How to Care for a New Foal & Mother

When a foal is born, there are a couple of things that need to be done immediately.

When you breed a mare, the eleven months spent waiting for the foal's birth can be tense. Once the mare has foaled, you need to be ready to step in and take care of a few tasks to ensure the mare and baby are off to a healthy start, and to make sure the mare is properly caring for the baby as well.

Things You'll Need

• Clean cloths
• Iodine
• Water
• Cell phone to call vet in case of emergency

Instructions

1. Remove the birth sac from around the foal as soon as it is born. Clean the foal's face with clean clothes to remove any mucus or blood from his eyes, nose and mouth.

2. Rub the baby down with cloths. This will warm and clean him, and also stimulate breathing and circulation.

3. Bring the mare over to help. She should be helping to clean the foal, to bond with him and start her mothering responsibilities.

4. Dip a cloth in iodine solution and clean the foal's belly button after the umbilical cord breaks off. The belly button should be kept clean for at least three days to avoid infection.

5. Dip a cloth in clean water and wash the mare's udder before the foal begins to nurse. Be careful, as she will be sensitive and may try to kick you.

6. Help the foal nurse only if he doesn't do it himself. Most babies start nursing within 30 minutes, but may take up to three hours. If the baby hasn't started nursing by this time, encourage him by guiding him to the mare's udder, placing your hand under his chin and raising his mouth to the udder. Place your hand on the baby's rump and push him forward. Massage the udder to encourage milk flow. The baby should latch on of his own accord.

7. Have a vet out to check both mother and baby as soon as possible. The vet will run blood and physical tests that you can't do on your own, to ensure that both mother and baby are healthy.

8. Monitor the baby's eating habits. Foals should eat four to six times within the first 12 hours of life, and several times a day from then on. As soon as the foal is eating for itself, mare and foal can be left unsupervised for several hours at a time.

Tips & Warnings

• Always have the number of your vet on hand in case of sudden foal emergencies, even after the birth.

• Halter and tie mares who don't want to let the baby nurse. Some mares need to learn this behavior, especially if this is their first baby.

• Never cut the umbilical cord, as this could cause infection and bleeding. Allow it to break off of its own accord.

• Do not feed foals cow's milk.

References

• Extension: Care of Newborn Foal
• Merrick's: How to Raise a Healthy Foal