Signs Mare is ready to foal

bubski

First time to have a mare to have a foal and as she was running with the stallion for a couple of weeks we don't know her exact date she is due.

Her tummy has got much bigger and it has started to drop (could be an over active imagination on my part?) Also her udder has started to fill up. Mind you this is only a wee bit. From being concave it has filled out a few cm.

Is there any other signs I should be watching out for? How long do you think we will have to wait......

Wicked

i'm so glad you started this post i was going to write one the exact same myself.

i'm a newcomer to mares foaling to and my mare is due on the 14th April. She's outside the whole time, should i be checking her throughout the night and for how long before the date?

any info is vital

cheers

wicked

liah

Is she waxing?

bubski

liah wrote: »

Is she waxing?

No not yet.

I just cant wait

Chindato

Hello,
The short answer is that every mare, and every pregnancy is different. Some bag, then wax, then run milk for days, even weeks. And some will not wax at all and bag up overnight. None of my mare's three pregancies has been anything like the other two. And as for knowing when the foal's due, that again is up to the mare - my mare's last foal was born 18 days before time!

The secret is to prepare well in advance: vaccinations for mare, safe foaling area, foaling kit at the ready, vet's numbers handy, know where to get emergency stuff locally - replacement milk etc.

Science says that there is a change to the consistency of mare's milk during the 24 hours before foaling - small flecks or grains will appear in the milk. To test, squeeze a few drops out onto something dark and non-porous, like a watch strap, so you can see the milk well.


Here is some advice I put together for a local breeders newsletter a few years ago:

Well, the season is on us again, and for Chrissakes, please please please follow a few simple precautions to lessen the chance of tragedy to mare and foal:

- if you’re foaling outdoors, pick a FLAT field, or at least one that doesn’t slope down to a drain. You hear every year of ‘the best foal I ever had’ rolling down into rivers, barbed wire, all kinds of idiotic, and avoidable hazards
- have the mare’s immunity boosted before she foals, to give the foal extra protection during the first days. Ask your vet.
- make sure the foal gets enough colostrum -’beastings’. The mare’s first milk contains antibodies to all the local bugs she has built up immunity to, and protects the foal until it can build up its own immunity. If your mare is running a lot of milk prior to foaling, have another source of colostrum at the ready. I saw a little tub of the stuff for sale in Lakelands Equestrian shop in Lisnaskea.
- do NOT give antibiotics to a newborn foal. You’ll kill all the bacteria in his gut, and without these, he can’t digest food.
- Instead, have a Probiotic syringe ready. Costs less than £15 for a 5 day course. This will boost the foal’s digestive system and give it the best possible start. Bruce Steele commented at one of our past seminars that foals given probiotics were less likely to scour when the mare came back into season
- Don’t neglect your worming. Mares should of course be wormed regularly up to foaling, as they can pass worms to the foal through their milk. Try to keep a clean pasture for the new foals, to give them a good start. Grazing land with cattle or sheep significantly reduces the number of horse worms in pasture, so if you’ve a mixed farm, plan your grazing accordingly.
- Have a Master Farrier (not a fella that sticks on shoes) visit within the first three months. A lot of correction can be done easily at this age, before the growth plates close over. Anything left uncorrected after this age will probably never come fully right.
- If you lose a foal, and have a mare available for fostering, please let people in the locality know Likewise, if you need a foster mare. Let’s help each other out - you never know which year it will be your turn to ask for help.

Some tips on newborn foals:
If this is your mare's first foal, you'd better be there, and have help ready, because chances are there'll be trouble when the foal comes to suck. Maiden mares can be very ticklish when the foal approaches the belly, or can be so foal-proud as to keep turning to face the foal. A small area (to minimise the tramping about), and someone holding the mare in a headcollar can stop a foal from getting exhausted while they both get the hang.

Make sure the foal gets a good long first drink within the first 4-5 hours. After 8 hours or the first drink (whichever is soonest), the stomach wall can no longer let the mare's antibodies through, so immunity isn't passed on to the foal. A small drink will close the stomach lining with only minimal antibodies getting through.

A good way to watch what the foal is getting, is to sit down on the other side of the mare and watch the foal latch on and suckle.

A normal foal will look for food about every half hour at first, then will have a pee, then lie down for a sleep, then straight back up for more milk. Be worried if it isn’t keen for its feed, and watch that it is producing the goods at the other end also! The foal’s dung should be bright orange after it clears the meconium (black) and the first milk passes through its system. It will probably be loose, but the foal shouldn’t be scouring - call for the vet immediately if it does.

Foals breathe much quicker than adult horses, but if the foal cannot lie flat, and must sit up when resting, with rapid, shallow breaths, suspect the onset of pneumonia. This is caused by bacteria in the soil, and has little to do with the weather, so don’t let the fact that it’s sunny outside fool you into overlooking a foal in distress.

I find Provita Lacteal, a probiotic in a syringe, a very useful member of my medical kit - the foals loved the taste of it, and if they were on antibiotics, or growing in spurts and losing weight, the probiotic brought them back quickly. I also now have horses who kill each other to get wormed - syringes are a special treat now on our farm!

Keep an eye on your mare for a few days after foaling. It's normal to be sore, and she may not want to poo for a day, but watch out for colic - a reluctance to move about, dullness, any sign of straining are warnings that all is not right. It's good practice to only feed sloppy meals for a few days - bran mashes and the like - to leave digestion easier on the mare. Fresh grass will also encourage dung production, as well as boost milk supply. Pull it and hand feed, if you can't get the mare and foal out. Watch for low-grade internal pain:watch the underside of the neck where it joins the chest - if it’s trembling, your horse is hurting.

And finally, keep an eye on your foal from 10- 14 days. This is likely when the foal will scour. Worming at 10 days (just a small nip from a foal-safe wormer) usually prevents a foal from scouring, but if it does scour, you'll need the vet.

And finally finally , enjoy the experience - it's wonderful!

Here is a youtube clip of one of my foals, turned out in a little rug cos the weather was so foul: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjr3F8VdW2Y

hth
Chindato

bubski

Thats loads of information. Thank you very much

I will keep ye posted for when she pops.

Cute foal btw

ecaf

Hi, just wanted to say our mare is due to foal any day now! She was due sometime around the end of march, we bought her in foal so we're not sure of the exact dates either. I read they can go over by 1 month, but hopefully will notice some more changes soon. She has bagged up a bit, seems to be like that for a few weeks now.
We have another mare in foal too but she's not due till late May, she foaled with us last year, so hopefully our new mare will have as much ease as the older mare. It's only her second though so I'm hoping she won't be too over protective of it, I'm dying to see it and see what colourings it will have and everything.
Going to separate her from the Mare & yearling tomorrow. You can see that she's irritated by the yearling and would like to be a bit more alone now at this stage.

Thanks for all the info Chindato, I'm going to print it off to read later on.

Wicked

my mare had a foal when she was four or five (this is before we got her) she's 13 now and due on the 14th as i said. I have her in a field with another pony whose also in foal but not due for another month.

I'm just wondering should i leave the two mares together or seperate them? The mare gets awfully upset when shes seperated from other horses and i don't want her to be when shes so close to foaling.

Will they be ok together or will the pony annoy her mid foaling or even try take the foal?

Wicked

ecaf

We just seperated our mare from the other one today and she is overdue, she is very narky now at this stage, and is fine alone, but they are in paddocks beside each other.
Last year we had the other mare but not this one, there were 3 others with her, her own yearling, another young horse and an older mare. We seperated the two young horses and left the old mare with the in-foal mare and she foaled in the field with the old mare. After that she didn't want to see the old mare, and she more or less left her alone.

It will really depend on your own judgement, and how your mare will react, and also how she is towards the other pony. I think our current mare would have been fine with the other one that is in foal, only for the yearling is with her, and is driving my horse mad. She loves the yearling as if it was her own, but he is annoying her too much now. She's the kind of horse that doesn't mind being alone too much, especially now that she's due.
I would probably tell you to leave them together unless you notice her visibly trying to stay away and fight away the other pony. With ours you can tell that she is glad to be alone now, and during the week she was more and more irritable. Looks like she might hold out another week now, there are no more signs of her comming along anymore!

Wicked

i think i'm going to leave her be. she gets really upset when she is seperated from the others. i had the pony out with her own mother last year and her mother (the granny) took the foal on the pony! It was her first time foaling but luckily we were watching out and reacted in time.

thanks for the comments.

Wicked

bubski wrote: »

Thats loads of information. Thank you very much

I will keep ye posted for when she pops.

Cute foal btw

any foals yet? our one is taking her time

ecaf

Well we are still on watch and she's 3 weeks over now. Well bagged up at this stage but not waxing yet! The other mare is due at the end of May I hope the 1st one isn't holding out on her!

Its so exciting and nerve wrecking waiting, anyone else have foals yet? Hope to have better news in the next few days....

ecaf

Finally we have a little filly this morning! She's really cute, mammy and baby doing well as they say!

Wicked

thats great

congrats

Chindato

excellent news.
Post us some pics please
Chindato

ecaf

Thanks, she's a real little dote and very inquisitive until you touch her. Then calls for her mammy. She has stuck her face right into mine to smell me, but bar a few little rubs on the back, you can't get near her.

Any tips for getting her used to being handled? In the next day or two she might not let me near her, it will be chase me around mammy game.
Her picture from yesterday morning is here
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/album.php?albumid=548&pictureid=2824

Join me on the naming a foal thread, because I'm really stuck on picking a nice name!

liah

Did you imprint her at all when she was born...? That probably would've helped her a bit.

She will be shy for a bit, but just take a couple hours a day and spend them in the paddock or stable with her and her mum so she just gets used to you mucking about, eventually her curiosity will get the better of her and she'll come check you out, then just slowly over the days get her used to a couple little rubs, so on, so forth.

You want to be able to touch her soon, especially get her comfortable with you touching her legs, because as soon as she gets bigger it'll get harder, and you don't want to have to deal with a big angry spooky baby, easier when they're small.

ecaf

What do you mean imprinting liah?
I read a book where the author described imprinting techniques such as holding the foal down and rubbing them all over, and more or less forcing them to endure an hours worth of human contact.
The author didn't condone this, he described different methods like touching them and rubbing them, he did mention legs and tapping hooves, but in a more gradual process.

I got there about a hour after she was born yesterday, and did an all over body rub (quickly though), we also held her to rub some iodine on. And did a good bit of petting as much as she would allow on her back a little on the face, both that morning and that evening. I spent a good part of an hour with them that morning, in between feeding the other horse who was mad to introduce herself to the new arrival!

This morning I only got to rub her back for a few moments. They are out in the field and I don't like to stress her too much, she goes running for a suckle or hides behind the mare when she doesn't like it. She does come over to investigate but likes it on her terms.
I intend going every day for the first few weeks to try and get a little contact with her. But I know from last years foal (not ours but in our yard) that they learn to duck and dive away from you very quickly.

If you have some other suggestions to try I will give it a shot.

Lobelia Overhill

ecaf wrote: »

I intend going every day for the first few weeks to try and get a little contact with her. But I know from last years foal (not ours but in our yard) that they learn to duck and dive away from you very quickly

Do keep visiting her everyday, take some treat for the mammy one and let foalie see that you're not some horrible monster who's going to eat her, but a nice person who mammy likes, even if you don't actually get to pet her everytime. Get other people to go with you so that she learns to socialise with other humans. If she tries to nip or kick, growl at her and clap your hands so she gets the idea that's bold - it might be cute at this age but when she's bigger and got sharp teeth and hard hooves it's not so funny!

Chindato

Sorry ecaf,
I'm out of time and want to respond fully to your post. Will do so later - after I've fed the Hungry Horde
Chindato

liah

ecaf wrote: »

What do you mean imprinting liah?
I read a book where the author described imprinting techniques such as holding the foal down and rubbing them all over, and more or less forcing them to endure an hours worth of human contact.
The author didn't condone this, he described different methods like touching them and rubbing them, he did mention legs and tapping hooves, but in a more gradual process.

I got there about a hour after she was born yesterday, and did an all over body rub (quickly though), we also held her to rub some iodine on. And did a good bit of petting as much as she would allow on her back a little on the face, both that morning and that evening. I spent a good part of an hour with them that morning, in between feeding the other horse who was mad to introduce herself to the new arrival!

This morning I only got to rub her back for a few moments. They are out in the field and I don't like to stress her too much, she goes running for a suckle or hides behind the mare when she doesn't like it. She does come over to investigate but likes it on her terms.
I intend going every day for the first few weeks to try and get a little contact with her. But I know from last years foal (not ours but in our yard) that they learn to duck and dive away from you very quickly.

If you have some other suggestions to try I will give it a shot.

I wouldn't be holding the poor thing down, just getting her used to human contact-- it's not forcing anything on them, it's preparing them for their life of handling by humans, you want to start as soon as possible so you don't end up with a 1000lb problem on your hands later on. Just rubbing them all over, touching their legs, belly, face, ears-- lightly, of course, and I wouldn't do it for an entire hour. Just enough that she immediately knows you're no threat.

A breeding stable I worked at back home for five or six years (lost count, loved the place though) did this with all her foals, and I honestly have never met any horses (warmbloods bred purely for sport and privately owned only, at that, lovely things) quite as calm, level-headed and sweet as hers, and she's never had to raise a hand with any of them. Definitely the best animals I have ever come across- she breeds dogs, too, and they've all got fantastic temperaments as well.

Definitely wouldn't count out imprinting.

Chindato

Right! I'm back
This is how I accustom new foals to my presence.

For the first couple of days, I take the mare and foal in at night - to make sure the foal gets proper rest, keep the worst of the weather off, and also give me a chance to check them close up.

Feed the mare, then stand back from the feed bin and wait quietly. She'll give off relaxed, happy vibes, and the foal is likely to get curious in you. When it approaches, keep your body posture relaxed, and your movements slow. Keep your gaze downwards. raise an arm slightly towards the foal, offering her the back of your hand to sniff. When she's happy with that, quietly head for the point where the slope of the shoulder meets the withers, and very lightly rub her in a circular motion. She'll probably back off at first, but let her - nb at this stage to allow her to come and go to you rather than you chase her around. She'll be back within a minute if you stay quiet in the same spot and let her come back to you. You'll find she gets more confident in exploring you if you remain non-confrontational. When she realises she like the scratches, you move up from being an Interesting But Irrelevant Thing in her eyes to being Interesting and Useful in a Pleasant Way.

Foals quickly learn that rubs and scratches are Good, and they soon come looking for you to demand more. Expect her to also scratch you - be prepared for little teeth!

Rather than slap or chastise her for any unwanted behaviour (which can scare a little thing if they don't understand the rules of engagement, and can lead to jumpy, insecure, and even sour horses), you'll find that simply withdrawing the Nice Thing you're doing will teach the foal quickly where your limits are. It's amazing how quickly they learn that only asking nicely gets them the attention they're looking for.

As the foal gets confident about you touching her, you'll find you can move your hand around a good bit, and explore all the ticklish bits - tummies and the inside of thighs are favourite with mine

You'll soon have a confident youngster who thinks humans are the best thing since ...well, this morning's feed

HTH
Chindato

PS not sure how I do this, so please excuse if it doesn't work.
Am going to try to upload a photo of one of my foals at about 3 months, demanding that my niece pay her full attention - my niece would hold her hand out, and the foal would position herself according to where she wanted scratched. She'd wait patiently for hours, and even reverse across the whole yard to append herself to a hand

ecaf

Oh wow thats so cute. I can't believe in 3 months our tiny little thing could be that big!
Maybe that's what our problem is, we are feeding outside and the mare is relaxed enough but probably not like what she could be in the stable.
I'm going to try that tomorrow, but it will mean walking her past the other mare who is calling for her the whole time and is a little stressed. Maybe for the 1st day or 2 it will unsettle her in the stable.
I noticed the foal licking the bucket this morning so I put a bit of bran on my fingers and standing behind the mare's neck I put my arm under her to reach to the foal, she licked it a bit.
I'll keep in mind that she has to come to me, with the small space of the stable she won't have as much room to wander away.
Thanks for your tips.

Chindato

The technique should work in a field either - it may just take longer for the foal to get curious in you as she has so many other things she can also go look at

Question: are you feeding dry bran? Never a good idea. Bran as a mash, supplemented with salts to balance the leeching effect bran has on phosphorus (and thus prevents the body taking up calcium), used once in a while is fine. Dry bran can have a constipation effect, and you really don't want anything that might cause a colic.

On feeding the foal, they can't really digest hard feed so young, but it does no harm for them to mimic mum's behaviour. I usually provide foals with a few stud cubes to chew over. Offering these in a shallow feed scoop (with you holding the scoop!) can be a good way of getting near a foal once they learn they like the taste of nuts

Enjoy your foal, they're a wonderful gift
Chindato

ecaf

Chindato wrote: »

The technique should work in a field either - it may just take longer for the foal to get curious in you as she has so many other things she can also go look at

Question: are you feeding dry bran? Never a good idea. Bran as a mash, supplemented with salts to balance the leeching effect bran has on phosphorus (and thus prevents the body taking up calcium), used once in a while is fine. Dry bran can have a constipation effect, and you really don't want anything that might cause a colic.

On feeding the foal, they can't really digest hard feed so young, but it does no harm for them to mimic mum's behaviour. I usually provide foals with a few stud cubes to chew over. Offering these in a shallow feed scoop (with you holding the scoop!) can be a good way of getting near a foal once they learn they like the taste of nuts

Enjoy your foal, they're a wonderful gift
Chindato

NO! Not dry bran, wet bran with course mix. Bran is to keep the systems going (she is loose now) but could be constipated after foaling. (A friend of ours who breeds horses advised on this last year for the other mare).
I'm not feeding the foal the bran. She was licking the top of the bucket when mammy is feeding (it probably smells nice), a little on my fingers has enticed her to come an lick my hand.

I was rubbing the mare this morning, the foal came to investigate and although I didn't touch her today I finished with her licking my hand and smelling my back and legs.
At the weekend we can bring them in to get a little closer.
Must try the stud cubes, never heard of them, are they like grass nuts? There is a local farm supplies shop, do you think I would find them there?

Wicked

i have a foal!! he arrived this morning at half six. so delighted he's ok and so is the mare!

waaa heyyy

MDFM

ecaf wrote: »

NO! Not dry bran, wet bran with course mix. Bran is to keep the systems going (she is loose now) but could be constipated after foaling. (A friend of ours who breeds horses advised on this last year for the other mare).
I'm not feeding the foal the bran. She was licking the top of the bucket when mammy is feeding (it probably smells nice), a little on my fingers has enticed her to come an lick my hand.

I was rubbing the mare this morning, the foal came to investigate and although I didn't touch her today I finished with her licking my hand and smelling my back and legs.
At the weekend we can bring them in to get a little closer.
Must try the stud cubes, never heard of them, are they like grass nuts? There is a local farm supplies shop, do you think I would find them there?[/quote]

They should do. We feed our foals Foal Pellets - they are just like the stud cubes, only smaller in size, often higher in protein content and often more expensive unfortunately!

ecaf

Wicked wrote: »

i have a foal!! he arrived this morning at half six. so delighted he's ok and so is the mare!

waaa heyyy

That's great news Wicked! Great to hear when both are doing well. A friend down the road from us sends his mares to be foaled in a stud, one mare foaled and luckily had assistance because the sack didn't burst. Thankfully she has a healthy colt now too.
What colour is your foal, any pictures to show us yet?

I just wanted to that everyone, especially Chindato for any advise of getting near the foal. I'm still feeding out in the field until tomorrow, but took in mind that mare should have happy vibes, so I started rubbing her by hand as they would groom each other.
Yesterday foal came to investigate and I didn't really get to touch her except she nuzzled my hand and back.
Today same thing, but I chanced rubbing her neck while still facing and rubbing the mare, I was looking down at the foal slightly, she accepted this and even reversed into me for a rub on the backside (midgets are bothering her).
After finishing feeding, I went back to side of the field and she came back over, I got another few rubs in.
So it seems slowly but surely I'm making some progress with her, and I'm very happy.

Chindato

You're very welcome Ecaf. Thinking back through my own foaling experiences when replying to your post was a lovely way to spend my evening Glad to hear you're making progress with handling her. Stick with it, you're doing brilliantly. Yes, bran mashes are excellent in the first few days. It helps to 'scald' the bran and soften it if you use boiling water and let it cool (mixing in the coarse mix cools it down quickly). Mine go nuts for linseed oil mixed in, with a few apples and carrots. Horse nuts are great too as they dissolve into the bran. I make mine so wet that the horses drink the first bit - lovely big slurps, usually followed by a big slobbery kiss to say thank you granny

Well done Wicked

A boy and a girl foal on the same Board in the same week - have we perhaps an arranged marriage in the offing?

Wicked

ha ha i don't know about that.

It's funny how horses can be moved around so much and then eventually end back near their roots.

My two are doing great. I left them out in the field - even though the weather isn't great its not overly cold. Sky (mummy) gets cast in the stable so i don't want to take the risk of her hurting baby (still unnamed!)

To answer your question ecaf he's bay with a white star and one white foot, can anyone pm me on how to add pictures and i can show ye one or two of him?

I got to rub him yesterday, luckily the mare is very quiet and as long as she can seem him she dosn't mind you going up for a look. But i'm still careful around her.

ecaf

Wicked, if you go into your profile there is a picture album section and an option to upload pictures (you just browse to the picture on your PC), after it is uploaded there should be a picture path, copy this and when you go to post in the thread click on "Insert link" and paste the address in here, overwrite the "http://" because that will automatically be put into the one you copied.

Would love to see pictures of him, my foals mother is a bit like him with a sock on her back leg, but she's dark bay.
Ours are doing fine too, also out in the rain the other night, my mum didn't think she would be able to bring them in alone, so she had to leave them. They moved into a new drier section today and everything is going well for them thankfully.