Is your Mama a Mare: After Birth Care

After the foal has been delivered it will probably seem very tired and weak. It is ok for it to rest awhile with its mother but some precautions should be taken to ensure the foal is healthy. These include:

• The navel should be coated with iodine solution to prevent infection. Some owners like to coat it Will Vaseline as well, to help seal off infection


• The foal should sand within four to six hours of the birth. Some foals can stand in as little as one hour after birth, but others take a little longer.


• The foal should also eat along with standing. The foal may have a hard time finding the teat, so you may have to help guide the foal the first few feedings.


• Make sure the foal has a bowel movement within 2 hours of birth. If it does not have one, an enema needs to be administered by a veterinarian


• Most importantly, let your mare and foal bond by themselves if the foal seems to be doing alright. It is important that the foal get to know its mother, and the few hours after birth are crucial for bonding

Most horse owners want to immediately go in and start handling the foal to get it used to human contact. This is a good idea, but at the same time some patients is required. The mare may act aggressive towards her owners and not want anyone in the stall with the foal. This is normal and the mare should not to punished. Instead, a useful tool is a partition in the stall. Make a wall that the foal can walk under but the mare cannot so that you can be around the foal without completely removing it from the stall. The mare will be less anxious if the foal is still in her sight as it is examined by yourself or by veterinarians. Make sure both your mare and foal get veterinary care within a few days of the foals birth. The mare needs to be checked for infection and the baby's breathing rates and growth should be recorded in the first week of life.