On Foal Alert

It is getting close to time go on "Foal Alert". Most warmblood breeders in this part of the country are expecting their foals in April, May, and June. We don't want foals on the ground until the snow is gone and the temperatures are staying above freezing. We also don't want to be out in the barn in the wee hours of the morning freezing our buns off! Some breeds must have their foals early in the year because of the traditional way of marking the age of horses on January 1. A 2 year old that is really only 18 months will be at a big disadvantage at the race track. But with warmblood sport horses the competition rarely starts before age 4 except for breed shows which are usually local and all the young horses are only a few months apart.

So the mares are getting their last rhino immunization and spring shots, and if it is warm enough I like to give them a bath and get all the winter dirt off and help get rid of all the hair they have been shedding. They usually really enjoy the bath and appreciate getting the crud cleaned from their udder. This bath makes it a lot easier to keep them clean from now until the foal comes. If they are within 10 -14 days of their due date and/or are showing signs of foaling soon I also scrub down their stall and change the shavings to straw. Now we are ready to watch and wait.

I have cameras in my foaling stall and I have a foal alert system that attaches to the mare's halter and sends me a page if she lays down flat like they do when they foal. Some mares really don't like being watched and I have found that I do not get so worn out if I use the cameras along with the foal alert. One of my mares lays down flat and sleeps every night, so once I have decided to attach it to her halter I get a lot of false alarms, but she has always started dripping milk the day before she foals so I don't have to deal with it much.

Some people ask why it is so important that I be there when the mare foals, after all in nature they seem to handle it on their own. But the fact is that in nature the mortality rate for foals is high - almost 50%. Yes, they can handle it on their own as long as everything goes like it's supposed to, but for horses minor problems can become big ones really quick. If the mare isn't able to get the foal out within 30 minutes after the water breaks you could lose the foal and the mare. It is frequently something that can be easily handled by a vet or someone experienced with foaling. If the foal is born and is weak or unable to stand within a couple of hours it is very important that it gets some help. If not the newborn foal will go downhill really fast. Even though they are quite strong and can run within a few hours when healthy, a weakened foal is very fragile and requires prompt attention. A retained placenta can be a very serious problem with the mare and requires the vet's attention quickly to avoid infection and possible loss of the mare and it is not an uncommon occurrence, in fact, some mares seem to have this problem frequently.

I don't mind losing a few hours sleep (OK sometimes for days and days) to ensure that I am there to attend the mare if necessary. Besides, I never cease to be amazed at the birth of each new foal and I don't want to miss a single one!