Prepare for the birth of the new foal by completing your foaling kit with these items.

Being prepared for any circumstance upon the new foal's arrival is extremely important.

By Andrea Caudill in the Q-Racing section of The American Quarter Horse Journal

This is the second of a four-part series. Need to review Part 1?

Suggested Foaling Kit

• Cell phone: To make calls and – if it’s a multipurpose phone – take photos, video, surf the Web or post instant blog updates.
• Contact information: Vet’s phone number, someone who can help in an emergency.
• Notebook and pen or dry-erase board: To take notes and keep track of intervals and record normal vital signs.
• Flashlight and batteries: If there isn’t adequate lighting in the barn.
• Three clean beach towels: In case you need to help clean up the foal.

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Prepare for the new arrival with last-minute preparations and an on-hand foaling kit.

Before the foaling date, give the mare all the vaccines you want the foal vaccinated for, because the baby will acquire the antibodies when he takes his first drink of colostrum after birth.

By Andrea Caudill in the Q-Racing section of The American Quarter Horse Journal

The months of planning and waiting are about to pay off for breeders around the world – their mares are preparing to deliver the next generation of champions.

If this is your first time, or if you need a few refresher tips, the Racing Journal consulted with Dr. Ben Espy on things to keep in mind.

Getting Mama Ready

1. Watch her figure. It’s pretty common to feel sorry for the mother-to-be as she grows larger, but it is best for her health to keep off the pounds. Don’t give in to feeding her more until she begins lactating in her final few months.

“Foaling is an athletic event, and it’s really critical that these mares are in good shape,” Dr. Espy says. “It’s very well-respected in the reproductive and nutritional communities that pregnant mares only need the same amount of calories as a non-pregnant mare or gelding up until the last three months of gestation.”

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Learn how to recognize this condition in your mare.

False pregnancies are not uncommon, so don’t rely exclusively on teasing to determine whether a mare is pregnant.

By Dr. Patrick M. McCue for The American Quarter Horse Journal

In mares, 5 to 10 percent of estrous cycles end in false pregnancies. They’re common enough that you should know how to recognize them.

Normally, a mare ovulates follicles one to two days before she goes out of heat. A corpus luteum, or “CL”, then develops and begins to produce progesterone.

The CL of a nonpregnant mare produces progesterone for about 14 or 15 days during the luteal phase of the estrous cycle. At the end of that phase, the mare’s uterus must determine pregnancy, a process called “maternal recognition of pregnancy.” First, the embryo produces a chemical signal and, second, the uterus detects the signal.

If the uterus doesn’t find that signal, the endometrial lining of the uterus releases prostaglandins that travel through the bloodstream to the ovary and destroy the CL. Progesterone levels drop rapidly, and the mare develops another follicle and returns to heat. This cycle repeats itself multiple times each breeding season in a nonpregnant mare.

If an embryo is present, no prostaglandins are released, the CL is preserved, and more progesterone is produced. Progesterone is a key hormone for maintenance of pregnancy. It also prevents the mare from returning to heat.

More Progesterone

In some instances, a nonpregnant mare’s CL can produce progesterone beyond the normal two-week lifespan and a mare won’t return to estrus. The term for persistent progesterone production by a CL is pseudopregnancy, or false pregnancy.

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Keep your breeding operation safe from this deadly disease.

Improved vaccination programs and control of stray animals have been effective in preventing rabies in most pets.

Rabies is a deadly disease caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system. The virus is secreted in saliva and is most commonly transmitted by an infectious bite.

Only mammals can get rabies; birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians do not.

Improved vaccination programs and control of stray animals have been effective in preventing rabies in most pets. If you have animals that spend time roaming the land, it is important that you follow these guidelines to help control rabies:

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As the equine piroplasmosis investigation unfolds, let’s look at how the disease affects mares and foals.

Ticks can be responsible for the spread of equine piroplasmosis

Equine piroplasmosis, a disease most commonly transmitted by ticks, has recently been identified in three New Mexico horses during a racetrack screening program.

The infection is caused by protozoa – Babesia caballi or Theileria equi (formerly Babesia equi) – and affects horses, donkeys, mules and zebras.

According to a report Read the rest of this entry »

Is it a good idea to breed your mare?

By Tena Bastian in “The Foal is the Goal”

You have made the decision to breed your mare, and the search is on for the perfect stallion. “WHOA!” Back up a couple of steps and ask yourself a few important questions before you go “stallion shopping.” First and foremost, why do you want to breed your mare?

Is it because you think a “baby” is so incredibly cute and would be fun to have around? Well, he is cute and certainly can be fun, but there is also a lot of work involved. For example, is there sufficient space in your barn to accommodate a birthing mare? Do you have properly fenced pasture and secure areas for schooling? Read the rest of this entry »

There are many factors to consider when breeding  your mare.

By Tena Bastian in The Foal is the Goal

Once you’ve found a few stallion prospects for your mare, there are a still a few things you should do before you choose your foal’s sire and breed your mare.

Visit the Breeding Facility

Once you have narrowed your field to three or four prospective stallions, it is time to check each breeding facility, preferably in person, which should pass your inspection before you sign any contract. In order to get a good idea of how well your mare will be cared for while on the stallion owner’s premises, you need to see how he cares for his own horses. Ask for references from previous clients and talk to them first-hand, if possible. Read the rest of this entry »

Stallion owners and managers share their tips for success for marketing a stallion in today’s economy.

By Honi Roberts in The American Quarter Horse Journal

Is your glass half-full or half-empty? Attitude – as well as the reality on the ground – shapes and creates the environment in which we live and operate.

Take the venerable Jerry Vawter, for example. Having bred and trained Quarter Horses for nearly 50 years, Jerry described the current downturn as one of several slumps he has negotiated, “a little bump in the road … the perfect opportunity to build up an incredible broodmare band.” Breeders who do this, he said, should be ready when buyers come knocking at the door.

You won’t find Jerry crying in his beer. Read the rest of this entry »

Why gelding your stallion is an important part of responsible horse ownership.

The old adage is true - a good stallion makes an even better gelding.

By Dr. Thomas Lenz in The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal

Because a stallion has the potential to sire hundreds of foals, the decision to geld a colt is especially important.

My father was in the commercial cattle business, and he always said, “It takes a good bull calf to make a good steer.” We always picked out the best bull calf to castrate and show in our 4-H steer classes. I have the same opinion on horses: Generally less than 1 percent of each year’s colt crop is good enough to become breeding stallions.

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Special care and nutrition are required for your young horse.

From the American Association of Equine Practitioners, an AQHA educational marketing alliance partner

A healthy foal will grow rapidly, gaining in height, weight and strength almost before your very eyes. From birth to age 2, a young horse can achieve 90 percent of more of its full adult size, sometimes putting on as many as three pounds per day.

Genetics, management and environment play significant roles in determining individual growth patterns. Through research, we also know we can influence a foal’s growth and development – for better or worse – by the nutrition we supply.

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Color modifiers change a horse’s appearance.

By Andrea Caudill in America’s Horse

Maybe you’re pretty sure you’ve got a handle on the basics of horse color. You know sorrel is recessive, and you know that if you breed your red mare to your red stallion, you’re going to get a red foal. So why did the baby show up with a white mane and tail? How could he be a palomino?

The simple answer to that question is he can’t. That new bundle of equine joy is a flaxen sorrel. Easily mistaken for a palomino, the flaxen modifier lightens the mane and tail to a cream or golden color and affects only red-based horses (sorrel, chestnut, red dun).

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Twins pose a difficult challenge to dam, foal and owner alike; find out the best way to avoid having “double trouble.”

By Lindsey Domer in America’s Horse

This article is a continuation of last Friday’s article on the difficulties posed by twin foals.

Conformation Crisis

Another financial burden twins impose on their owners is the cost of correcting their deformities.

Kate Streifel of Hawley, Minnesota, owns a mare who carried twins full term in 1991. Dakota Michelle, or “Mikki,” birthed a colt and a filly, “Cody” and “Jenny.” Cody was smaller than most newborn foals, and Jenny was even smaller than him. Read the rest of this entry »