In Labour. You will sense when labour
has started by your mare's restlessness. She
will start pacing round her box. She may
peer at or kick her stomach, and lift her
tail.
Birth. Lasting between 20 minutes and
half an hour and the following is what takes
place:
1.Breaking of
the waters - call the vet if nothing
else happens after 15 minutes.
2.The amnion - a balloon-like bag - will
appear. Normally this is broken by the
foal's front feet. If it doesn't tear
normally break it and clear the foal's
nostrils.
3. Appearance of the foal's front feet -
call the vet if any other part of the
body comes out first.
4. Head, shoulders and rib cage and last
of all the hindlegs. If the mare is
struggling - ribcage and shoulders can
cause problems - hold the foal's front
legs above the fetlocks and gently pull
it down towards the mares hocks as she
pushes.
5. The umbilical cord should break
naturally, turning white as the blood
ceases to flow. Treat the stump with
antiseptic. If it breaks early whilst
still red pinch the stump to stop it
bleeding and treat with antiseptic.
Afterbirth.
1. Expulsion of the afterbirth. A
retained or incomplete afterbirth may
lead to a dangerous infection in the
mare. So when it's finally expelled lay
it out and inspect it thoroughly. If
there are any holes other than the one
out of which the foal emerged or the bag
seems incomplete call the vet.
2. Cleansing. When the foal starts to
suckle you know the mare has cleansed -
cleansing can take as long as six hours.
At this point leave the pair in peace
but remain vigilant until the foal has
passed his first droppings and can lie
down and get up again on his own.
3. The next day ask the vet to do a
check and give the foal his anti-tetanus
injection
