Foaling Guide

The responsibility of caring for a mare in foal can be daunting. At Aireworth Vets we can provide help and support throughout the pregnancy and birth.
The following information may help guide you through the process, but if you are worried please contact us for more information or to arrange a visit.

See Reproduction Services for more information about artificial insemination and planned breeding programmes.

Predicting Foaling
The average gestation period which is the period of development of the foal from conception until birth, is 335-340 days (range of 320-370).
Individual mares tend to have very similar gestation lengths each year making foaling dates easier to predict. During the last 2-6 weeks there will be udder enlargement and the teats enlarging within the last 4-6 days. Waxing (teats becoming covered in colostrum) occurs in most mares but not always, it usually occurs within 1-2 days of foaling. Other signs include relaxing of the pelvic musculature (7-14 days) and of the vulva (2-4 days). But be aware that some mares will break all the rules. About 80% of mares foal between 6pm and 6am. They prefer quiet conditions and solitude, overenthusiastic and repetitive 'checking' can make mares delay delivery for hours or even days.

Preparation
The mare should be introduced into her foaling environment at least 2-3 weeks prior to estimated foaling date to prevent any delay in foaling caused by stress. The foaling box should be clean, dry, reasonably quiet and of sufficient size. A deep clean straw bed is preferable over shavings. The mare should be allowed to exercise and not confined to a box. If foaling outdoors the mare should be on her own and the field should be fairly dry with a good covering of grass and be free of hazards. It is of the utmost importance that the environment is clean as the foal is very susceptible to acquiring infections during and just after birth.

Parturition Stage 1 -  Initial uterine contractions and final foal positioning
Lasts 1-4 hours. Mare appears nervous, restless and uncomfortable (pawing the ground, stops eating, tail swishing, getting up and down, mild sweating, just like mild colic signs). If possible the tail should be bandaged at this point.

Parturition Stage 2 - Expulsion of the foal
Lasts less than 30 minutes. The mare if possible should be observed closely but without interference. The mare will lie flat on her side and with heavy abdominal contractions attempt to deliver the foal. The water bag will appear and should break on its own early in this stage. Both front feet should appear at the vulva with one foot slightly ahead of the other and the foals nose between and on top of the front legs. If the foal is in the correct position this stage should progress rapidly with the foal being delivered within 15 minutes of the feet appearing at the vulva.

Parturition Stage 3 - Delivery of the placenta
Should be passed 3-4 hours after delivery of the foal. Once the placenta has been passed it should be examined to make sure it is intact with no missing pieces. Keep the entire placenta in a large bag for examination by the vet. Do not attempt to remove the placenta manually.

The new born foal
The foal should be on its feet within 2 hours and sucking within 4 hours of birth. This is of vital importance as foals are born with no protective antibodies to potentially fatal infections that can be picked up in the first few days and weeks of life. The foal gets theses antibodies from the mare’s first milk, colostrum, which has a very high concentration of antibodies. The foal’s intestine can only absorb these antibodies best during the first 6 hours of life and by 12 hours the foals intestine will no longer be as efficient at absorbing antibodies, by 24 hours there is no antibody absorption. Therefore it is of vital importance that the foal receives at least 2 litres of colostrum within 24 hours of birth. The foal should be examined for any obvious reasons as to why it may not be able to rise or suck e.g. deformed legs or nose.

When to call us
If stage 1 lasts for 4 or more hours you should contact us straight away.

If stage 2 lasts for longer than 30 minutes again you should contact us immediately as the mare and foal are at serious risk.

If at any time during stage 1 or 2 a “red bag” with a velvet like coating appears at the vulva contact us immediately.

If the foal has not got to its feet within 4 hours or not sucked within 6 hours again you should contact us straight away as the foal’s ability to absorb antibodies is reducing. We may need to stomach tube the foal with colostrum and return to test the foal’s antibody levels the following day.

'Cleansing' - if the mare does not pass the placenta within 8 hours of foaling it will need to be removed via the aid of hormone injections, infusion of fluids into the uterus and the mare will also require antibiotics to prevent infections.

We recommend that the mare and foal be examined the morning after the foaling even if everything has seemed to go to plan. At this time we will check the mare for any foaling injuries or problems and check the health of the foal.

The out of hours emergency service can be reached on our usual number: 01535 60298.

If you are inexperienced in breeding or would just like some advice about caring for a pregnant mare, please contact us to arrange to speak to one of our team of 8 equine vets.