Horse Breeding

Labor of Love

May 8, 2009

A horse’s labor involves three distinct stages.

From AQHA Corporate Partner Bayer Animal Health

When your mare is ready to “pop” at any moment, your nerves are running high. By knowing what to expect when the labor begins, you’ll gain at least a little peace of mind.

Three Stages of Labor

Stage 1 begins with the onset of contractions and generally lasts one to two hours. During this phase, contractions move the foal through the cervix and into position in the birth canal. The fetal membranes may become visible at the mare’s vulva. When the sac breaks, signaled by a rush of fluid, Stage 1 ends.

Stage 2 is the actual expression of the foal. This phase moves relatively quickly. If it takes more than 20 minutes for the mare to deliver, there could be a problem. Call your veterinarian immediately. If labor seems to be progressing, wait and watch. Even in a normal delivery, the mare may stand up, lie down and roll several times to properly position the foal for delivery.

It takes a lot of work to actually end up with a healthy foal. The first part of the work, of course, is breeding your mare. With all the available breeding techniques out there, it can get confusing. Get AQHA’s “Equine Insemination with Frozen Shipped Semen” DVD today for a simple explanation of the process involved.

Normal presentation of the foal resembles a diving position, with front feet first, one slightly ahead of the other, hooves down, followed closely by the nose, head, neck, shoulders and hindquarters. If you notice hoof soles up, the foal may be backward or upside down, and you should call your veterinarian immediately.

Stage 3 is the phase during which the placenta is expelled. Most placentas are passed within one to three hours after the foal is delivered. If the placenta has not passed within three hours, call your veterinarian. A retained placenta can cause serious problems, including infection and laminitis.

Foal Care

  • Allow the foal time to break the fetal membranes. Once the foal breaks through, be sure it is breathing.
  • If the umbilical cord has not broken during delivery, it will usually break when the mare or foal gets up.
  • Treat the umbilical cord with an antiseptic solution, recommended by your veterinarian, soon after the cord breaks and for several days thereafter to prevent bacterial infection.
  • Observe the mare and foal closely for the next 24 hours.

Maybe you didn’t breed your mare last year. Maybe you won’t even breed her this year. Sometime down the road, though, you’ll be ready to usher your very own bundle of (horsey) joy into the world. When that time comes, you’d better be prepared to get your mare in foal! Explore one options with AQHA’s “Equine Insemination with Frozen Shipped Semen” DVD.

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Comments

3 Comments on “Labor of Love”

  • june mercer
    May 14th, 2009 at 9:47 pm

    IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO KEEP MARE & FOAL DOWN AS LONG AS POSSIBE TO ALLOW AS MUCH BLOOD FLOW THRU CORD AS POSSIBLE & DON’T FORGET AN ENEMA FOR FOAL THIS AVOIDS STAINING FOR FIRST BM

  • Gary Reichart
    May 15th, 2009 at 6:33 am

    I was told that the newborn foal should have a tetnus shot immediately. Is this true?

  • Nancy
    July 2nd, 2009 at 6:19 am

    Two comments:
    1.) Having lost a couple of foals due to slow birth, I’ve invested in a calf puller to assist in birth if the birth process is more 15 minutes after the nose of the foal is presented. Important note: don’t pull “too hard” and pull pretty much straight down toward the mare’s legs. Often the foal will slip out easily.

    Ask your vet about the proper timing and procedure to assist a mare with a puller.

    2.) Fescue pasture is difficult to avoid in the Midwest. Even with grain and good hay, it doesn’t take much fescue to stop a mare’s milk production. Before the mare foals ask your vet for supplemental aids to help bring on the mare’s milk, and be prepared with a bottle of IgG to feed a foal shortly after birth to help with immune system development. Also, keep Foal-Lac powder on hand in case the mare’s milk doesn’t come in. An emergency substitute for Foal-Lac is one can (regular size) condensed milk to one quart of warm water. Feed every 3 hours. If the foal doesn’t suckle well, a large syringe may be used, but be careful at first not to be too fast on the plunger and choke the baby. Normally, it doesn’t take many feedings for baby to learn to drink from a bowl or small bucket.

    This is very elemental, apparently. I lost two foals before a vet mentioned about the condensed milk….. Good luck.

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