Like any birth, the birth of a foal is anticipated with both excitement and anxiety. Horse owners look for signs in the mare to help gauge when her foal will arrive, and hope that foaling will go smoothly for both the mare and foal.
Pattern of symptoms that indicates foaling is imminent:
- Mare's teats and udder begin to swell and enlarge
- Croup muscles around the tail dock and vulva of mare begin to relax
- Mare's udder begins to fill with milk and teats become engorged
- Waxing (leaking or streaming of colostrum) forms on teats
- Mare appears agitated and restless; may kick or bite at sides or lay down and get up repeatedly; may be sweating
The pattern of foaling usually occurs in this order:
- Water breaks
- Front feet and head present
- Feet, head, chest, hips emerge
- Foal stands
- Foal nurses
- Placental membranes are passed
Call the veterinarian if progression of feet, head and body takes longer than 15-20 minutes, the mare pushes hard for more than 10 minutes and nothing happens, or the placenta is not passed within 3-6 hours.
Many veterinarians follow the rule of three:
- By one hour after birth, the foal should be standing;
- By two hours, it should be nursing well;
- By three hours the mare should have passed the placenta.
After birth, the foal should nurse several times an hour and pass the first feces (mecononium) and urine within 8 hours. It should then urinate a few times each hour and defecate once or twice a day.
If any of these phases do not happen in a timely manner, the veterinarian should be called.
The mare and foal should be separated from other horses until the foal is 3 or 4 weeks old.