What you really need to know about foaling

Foaling. It's the beginning of a life, the end of a pregnancy, but for the breeder, it's yet another stage in the achieving a dream. It's been a long haul already – well, at least it feels like it. You've been through the sometimes agonising process of getting the mare in foal, you've given her 11 months of the necessary medical and husbandry care, and now the foal is ready to start its life.

And yet this joyful occasion is often marred by the worry that some breeders have about the actual event. It's a mixture of excitement and fear. You're desperate to see the foal you've spent so much time and money producing, and yet you're petrified that something is going to go wrong.

I've found that despite there being an array of books on the subject, they tend to dwell heavily on the things that can go wrong, simply so they can help you if it does. But sometimes I just feel there is a lack of a 'no nonsense' guide to a normal foaling, so I want to erase all the 'ifs' and 'buts' and look at what should happen. Because most of the time, things do go exactly as they should. Sometimes you get the odd hiccup, and sometimes you get a serious problem or tragedy. Yes, it's important to be aware, and to know what to do in certain circumstances, but it's also important to be confident, clear headed and calm. Flapping around the barn in a state of anxiety, no matter how tempting, will not help!

So your mare is ready to foal: she may have been bagging up for weeks, or she may have bagged up rapidly in the last 24-48 hours. Every mare is different. Some will show wax, some won't, some will even run milk and still hold on for what feels like an eternity! Knowing when your mare is going to foal is a completely different discussion, and provides enough discussion for a completely separate article!

You are sitting up in the barn, watching on camera, monitoring with alarms or whatever method you choose to use, and the labour process has begun. I will mention that if she has had one, your mare’s Caslicks should have been undone by this point, although if the mare has done a sly one on you, then it is important that the Caslicks is undone as soon as possible to avoid the risk of tearing.

The mare will often box walk, roll, sweat up and generally look uncomfortable. Her udder will be full, and at this point you will see wax or milk in the majority of cases. But don't worry if you don't, every mare is different. The muscles on her hindquarters will have slackened considerably, and her vulva will have lengthened. You can check this when you put the tail bandage on. If possible, have someone hold the mare whilst you do this, as mares in labour can be unpredictable.

It is important to note that many mares will 'switch off' again. Seeing these signs does not always mean she is about to give birth; you can only say that for sure once the waters have broken! The waters usually break quite obviously, but sometimes you do get waters that dribble out slowly first. It's at this point that we usually take a milk sample off the mare so we may check the level of colostrum. If it is low, then it gives us time to get out some of our stored donor colostrum, and defrost in a jug of warm water, ready to bottle feed. There are many ways to check the mare’s colostrum; we use a refractometer, but to the eye, the colostrum should be thick and sticky, perhaps off white. Thin white milk will usually be poor, and if the mare has run milk for a while, she may not have much colostrum left at all, so in this particular case, it is a good idea to have already obtained some frozen, or identified where you can obtain it in an emergency.

You should see the white membrane sac shortly after the waters break. It is important for us to check the alignment of the foal as soon as possible - the earlier you detect a problem, the better, because alignment and presentation issues are much easier to rectify when the foal is further back in the birth canal.

With someone holding the mare, put on a surgical glove and check for two feet and a muzzle. One leg will be further forward then the other, so the knees are staggered, and you should find the muzzle in between them.

If this is not what you find, then you have to figure out why. If you are confident enough to find and adjust misalignment problems, then do so. If in any doubt, then call your vet immediately. You do have a certain amount of time to rectify problems, so try not to panic. But if you definitely have both feet and the muzzle then everything is on track!

One other thing to watch out for is for the feet of the foal pushing upwards into the mare’s rectum; although uncommon, it is possible for a foot to rupture the birth canal into the rectum. If this does happen, call a vet immediately, as reconstruction is possible in some cases.

The mare can spend quite a bit of time at this stage, pacing around, getting up and down, rolling and digging. People often worry because the mare has the feet and quite often the muzzle out of the vulva whilst she is getting up and down. But do not panic. The foal is fine; the umbilical cord is still its lifeline until the foal’s ribcage passes over the pelvic rim. If the mare will not lie down and start pushing, then try turning all the lights off (if on) and keep very still and quiet. Some mares can be very unnerved by the process of giving birth, especially maidens.

Once the mare has found a place to lie down where she is comfortable, she will start to push. Now, it is entirely up to the individual as to whether or not you assist the mare. Personally I like to guide the foal out if the mare will allow me to do so. The more nervous mares can be tricky, but often, once they are well and truly pushing, they don't mind you crawling up and checking. I find that the majority of mares are fine to let you assist – some, in fact, are quite happy about it, and won't push unless they think you are helping. During the birth process, the mare may roll on occasion, to adjust the foal, so be careful of flying back legs!

One of the most common problems at this stage is the foal’s elbow being caught on the rim of the pelvic bone, but it's relatively easy to free with gentle manipulation of the offending leg, but if possible, you should do so when the mare is pushing.

A mare who tries pushing but then gets up and down, may be experiencing problems with alignment, so if you are in any doubt, then do not hesitate to call your vet immediately.

Larger foals will obviously cause the mare more trouble, especially if the mare has a small pelvis. And if the mare is pushing a lot but moving the foal very little, if at all, then assistance may be of benefit. However, it is important to do it correctly. Do not jerk or tug at the foal. Taking hold of the cannon bones of the foal, wait until the mare pushes, and hold a good pressure on the foal to make the mare's efforts more productive. It is important to note that you should be guiding the foal in an arc, towards the mare’s hocks, rather than straight out of the back of the mare. Again, it is up to the individual whether to assist. Some people like to leave a mare to foal alone with little disturbance, but when you are dealing with a very valuable mare and foal, you may not like to take a chance on nature getting it right.

When the foal is at its widest point, the umbilical cord becomes squeezed against the pelvic rim. It is important that this stage is not prolonged, as the foal is still dependent on the cord until its ribcage is free and it can take its first breath.

Once born, I prefer to leave the back legs inside the mare’s birth canal; I find that it keeps the mare lying down a bit longer. A mare that jumps straight up is more likely to suffer after-pains. I like to remove the membrane from the foal’s head and quickly run my hand along the nose to make sure the airway is clear of fluid. Do not be tempted to break or remove the membrane too early in the birth process, such as when only the muzzle or front feet are showing. It is not unheard of for a foal to slip back into the birth canal at this early stage and your well-intentioned intervention could result in the foal inhaling fluids as it is starting to try to breathe during birth.

If the foal does not take a breath, but is alive, then you can try mouth to mouth, or a foal respirator to inflate the lungs and to try and stimulate the foal to breath. We have a tank of oxygen at the ready also. Even if you think you may have lost the foal, call the vet.

Assuming now that the foal is alive and kicking, then I check the umbilical cord is still attached at the foal’s navel. Some will detach at birth, especially if the cord is short overall, but these ones tend to bleed, so pinch the stump until it seals, which is relatively fast. Usually, the cord is still attached, and it is preferable to leave it to break itself naturally, as the foal starts to move about, or at least until you can feel the blood has stopped pumping through it. Once the cord has broken away, dress the stump thoroughly; we use an iodine based spray, but others may prefer 'blue' spray.

Once the foal starts moving around a bit more, if the mare is still lying down, then I like to move the foal to the front of the mare. It keeps her calm, she can attend to the foal, and it leaves you able to tidy up the membranes at the back of the mare, which now need gathering together and tying up, as it is unlikely (although not impossible) that she would have expelled them all completely already. Most people use string or baler twine to bunch up the membranes as it prevents the mare from standing on them, and the weight of the mass encourages the mare to pass the placenta more easily; other ingenious ideas include using a carrier bag to contain the membranes.

Once the mare is up, you can just spend some time observing, and perhaps writing down notes about the foaling for future reference.

Watch the foal, and how it behaves: any immediate issues are usually quite obvious. The foal should sit on to its brisket within 10 minutes, and should be trying to get up, if not already standing, within 45 minutes. But standing can take up to 2 hrs sometimes, especially if the foal has weak, angular limbs. If you think the foal is behaving very unusually, perhaps even showing colic symptoms, then call your vet.

If the mare has passed the placenta, you can spread it out to examine it. Make sure it is intact, and has no pieces missing. Put it in a bucket and weigh it for reference. If she takes more than a couple of hours to pass the placenta, you can try weighting it further by attaching a surgical glove full of water to it, but do not try and pull it out, as you could risk tearing it and leaving fragments behind, either in the uterus or the birth canal, which can cause serious infection. Call your vet for assistance if the mare has still not passed the placenta after 6-8 hours, as they will need to examine the mare and probably administer an oxytocin injection to help the mare expel it. Leaving the placenta in the mare too long can increase the likelihood of a post-foaling infection, as the blood supply to the placenta has now ceased and it becomes a ‘foreign body’ that her immune system will attack as it starts to deteriorate.

As a result of her uterus contracting and her other internal organs realigning to their normal position, the mare may show signs of pain or discomfort after foaling (displayed similarly to colic), and will quite often have a roll about after birth, but don't panic. If these symptoms persist, however, then there may be cause for concern, but generally the mare will settle quickly. She may even lie back down again for a well-deserved rest.

Now is the time to watch the mare bond with her baby in peace, whilst you celebrate the arrival of your long-awaited foal. Enjoy your champagne!