The Expectant Mare and Foaling

The expected birth of a foal from a favourite mare can be an exciting but worrying time for many horse owners.

Ideally, help and advice should be sought from your veterinarian or someone experienced in foaling mares, in good time before the event. It is most important to know what is ‘normal’ in terms of both the foaling process and how to expect the foal to behave once born.

Keep your veterinarian’s number nearby in case a problem arises, or if you have concerns or questions.

Gestation

The average gestation of mares is 340 days. However, like people, mares can go into labour earlier than expected. It is very important to know when your mare is due, so you can be ready for the foaling. Foals born more than 10 days early are more vulnerable to disease and infection. They may also lack the development to stand and nurse properly, as a normal foal would without assistance. The mare also may have not produced any or enough colostrum (“first milk”) by this stage. Therefore, it is imperative that you seek veterinary advice or assistance, particularly if the mare has been observed to run any milk from her udder prior to foaling. The same also applies to foals that are delivered after their due date.

Caslicks: What are they?

A caslick is a procedure performed by a veterinarian, which involves suturing closed the upper part of the vulva. This is most commonly practiced on mares with undesirable conformation of the genital area. It is believed to prevent manure and air being ‘sucked in’ to the vagina, which may compromise the foal’s healthy development. If you purchased your mare in foal, it is a good idea to have a veterinarian check for a caslick. An unopened caslick can be disastrous for a foaling mare, due to the foal tearing through the smaller opening.

Environment – a Safe Place to Foal
Mares should be foaled where they can be discretely observed and where help can be easily given if problems arise. Mares tend to prefer foaling at night in privacy, and seem to have some control over the timing of their foaling. Being able to observe discretely or from a distance is the best way to make her at ease.

Do I need to move my mare away from other horses?
Your mare can run with other horses for most of her gestation provided that her paddock mates are not nasty. Horses are social, herd animals and depend on others for companionship. You do not want to stress her out by completely isolating her, so keep other reliable mares with her if possible. Ideally for the last month of gestation your mare should be paddocked with the same horses that she will be paddocked with after foaling. This allows the social hierarchy to be established prior to a vulnerable foal being in the mix. Ideally paddock companions will be mares rather than geldings, and young stock other than foals.
When your mare starts showing signs of foaling, then her paddock mates should be moved out to allow her bonding time with the new foal, but kept in a paddock next to her to avoid stress.

Paddock:

A grass paddock or large yard is ideal for your mare to foal in – horses have been giving birth on the open ranges for many years, and this is still an acceptable choice. A good foaling pasture ideally needs to be clean and free from obstacles, as well as have shade and shelter. The fencing of this paddock or yard should have a mesh, like chicken wire, around it as young, uncoordinated foals easily ‘slip’ through plain wire or post and rail fencing. Ideally the foaling paddock will have been spelled for several weeks to reduce worm contamination and to allow a good clean grass cover. There should be no dams, as newborn foals have been reported to have drowned.

Stabling:

If stabling your mare for foaling down, the stable needs to be large with good quality deep straw. Shavings are not ideal for foaling, as they stick to birth fluids and get into the foal’s nose and other unwanted places. It is best to remove manure and soiled bedding promptly and disinfect the stable after birthing.

The Countdown!
Mares can provide clues that they will soon give birth – this rings true for many cases, but please remain diligent and expect surprises.

Why should I check my mare’s udder?
Checking of the udder daily is necessary for the last month of gestation. This is best done by the same person, as it will give a good indication of any changes, and therefore of how close the mare is to foaling. When your mare is due to foal, her udder will become engorged and very tight. Mares will generally start to ‘bag up’ two weeks prior to foaling, but be warned that this is not fool proof as some mares, especially maidens, may bag up much closer to foaling. Mares may produce a wax like secretion on their teats up to three days prior to foaling. This is called ‘waxing up’ and is a sign that the mare is very close to foaling. When the mare produces wax, she will require many more checks throughout the day and night. Unfortunately, this also is not a fool proof indicator as some mares do not wax up at all.

What does it mean if my mare is running milk?
Mares will often drip milk, or even a constant stream from their udder close to foaling. Colostrum is a thick, creamy, yellow colour milk compared to the white appearance of normal milk. If the colostrum leaks from the udder prior to the foal being born the foal may not receive sufficient colostrum to provide vital maternal antibodies.
If the mare is running milk for more than 24 hours and she is not ready to foal, call us for advice
immediately, on 6241 8888.

Shape of abdomen
Observe the shape of your mare’s belly. First it is very big and round, but the closer she is to foal, the more her belly drops. Some mares even develop some oedema (fluid retention) on their bellies.

Shape of vulva
If your mare allows you, lift her tail once daily to look at her vulva. A normal vulva is not very long and has wrinkles on its sides. Right before foaling everything on her hind end relaxes, including her vulva. It will appear much longer to you and won’t have as many wrinkles on its side.

Tail tone
The hind end will loosen up before foaling. If you lift her tail daily, you will notice she has strong tone in her tail and gives you some resistance. The closer she is to foaling, the less to no resistance you will feel when lifting her tail.

Monitoring the mare’s behavior
The mare’s behavior will often dramatically change prior to foaling. Your usually sweet mare may become aggressive towards other horses or even people. When foaling is imminent, the mare should be in a clean grassy area, alone and with a mate nearby. If you notice the mare becoming restless, monitor her closely.

These are all normal indications of a mare getting ready to foal:

Supervision of the mare
We advise supervising the mare closely during foaling, whilst maintaining enough distance to avoid disturbing the natural foaling process. Ideally mares require checks at least every half hour from when she starts displaying early signs of foaling. Do not be afraid to approach the mare more closely if you have any concerns as to her well-being during foaling – she is unlikely to be disturbed by this and it is vital to make sure the foaling is progressing without problems.
You should be prepared, have a first aid kit containing scissors, disinfectant, string, diluted iodine and towels on hand. It is also a good idea to have a torch.

Remember to have our number with you when you check your mare – 6241 8888. Do not be afraid to call if you have any concerns day or night – a false alarm is far better than delaying a call for assistance.

Stages of a Mare Foaling

First Stage Labour

During the early stages of labour, it is not unusual for the mare to get up and down several times. She is typically repositioning the foal in the birth canal, or may simply be uncomfortable!

Foaling can be a test of patience. Mares have been known to remain in this stage for several hours. Monitoring is recommended, (keeping your distance) and if in doubt, consult your vet.

Biting at the flanks or looking at her abdomen can appear to be similar to the signs of colic. Mares will also urinate frequently during this stage as there is a huge pressure on the mare’s bladder.

This stage ends when the mare ‘breaks water’.

Within 20 minutes of the ‘water breaking’ (passage of the allantoic fluid), the white amniotic membrane should become visible, it should be white/grey in colour. If at this stage you notice the membrane to be red as opposed to white call us immediately, 6241 8888. This is called a ‘red bag’ delivery and is a sign that the normal site of rupture is too thick and the mare is separating her placenta to expel the foal. The foal needs the placenta to be attached to the mare’s uterus at this time to allow oxygen to pass across from the mare’s blood, i.e. it needs the placenta to ‘breathe’.

Second Stage Labour
Within the white membrane, you should now see the appearance of a foot, followed shortly by another foot, and then the nose.

Imagining if the mare is standing upright, both feet need to be presented with the bottom of the soles facing the ground and the nose lying on top of the legs, under the mare’s tail.

Call us if:

• The mare is straining but nothing appears.

OR

• You notice the membrane to be red as opposed to white.

OR

• You have seen the appearance of the white
  membrane, and no foot within 20 minutes.

OR

• A foot and no second foot or the nose within 15
  minutes.

You may be looking at a dystocia (malpresentation) situation, and time is of the essence to achieve a healthy outcome for both mare & foal.

Once the front feet, head and neck are presented in this manner the foaling should continue to progress. Once the foal’s shoulder has passed, the mare may rest for a few seconds before continuing to push the foal out.