In This Chapter
- Understanding the basics of equine reproduction
- Figuring out whether to breed your horse
- Looking at different breeding techniques
- Walking through the stages of equine pregnancy
- Bringing a baby horse into the world
One of the great joys of horse ownership comes with breeding your own foal. Determining which stallion to put with your mare can be a fun and exciting activity. And caring for your pregnant horse can be very rewarding.
In this chapter, we give you a
primer on horse breeding: how the equine reproductive system works and how to
provide the best care to your mare during pregnancy and foaling. Because
breeding your horse is a huge responsibility, we encourage you to make sure
that this is something you really want to get into.
Equine Reproduction 101
The equine reproductive system is
truly incredible when you take a close look at it. How a baby horse comes to be
is just amazing. Studying the mechanics of how it all works will help you
understand this miraculous process.
The female horse’s system
When it comes to reproduction,
mares have a lot in common with human females. That’s because both are mammals
and both usually give birth to only one baby per pregnancy.
The mare’s reproductive organs
are located inside the pelvic and abdominal regions of her body. The external
reproductive organs include the vulva and the teats, the latter of which
deliver milk to the foal. The internal organs
When a mare breeds, semen enters
the vagina, passes through the cervix, and moves into the uterus. The
stallion’s sperm make their way into the fallopian tubes, where they make
contact with a ripe egg that has been released from one of the ovaries. This
fertilized egg moves down through the fallopian tube into the uterine horn, and
then to the uterus, where it attaches to the uterine wall. The embryo inside
the egg develops into a fetus, and 11 months later the mare gives birth to a
foal. (We describe the development of a fetus in detail later in this chapter.)
Figure 15-1: The mare’s reproductive
system.
The male horse’s system
Just as mares have many
reproductive similarities to human females, so stallions are similar to human
males.
The stallion’s reproductive
organs include the external sheath, penis, and testicles. Inside the penis is
the urethra. Sperm is manufactured inside the stallion’s testis, located within
the testicles, and then stored in the epididymis. It’s released from the
epididymis into the vas deferens. Seminal fluid is created
Figure 15-2: The stallion’s
reproductive system.
The breeding process
In terms of the actual act of
breeding, horses are just like most mammals. The mares cycle at certain times
of the year, are receptive to breeding when they’re in season, and don’t
conceive again until they birth their foals.
The particulars of horse breeding
are different from those of many other mammals — although rabbits also have a
lot in common with horses in this department. In the following sections, we
take you on a tour of the finer details of breeding season and cycles.
The breeding season
Mares typically come into heat in
the springtime and go in and out of estrus (the time when mares are
receptive to stallions) throughout the summertime. In the fall, the cycles of
estrus in many mares end until the following spring.
The equine breeding season is dependent
upon the number of daylight hours, which trigger the pineal gland to signal the
hypothalamus (the pineal and hypothalamus are glands in the brain) to begin the
hormonal changes that set a mare’s breeding cycle in motion. In nature, this is
all well-planned in order to have breeding and foaling occur during the best
weather conditions, primarily from May to July.
Technical Stuff
However, some people want their mares to foal early in the spring because many breed registries officially consider all foals to be one year old on January 1st. To produce a foal shortly after that January date, they must breed the mare in the prior February or March because she takes 11 months to gestate. The folks put their mares under lights to simulate the longer days of spring and bring the mares into estrus. (Some breeders also put the stallions under lights at this time of year in hopes of increasing their sperm counts.)
Breeding cycles
Mares are seasonally
polyestrous, which means that they have recurring estrus cycles during the
breeding season until they become pregnant. In general, average mares have
single estrus cycles that last from 21 to 23 days. During that time, the mare
is receptive to the stallion for 4 to 7 days. This is called the period of
estrus. During the remaining 14 to 15 days, she isn’t receptive to the
stallion.
Equine PMS
Many mare owners are painfully aware when their
mare is cycling. Some mares never seem to have problems when they cycle —
they act and perform like real ladies. Some mares, however, have pain in the
back area where their ovaries are located, and are stiff and sore. This causes
them to perform well below par. And mares exhibit what has become known as witchy
mare syndrome. These cantankerous females show behavioral issues ranging from
pinning their ears to kicking trailers apart.
For this reason, many mare owners elect to give their
mares hormones that shut down their normal cycles. Although this sounds like
a great and simple solution, you need to know that doing so can affect a
mare’s reproductive capabilities later on.
Before you elect to use any hormonal manipulation
on your mare’s estrus cycles, please collect all the facts and get several
opinions from different veterinarians. Hormones that affect your mare’s
cycles are potent and can have side effects. Also, oral preparations must be
handled with extreme caution because they can have adverse effects on humans.
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Typically, mares ovulate 24 hours
before the end of estrus. The average gestation is about 340 days — or 11
months — with some degree of variation on either side.
Possible reproductive problems
When left to their own devices,
horses seem to reproduce rather efficiently. Human interference can sometimes
reduce the natural equine efficiency for reproduction, and that’s when breeding
problems arise. The following sections list additional reproductive problems
that humans can’t control.
Female problems
Warning!
Mares can develop breeding problems for a number of reasons beyond the control of their human handlers:
- Age: A mare’s fertility declines with age, and getting an older mare — that is, one 18 or older — pregnant can be challenging. Senior mares may begin to cycle later in the breeding season and cycle less frequently. The mare’s aging eggs may not be as viable as a younger mare’s, either. Also, an older mare’s uterus may not function as efficiently as that of a younger mare.
Technical Stuff
As mares age, they may have anatomical changes that necessitate a procedure called a Caslick’s. In this procedure, the vet sutures the vulva two-thirds shut to keep the mare from contaminating her reproductive tract with feces. (This measure may be necessary in some younger mares who have a vulvar anatomy that predisposes them to uterine infections.)
- Scarring: Mares that have been bred numerous times can also experience scarring of the reproductive tract. This scarring can challenge fertility, as can multiple or large uterine cysts, which may affect implantation.
- Infection: Chronic uterine infections can also affect a mare’s fertility and are one reason why mares should have cultures prior to breeding. A culture can reveal a uterine infection that needs treatment before breeding.
- Hormone imbalance: Mares can also develop hormonal problems. If a mare has any metabolic imbalances, such as Cushing’s syndrome, she may be less likely to become pregnant. Also, some mares don’t produce enough progesterone — the hormone primarily responsible for maintaining pregnancy.
Male problems
Warning!
Stallions also have their issues with fertility, although they’re often not as complex as the problems seen in mares:
- Age: Stallion fertility also declines with age. Sperm count diminishes, and the sperm produced may be abnormal or less motile.
- Low sperm count: Not all stallions are created equal. Some stallions just don’t produce as many sperm as others. Also, some stallion semen doesn’t lend itself to artificial insemination because it doesn’t fare well in the shipping or freezing processes.
- Low libido: Some stallions just aren’t in the mood. These boys usually turn out to be stallions who haven’t spent much time around mares. Research shows that stallions with low libido develop a stronger drive if they’re more frequently exposed to the gentler sex.
Determining Whether You Should Breed Your Horse
Breeding sounds like great fun,
and it can be. But it’s also a huge responsibility. If you want to breed your
horse so that you can have a cute baby around the barn, you need to realize
that you’re taking on a huge responsibility. And when all is said and done,
breeding is still a crapshoot. You can never know for sure what you’re going to
get. In the following sections, we explain the responsibilities of bringing a
foal into the world and the considerations you should think about before
breeding your mare. (We don’t discuss how to breed a stallion in this book
because only experts in breeding should be handling stallions for this
purpose.)
Warning!
Before you bring another horse into the world, remember that many horses end up unwanted and suffer sad fates, either at the slaughter house or living out their lives in neglect. Unless you plan to keep the horse that you breed forever, realize that you may be contributing to the unwanted horse population.
Understanding the responsibilities of having a foal in the family
Remember
Bringing another life into the world comes with a number of responsibilities, especially if that life is equine. Here are some points to consider before breeding your horse:
- Cost: Obviously, you’ll be feeding and caring for mama before, during, and after breeding, and at least until you wean the baby. (Coauthor Dr. Kate recommends weaning foals at five to six months.) Figure on your mare’s regular healthcare and feeding costs, plus that of the baby when he arrives. (Remember that mares need special vet care, so this will cost you more than her normal routine care.)
Unless you own the stallion, you’ll also have to pay a stud fee for breeding services. If you’ll be taking your mare to the stallion to be bred, plan on the costs of boarding at the breeding facility, transportation of your mare to the stallion, nonrefundable chute fees (the monitoring of your mare during reproductive procedures), and other possible fees.
Warning!
If you plan to sell your foal to make up for all these costs, be aware that you may not be able to sell the foal! You may end up having to keep him. As a wise old horseman once told Dr. Kate: “You’d better breed for something that you’d like to keep and ride, in case it doesn’t sell.”
- Time: Aside from the time it takes to breed your mare, you’ll also spend time caring for her while she’s pregnant. When she gets close to foaling, you need to monitor her closely. Before the day (or likely night) that she foals, plan to spend many hours watching her — possibly for days or weeks beforehand. (We describe foaling in detail later in this chapter.)
After the foal is born, you need time to care for the baby, get him started on early training (see Chapter Caring for the Newborn), and keep a close watch on him to make sure that he’s healthy and getting along okay.
- Work: Foals are a lot of work. Cute as they are, they need attention and training. If you want your baby to grow up to be a good, easy-to-handle horse, you need work with him when he’s young. You can’t just ignore him until he’s ready for a saddle. During his young, impressionable months, he needs to learn all kinds of stuff to prepare him for adulthood. As his first owner, your job is to teach him (or hire someone who can).
Judging the mare
Remember
Before breeding your mare, think about why you think she deserves to be a mother. That’s right. It sounds cold, but not every mare deserves the right to reproduce. Although you may think that she’s a nice horse, she objectively needs to be more than that. She must be healthy, have a good disposition, and be physically well put-together. Why? Because any flaws that she has have a good chance of being passed along to her offspring. You won’t be doing the horse world a service bringing another equine into the world who’s sickly, difficult to handle, or so badly conformed that the poor horse can’t stay sound with normal work.
Figure 15-3: Before breeding
your mare, make sure that both she and the stallion have good, balanced conformation.
(Dr. Colleen Brady, Purdue University)
So look at your mare very
critically. Is she healthy? Is she sound? Does she have good conformation? Does
she have a pleasant temperament?
Tip
If your mare is registered, ask yourself whether she has genetics desirable for your breed. If you aren’t sure, get advice on this subject from a good judge for your breed.
Judging the stallion
The mare is only half of the
equation when making a foal. The stallion is a big factor as well. You can find
stallions by looking at ads in local equine publications, in breed magazines,
and on the Internet.
Remember
Do a lot of homework before choosing a stallion. Study the stallion’s conformation and show record, and ask a lot of questions about his disposition. Try to see as many of his adult progeny as possible in order to discover any genetic predisposition for health problems. Also, check out this horse’s offspring because some stallions (and mares) are incredibly prepotent — which means almost all of their progeny look similar no matter the cross!
Next, consider the hypothetical
product of your mare with this stallion. Be as objective as possible.
Tip
Try if at all possible to visit the stallion in person. You want to select a stud that truly complements and enhances your mare, and compensates for any of her faults. (And, yes, she does have them. All horses do.)
Surveying Different Breeding Methods
There’s more than one way to
breed a horse! Seriously, you can put horses together for breeding in a number
of different ways. The way you ultimately choose depends on your situation, and
the stallion owner’s situation and preferences. Take a look at each of the
three most common types of breeding methods.
Live cover
Live cover is when humans
manage the actual breeding process — that is, they carefully control the
actions of the stallion and mare (see Figure 15-4). This is how many horses are
bred these days. Some breed registries don’t register foals who are conceived
in any other way. That’s because they want witnesses that the stallion did
actually impregnate the mare who gave birth to the foal. Live cover is also
cheaper than using artificial insemination.
Figure 15-4: Live cover involves
handling of the stallion and mare during breeding. (Bob Langrish)
Stallions who participate in live
cover breedings are trained to do so. They learn to mount the mare when told to
do so. Mares, on the other hand, aren’t as well-trained at this task as
stallions and often wear hobbles on their back legs to make sure that they
don’t kick and injure the stallion. They may also be placed in breeding stocks
so that they can’t move around too much.
Before the breeding can take
place, a teaser stallion prepares the mare and helps the handler determine
whether the mare is receptive to breeding. This stallion puts the mare in the
mood through a barrier so that when the breeding stallion is brought into the
shed, she’s ready to receive him. Another preparatory step to breeding is the
washing of the private parts of both mare and stallion to lessen the chance of
infection during the mating process.
Warning!
Only experienced breeding handlers should be involved in live covers. Both stallions and mares can get out of control during this very exciting time, and people can be seriously injured if they don’t know exactly what they’re doing. Handling of the breeding is the responsibility of the stallion owner. Make certain that the stallion owner has an experienced person managing the breeding.
Pasture breeding
Probably the simplest and most
natural way of putting two horses together is pasture breeding. In this type of
breeding, the mare is placed in a pasture with the stallion during her regular
reproductive cycle (see Figure 15-5). Here, nature takes its course.
Pros and cons exist to this
method. Here are the pros:
- Pasture breeding is probably the most effective way to get a foal. For many mares who have trouble conceiving with live cover, pasture breeding may do the trick. The reason is probably that some mares have a very quiet estrus cycle and don’t exhibit many of the signs of a mare in heat (squatting, urinating frequently). In a pasture setting, a good stallion knows exactly when the mare is receptive to his overtures. He also has more opportunities to breed with her.
- Pasture breeding can also be helpful to a maiden mare (one who has never been bred). Sometimes, maiden mares are afraid of the stallion and resist breeding. In pasture settings, they have time to get to know the stallion, and that seems to make them more receptive to his advances.
Warning!
The greatest downfall of pasture breeding is an increased chance for injury to both mare and stallion. Some stallions are quite aggressive when they breed and can viciously bite mares during the act of breeding. On the flip side, mares can kick and injure stallions, especially if the stallion tries to mount her when she isn’t in the receptive part of her cycle. The risk of infection to both horses is greater with pasture breeding. Owners of very valuable stallions and mares are usually reluctant to go the pasture-breeding route.
If you like the idea of pasture
breeding your mare, you need to find a stallion owner who uses this method.
Figure 15-5: Pasture breeding
is the most natural way for horses to mate. (Bob Langrish)
Artificial insemination
The most common breeding practice
among serious breeders, artificial insemination, allows mares and stallions in
different parts of the country to come together to make a foal without ever actually
meeting each other.
Artificial insemination requires collection of the stallion’s semen. This is done by teasing a trained stallion with a mare who’s in estrus and then having him mount a breeding dummy. The ejaculate is collected in an artificial vagina, and the semen is processed so that it can be shipped to one or more mares around the country for insemination (see Figure 15-6). Mares are inseminated during their estrus cycle.
Testing for genetic problems before you breed your horse
Before you put your mare with a stallion, you need
to take some precautions to make sure that your foal isn’t born with a
genetic disease. If the breeding stallion and mare are of certain at-risk
breeds, they should both be tested for known genetic problems. Some of these
conditions include:
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- Hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA):
Other names for this condition include Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and
dermatosparaxis. This hideous disease, which has been seen in Quarter Horses
and horses of Quarter Horse lineage, occurs due to an inherited connective
tissue disorder resulting in defective collagen formation. Horses with this
illness have skin that’s stretchy and not adequately attached, allowing it to
tear easily. These animals suffer from the pain involved, secondary skin
infections, and disfiguring scars. Because no cure exists, most animals are euthanized.
- Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis (HYPP): Also
seen in Quarter Horses and those of
Quarter Horse lineage, this disorder tends to be
found in those horses bred for extreme muscle development. HYPP is a genetic
disease that results in unpredictable
attacks that may vary from muscle fasciculation
or trembling to extreme weakness with collapse and even death. Though some of
these animals can be managed with diet and treatment, breeding of such carriers
is discouraged and homozygous individuals born in 2007 or later are
ineligible for Quarter Horse registration.
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- Overo Lethal White Syndrome: Usually the
result of breeding two Paint horses who are carriers of a particular color
gene, this condition results in early death of the foal.
- Glycogen branching enzyme deficiency (GBED):
Seen in Quarter Horses and Quarter Horse related breeds, this disease results
in abortion, stillbirths, and foal deaths.
- Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID): A
genetic disease of Arabian horses, SCID causes affected horses to have
inadequate immune response against infectious diseases. Foals with this
condition rarely live to the age of 6 months.
- Junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB): This
disease is usually manifested by missing
patches of skin and mucosa at birth. It shows up
in several draft horse breeds, as well as Saddlebreds. This condition is also
called Epitheliogenesis Imperfecta, or EI. Foals with this defect are usually
euthanized at birth.
By having your horse tested before breeding, you
can be sure not to pass these lethal genes along to the next generation of
foals. Talk to your veterinarian about having your horse screened.
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Figure 15-6: Artificial insemination
has become the most popular method of reproduction for purebred horses. (Bob
Langrish)
Some stallions have semen that
ships very well; others have semen that doesn’t. Some breeders process semen
for shipping by cooling it by a very strict process. Other breeders may use a
freezing process to preserve the semen for breeding. Both processes have
advantages and disadvantages. Costs and equipment needs also differ.
Artificial insemination is more
costly than live cover because it requires the services of a veterinarian. It also
costs money to ship the semen. The advantages are that you can breed your mare
to a stallion who’s on the other side of the country without having to ship
your horse. You also don’t have the risk of mare or stallion being injured
during the breeding process.
Remember
Not all breed registries allow the registration of foals who are the result of artificial insemination. The Jockey Club, which registers Thoroughbreds, doesn’t permit this type of breeding at the time of this writing.
If you want to use artificial insemination
to breed your mare, talk to your vet to make certain that he or she offers this
service. Discuss the timing of the insemination with your vet as well because
the semen needs to inseminated when the mare is in estrus.
The Skinny on Horse Pregnancy
On the day you breed your mare,
you’ll be beside yourself with glee. This feeling may soon be replaced by
momentary panic when you realize that you have a baby on the way and all the
responsibility that comes with it. But have no fear. You have almost a year to
prepare for your new arrival. In the following sections, we explain how to make
sure that your horse really is pregnant,
describe the stages of equine
pregnancy, and give you tips for prenatal care. We also let you know the signs
of a possible pregnancy problem.
Verifying that your horse is pregnant
First, you need to make sure your
horse really is pregnant. Just because you bred her doesn’t mean that she
conceived.
To be sure that the breeding
took, your vet uses either palpation by hand or a combination of palpation with
ultrasound to see whether your mare is pregnant (see Figure 15-7). In most
cases, this exam and ultrasound should take place about 14 to 16 days after the
breeding. Ultrasound exam at this stage helps to rule in or out the possibility
of twins. And the veterinarian can use the ultrasound exam to evaluate the
ovaries, embryo, uterus, and cervix. If the vet sees any hint of an
abnormality, he or she may recommend additional tests or medications.
Many equine veterinarians also
recommend evaluating the pregnancy by ultrasound around day 24. By this time,
you can see the heartbeat, which means that the embryo is alive. As a general
rule, most mares should also be checked for pregnancy at about day 40. If a
mare loses her pregnancy after about day 35, she’s unlikely to come into heat
again for many months.
After pregnancy is verified, the
mare can be released from the breeding facility.
Figure 15-7: A veterinarian
palpates a mare to determine whether she’s pregnant. (Bob Langrish)
What if your mare is pregnant with twins?
If having one foal is awesome, wouldn’t two be double
the fun? Actually, no. When it comes to horses, twins aren’t a cause to
celebrate.
The cold reality is that in 95 percent of the cases,
mares carrying twins abort the entire pregnancy before the due date. Healthy
twins carried to term are very rare in the horse world.
When a veterinarian checks a mare 14 days into her
pregnancy, he or she may discover twins. In most cases, mare owners opt to
have one of the twins eliminated to help ensure survival of the second one.
This procedure is done by a veterinarian,
who ruptures the embryo.
Although eliminating one of the embryos is a sad
decision to make, it gives the other a fighting chance to survive. But,
sometimes, both embryos can be lost when the attempt is made to eliminate one
of them. Where the embryos are positioned in the uterus relative to each other
can make this task very difficult or impossible. Sometimes aborting the
entire pregnancy and starting over is wiser.
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Looking at the stages of pregnancy
At 40 days of pregnancy, the
developing embryo is now mature enough to be called a fetus, with limbs and
organs. Throughout the coming days, the fetus begins to slowly morph into a
horse. Consider the following:
- At around 90 days, the baby has tiny ears and little hooves, but its size is close to that of a hamster (see Figure 15-8).
- By 180 days, it looks a lot like a small horse and is the size of a beagle (see Figure 15-9).
- At 10 months, the baby appears as it will at birth, complete with mane and tail (see Figure 15-10). At this point, its front legs are already starting to move into the birth canal.
Figure 15-8: The fetus at three
months.
As the foal is developing, the mare’s belly grows larger.
Pretty soon, she starts to look like she’s going to burst. That and the
calendar tell you that you’re near the end of her pregnancy.
Figure 15-9: The fetus at 180 days.
Figure 15-10: The fetus at 10 months.
Caring for the mom-to-be
Remember
As your mare’s baby is growing inside her, your job is to help her maintain a healthy pregnancy. Here are some things to keep in mind when caring for your mare:
- Good weight: Make sure that the mare’s body condition is good; don’t let her get too fat or thin. If she gets too fat, she’s predisposed to metabolic syndrome or laminitis, each of which can cause her to lose her foal. (See Chapter Tackling Common Ailments for more information on these conditions.)
Conversely, if your mare becomes too thin, her pregnancy will be compromised because her body may have to make a choice between sustaining her health or that of the foal.
- A smart diet: Your pregnant mare is eating for two, so take that into account when serving her meals. Discuss her diet with your veterinarian.
During the first two trimesters (the first six months), you don’t need to change your mare’s ration, assuming that she’s in good health and body condition and is neither fat nor thin. (Vitamin/mineral intake or supplementation may be necessary for mares on pasture or forages only.)
In the last few months of pregnancy, the baby makes big demands on mama. Her energy requirements, protein needs, and vitamin/mineral requirements are likely to increase. She should already be eating 90 percent of her food as roughage (mostly hay). Discuss increasing her daily protein intake 8 to 10 percent with your vet, and talk to him or her about increasing calcium, phosphorus, copper, and zinc — these are the building blocks for the foal’s healthy bones. (See Chapter The Building Blocks of Good Nutrition for details on high-protein feeds.)
- Preventative care: Follow the deworming program outlined for your mare by your veterinarian; a worm infestation can threaten your mare’s pregnancy (see Chapter Getting Up to Speed on Routine Care). And give your mare the recommended rhinopneumonitis vaccines during her pregnancy to prevent an abortion caused by the equine herpes virus (see Chapter Fighting Infectious Diseases).
Warning!
Be sure to use only vaccines provided by your veterinarian because you need to use a special rhinopneumonitis vaccine for pregnant mares.
Also, ask your veterinarian about boostering your mare for immunity to other diseases while she’s in late gestation. Vaccines at this time may increase her antibody levels and thus provide greater protection to the foal.
- Low stress: Keep your mare’s stress to a minimum. You can still ride her and give her light exercise to keep her fit, but coauthor Dr. Kate recommends letting her be a happy pasture girl with pregnancy leave from work from the sixth month of gestation until she weans her baby.
- Being careful: Never give your pregnant mare any medications or supplements without consulting your veterinarian first. A healthy mare on a good diet doesn’t need any special supplements or vitamins unless your vet recommends them for a specific reason.
Staying aware of possible pregnancy problems
Remember
Unfortunately, things can go wrong during a mare’s pregnancy. Signs of a possible problem with the pregnancy include vaginal discharge or dripping milk. If you see either of these symptoms in your mare, call the vet right away. In addition, if your mare becomes ill for any reason, goes off her feed, or acts depressed, call your veterinarian immediately. Abortion is relatively rare, but any time a pregnant mare seems ill, she should be seen by a vet.
Viral and bacterial infections
can certainly cause abortion, and so can ingestion of toxic plants, and certain
drugs and chemicals. Diseases of the placenta and umbilical torsion can also
result in abortion.
Although this all sounds scary,
chances are good that your mare will enjoy her pregnancy without any problems
at all.
Delivering a Baby Horse
Of course the most exciting
moment in the entire breeding and pregnancy process is the moment of birth.
When your new little baby horse comes out to meet the world, you’ll be moved
beyond words.
You need to be ready for that big
day and know what to expect; we tell you what you need to know in the following
sections. Being prepared helps you stay calm and provide the best care for mama
and baby.
Preparing a place for foaling
The place your mare foals depends
on your facilities and your personal preferences. She can foal out in a
pasture, in a paddock, or in a cozy box stall.
Tip
Coauthor Dr. Kate likes to let her mares foal in a clean, grassy pasture by themselves, even though she has 12-x-24-foot foaling stalls at her facility just for this purpose. Her reasoning is that the foaling process can be quite an athletic event, and she doesn’t want to risk her mares getting cast (stuck against a wall) in the stall during delivery. So she puts her mares in a foaling pasture 30 days before their expected delivery date to give them time to become familiar with their surroundings.
If you prefer to have your mare
foal indoors, as many horse owners do, you must provide her with a stall that’s
at least 14 x 14 feet in size, although bigger is better. The stall must have
clean bedding, preferably straw because shavings, sawdust, or sand can cling to
the new, wet baby and the mare (see Figure 15-11) and result in umbilical cord
infection. You should also keep the stall scrupulously clean at all times.
Figure 15-11: A foaling stall
must be at least 14 x 14 feet in size and very roomy.Bob Langrish
Recognizing the signs of foaling
Toward the end of your mare’s
pregnancy, she starts to show signs that she’s ready to foal. The signs of
eminent delivery are variable between mares, but many give the following clues
before giving birth:
- Two to four weeks before foaling, the udders fill up and appear swollen.
- Four to six days prior, the teats of the udders become distended.
- One to four days before, a waxy buildup shows on the nipples. Honey-colored colostrum may also drip from the teats.
- When foaling is imminent, your mare’s udders may begin to drip milk. You may also see changes in her behavior. She may start to act restless or uncomfortable, and may even rub her tail on a wall or fence or start to kick at her belly. She may pace or get up or down a lot. At this point, if you’re really astute, you may notice that the muscles of your mare’s croup soften and flatten and the vulva relax.
Remember
If your mare’s restless behavior lasts for more than a couple of hours without producing a foal, call your veterinarian. She may be having a problem.
Taking action just before foaling
Tip
Hopefully, before your baby is about to be born, your vet has given you a video to watch that shows the foaling process. If you haven’t watched it yet, now is the time!
As foaling time approaches, wash
and clean your mare’s vulva and hindquarters; you can also wrap her tail
carefully with gauze to keep it clean and out of the way as the foal comes out
of the birth canal.
Make sure that you have your
veterinarian’s phone number ready in case you need him or her. (You should need
your vet only if your mare starts having problems, described later in this
chapter.)
Watching the stages of foaling
As soon as your mare goes into
labor, she begins the three stages of foaling. Stay outside your mare’s stall
or pasture and watch from afar as the miracle unfolds:
- Stage one: Contractions begin in this stage and can last from one to two hours. The mare’s uterine contractions push the baby through the cervix and into the correct position in the birth canal. The mare gets up and down several times and may roll during this stage. The fetal membranes, called the allantoic sac, may be visible at the mare’s vulva. When the sac breaks and fluid goes all over the place, stage one is over.
Remember
- Stage two: This is the actual expulsion of the foal. This process happens extremely fast, so if it’s taking more than 30 minutes for your mare to deliver her baby, call your vet right away.
When the foal is in normal delivery position, he looks like a diver going off the high-dive as he comes out of the birth canal (see Figure 15-12).
- Stage three: During this stage, the placenta is expelled. Placentas should be passed one to three hours after delivery.
Offering postpartum care
Your foal will be born with a sac known as the fetal membrane around him. As he struggles after birth, he breaks the sac with his mom’s help. (If he doesn’t, you should get involved by using a clean towel to clean membranes and secretions off the nose and
mouth.) After this breakage happens, check to see whether the foal is
breathing. Watch the foal’s flanks to see whether they go up and down as he
breathes.
Figure 15-12: When the foal
exits the birth canal, he should be in the classic diving position. (Bob
Langrish)
Tip
The umbilical cord may have broken during delivery, or it may break when the foal stands up. No need for you to cut it. In fact, doing so can be dangerous to the health of the baby. Instead, let it break on its own and then treat the stump with whatever antibacterial solution your vet recommends.
You may feel the urge to get your
hands all over the baby right away, but coauthor Dr. Kate recommends letting
the mare and foal rest for at least 30 minutes so that they can form a strong
bond. (If you want to imprint your foal — a method of early training in newborn
horses — see Chapter Caring
for the Newborn for details.)
Keeping an eye out for possible problems during and after foaling
Warning!
Horses have been giving birth without the help of humans for millions of years, so it’s likely that everything will go smoothly when your foal is born. However, things can go wrong during the process. If you see any of these problems unfolding, step in and intercede or call your veterinarian right away:
- Wrong position: If you notice the foal coming out in any other position other than front feet first, call your vet right away. Other positions include hind feet first, head but no feet, feet turned upward, or anything other than feet first followed by the head, neck, torso, and hindquarters.
- Water doesn’t break: Before the mare can safely deliver the foal, her water must break. If this doesn’t happen and you see a balloon of water showing from her vulva, break it yourself with your fingers.
- Fetal membrane doesn’t break: If the foal has already been born and the fetal membrane hasn’t broken, intercede and break it yourself. Start at the foal’s nose to enable him to breathe. Clear his nasal passages of the membrane by using a clean towel.
- Umbilical cord won’t break: Letting the cord break on its own is a good idea, but if the placenta has passed and the cord is still attached to the foal 20 minutes later, consult your veterinarian, and follow his or her instructions.
- Retained placenta: If the placenta isn’t expelled within 1 to 3 hours, call your vet. Retained placentas can be dangerous and can lead to laminitis and serious uterine infections.
- Foal is unresponsive: If the foal has been born but isn’t moving, clear the baby’s nostrils by sweeping your hand down the face from the eyes across the nose. Move the baby around to see whether he stirs. If not, call your vet immediately.
- Any other concerns: If something just doesn’t seem right to you, don’t take a chance with the health of your mare and foal. Call your vet right away. Being on the safe side is better than waiting, because your foal could die if you don’t act quickly.by Audrey Pavia with Kate Gentry-Running,DVM,CVA
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