Foaling Guidelines:

1. Early signs of labor include – stretching, looking back at the flanks, recumbency, circling and sweating. This may be confused with colic symptoms.
2. Check for vaginal discharge – the water sac will present and break when the mare is truly in labor.
3. During a normal delivery, one of the foals fore feet will present a few inches ahead of the other with the nose following at the level of the knees.
4. It is normal for mares to get up and down with one or both feet presented. You should check when she is down for the presence of the nose.
5. If the mare has been down pushing for 10-15 minutes with the legs presented and you cannot find the nose, you need to call.
6. Have a portable or cell phone available at the foaling barn so that we can properly guide you. Time is available at this stage and we need to be able to advise you while we are enroute or before we leave. Do not page us and leave the phone until we have called back.
7. Once you have both feet and the nose presented, it is appropriate to pull the membranes away from the nostrils and body and assist by pulling the legs when the mare has a contraction. Pull in a downward direction behind the mares hocks.
8. Have towels, betadine, KY jelly and an enema on hand.
9. Once the foal is out and on the ground, clear the nose off with a towel, make sure it is breathing well, dip the navel with betadine solution and back out of the stall. Leave the mare and foal alone. Too much interference can be a problem.
10. The foal should stand within 20-45 minutes.
11. Most foals will nurse within 2-3 hours. You may need to assist by holding the mare still if she moves away.
12. If the foal is having difficulty nursing, milk the mare into a cup and use a syringe or baby bottle to administer. The foal should ideally get 12-16 ounces of colostrum before it is 6 hours old.
13. The foal must get colostrum by 6 hours of age to achieve good antibody levels. Mark the time of birth.
14. Do not give the enema until the foal has nursed 2-3 times.
15. Call us in the morning for the well baby check.
16. The mare should pass the placenta within 6 hours. Most will pass within 2 hours. If the mare foals late at night, call us first thing in the morning to advise us of the retained placenta (6 am). Please Do Not Call us in the middle of the night to tell us about the placenta as this is not an emergency.
17. If you have a mare with a history of retained placentas, call us for foaling suggestions.

Creekside Veterinary Service
(760) 728-2319