Monday, December 6, 2010

Is Your Mama a Mare: The Ten Steps of Foaling

1. Foaling starts when the "water breaks". meaing the placental sack has broken. A mare will usually lay down after this occurs.
2. The mare will usually begin to groan or vocalize as they experience contractions.
3. As the mare begins to push, a white sack will appear first that contains the foal
4. The front hooves will appear if the foal is in a normal foaling position.
5. Next come the head and shoulders, if the head does not appear for 20 minutes, you may have to gently slide your arm into the birth canal and reposition the foal.
6. The mare will then deliver the hips of the foal, which can be difficult, so you may have to gently pull the foal out if the mare is having troubles
7. The mare and foal will rest after the hips have been delivered. The foals hind feet may still be in the birthing canal but this is alright while they rest
8. The mare will then stand, and the umbilical cord will break. This may produce a lot of blood but as long as the cord isnt broken until 10 minutes after the foal is born there should be no complications
9. The mare will then help clean the foal and remove the sac that contained the foal
10. The mare will then push out the placenta, which shoud be checked by the owner to ensure no parts are left in the uterus, which could lead to infection

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