Preliminary Info on Foaling

Obviously, another very important aspect of equine reproduction is gestation and foaling. The farm that I worked at did not foal out any mares due to the laborious nature of foal watching and care. This in itself gives you an idea about how important foaling is, and how many complications are possible. The woman in the article from the previous post mentions that she has a set up where she can put a mattress in her SUV and camp out in her barn so that she can watch her mares that are close to foaling. I have also herd tales that it is Murphy’s law that a mare will be watched for twenty three hours and will foal in the twenty fourth.

A mare will only have one foal a year (without participating in embryo transfers), and therefore if a lot is invested in the breeding and pregnancy, the success of the foaling is very important. There are many signs that a mare mare be ready to foal. They are listed in detail on this website (http://equisearch.com/horses_care/health/breeding/breedingbusiness_122004/) and any site on general horse care. Some signs are a mare bagging up, which is a term that means that she is producing milk and starts to have a bag look in her mammary area. Bagging will happen several weeks before foaling. Waxing occurs up to two days before foaling and this is when a syrup like material comes out of the teats and hardens at the ends like wax. Mares may also be more solitary before foaling, if they are in a herd, and the muscles and ligaments in the pelvic area will soften and widen before foaling as well.

Common problems that happen in a foaling situation can range from a foal being oriented the wrong way in the mare, to red-bagging. Red bagging is when the membrane doesn’t brake soon enough for the foal to get out and it is trapped inside of the mare without any oxygen. This can cause severe or mild problems with the foal in its development. For these reasons, foaling season tends to employ many people watching the mares to make sure they don’t have any problems delivering and that the foal is healthy once it comes out. It is also very important for the person on foal watch to make sure the foal suckles in the first hour of its life.