How to Prepare a Mare for Foaling

If you work on a farm or own horses, the time may come when you find that one of your mares is pregnant. This will mean some work on your part, particularly in the last couple months of the pregnancy when you must prepare your mare for foaling.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Put the mare in a foaling stall. This area should be separate from any other stalls, including the mare's. Disinfect the area and keep it quiet. Turn down the lights; mares will postpone foaling if conditions are not right.

2. Clean the mare's genitals to eliminate bacteria and pathogens. You may need to do this more than once before the mare foals.

3. Wrap the mare's tail to keep it out of the way while foaling. Don't wrap too tight or you may hinder circulation. However, a wrap that's too loose may slip off. Leave some strands at the end loose so the mare can continue to swat at flies if needed.

4. Prepare a foaling kit and have it close by when foaling begins. This kit should contain iodine, scissors, clean towels, a bucket, string (to tie off the umbilical cord), a flashlight and a mineral oil enema.

Tips & Warnings

• Discuss foaling with your veterinarian months before the mare's final month of pregnancy.
• Have your veterinarian's phone number handy when foaling begins.
• Monitor the mare throughout the birthing process, but do not intervene unless there seems to be a problem.
• Adjust the mare's feedings in the last three months of pregnancy. Food intake should be increased, as this is the time when the foal grows.
• Do not line the foaling stall with shavings, as these can stick to the mare's vulva during birth. Use straw as bedding in a foaling stall.