new horses. She
should be given her normal fall shots, and her normal spring shots. I
give the normal spring shots approximately one month prior to foaling.
In addition, make sure your mare has adequate opportunities for
exercise, and really watch that her 10% protein requirement on a dry
ration basis is met. With all of that said, the udder usually fills 2 -
4 weeks prior to foaling, the top area of her tail (the croup) gets soft
and wiggly like jello about 2 weeks prior to foaling and the teats fill
around 4 - 7 days before the foal arrives. You may see her walking
restlessly a day or two before the foal will drop, and you can test her
milk for thickness, stickiness and color. One other option is to use a
hard water test that is made by Softchek, and can be found in plumbing
supplies. You strip out a small amount of milk, use 6 parts distilled
water to 1 part milk. Wet the Softchek strip and wait 15-30 seconds.
If the result of 250 or more ppm appears, 95% of mares will foal within
the next 12 hours.
 A
foaling kit comes in handy. We have at least one ready to grab at any
time. If possible, it is great to have a few ready. We put in
Softchek, a towel, iodine or Nolvosan, a syringe to milk the mare if
necessary, Pepto-Bismol, enemas, a camera, vet phone numbers, numbers
for colostrum replacement, and a notebook and pen to take notes to add
to my file on the mare. It is really nice if you can have a video
system in the stall that records the birth, and you can check on the
mare without disturbing her. There have been lots of stories of people
watching for their new arrivals, and when they take a break for coffee
or bathroom, the foal arrives. I have seen a few arrive, but have been
surprised more than not. Hopefully you will not have to be in during
the foaling process. It is imperative that the mare and foal bond. It
takes awhile for the foal to get up, and for him to nurse. You may
worry that the mare is going to hurt her foal when she squeals, or cocks
her leg. It is all perfectly normal. I have had very few mares refuse
their foals, and with a bit of work, most of them were reunited. Make
sure your mare and foal gets enough exercise in the coming days as well
to ensure proper leg and muscle development, and to lessen colic in the
mare.
 You
need to know when to call a vet. There is a loose time table to observe
for foaling. After the water breaks, in approximately 10 minutes, the
front feet and head present. The foal should be out completely within
30 minutes, and standing within 1 - 2 hours. The foal should nurse
within 2 - 4 hours. Don’t plan on giving an enema until after the foal
nurses, and has had his first nap, and only one every 12 hours. The
mare should have passed her placenta within about 3 hours. Check the
placenta to make sure there are no missing parts. Do not give your mare
a treat or reward until the placenta is passed. You need to call a vet
if the timeframe is way off, or if the progression of the feet, head,
and body is longer than 15-20 minutes. If the mare is pushing hard for
about 10 minutes and nothing happens you need to call. It is awful to
lose a foal, but devastating to lose the mare. Watch your mare for
signs of colic for the first month. Pregnancy moves the organs around,
and it takes time for things to return to normal. If possible, have a
vet out the first day or so after the foal arrives to make sure all is
well. They will check for passive transfer of immunities from the
colostrum, observe for normal defecation and urination, check the mouth
for symmetry of bite, cleft palate, and the color of the gums. The
eyes, heart, lungs and legs will be checked. They will also check for a
temperature to make sure your foal doesn’t have any signs of infection.
I have a love hate relationship with foaling. I have seen only one foal
saved that has needed medical attention within the first week of life.
It is brutal to see the ups and downs and hope and pray they make it,
and see them fight so hard only to expire. I cringe to see the perfect
little foal begin to fail, and know that I have to call a vet out to
most likely see them die anyway. The worst losses are with maiden
mares. One year I had all maiden mares but one. We lost 6 of 8 foals,
and there was nothing we or the vet could do. I have never lost a
broodmare, thank God! Even with these dire tiding, I still anticipate
the arrivals of the babies, and do everything in my power to be prepared
for their arrival. In addition, I have already begun shopping for the
stallions to sire their next foals, but that is another article! |
This
is the reliable 
Kodiak
Disc Brakes 
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