I have been asked to share my story’s and sometimes trying times with the care of horses. People have told me that I can explaint hings to them that they understand. Sometimes when you start to read about your horses we all get confused with so much info and sometimes huge words we have no idea what they mean. So here I am to break it down for all of you. It seems I am the one that if it is going to happened I have either seen it or it has happen to me. So with that said. I hope I can help anyone out there that might be looking for information on how and who and what I used to treat my beloved horses or my client horses.
Since I breed horses. I will start off by the basics of foaling 101. Lets start at the beginning. You think you have everything you need to foal out your mare? Lets check shall we.
Your foaling kit should be handy and completely stocked well before the actual foaling date.
A large, secure plastic container and tight lid make the best for a foaling kit . It can be left in the barn and will stay dry and clean until needed. What you will need.
Foal Kit
1. Rectal Thermometer
2. Floss (If you need to tie off the a bleeding cord)
3. Fleet enema (used if the foal seems to have trouble defecating after it is born)
4. Betadine (For dipping the cord)
5. Sharp scissors
6. Some soft clean towels
7. Vaseline, long sterile gloves
8. Watch and a note book to write down times and events of what is happening
9. Tranquilizer and Banamine (Please ask your vet about this before you administer anything. But I like to have both on hand in case I have a colicky mare after she gives birth.)
Do not forget to have your vet on speed dial on your cell phone. Trust me it’s so much easier to be bale to push one button then fumble around when you have so much going on. Also give your vet a quick call when your mare is close to foaling. Let them know she is close and they should be on stand by just in case. That way if you do run into a problem they know why your calling and you do not have to go through the whole speech of why your calling. I have my vets trained during foaling season. They know if i call and I sound strange something is up and just come. Now I have been working very close with my vets for years so we both understand each other well;)
We will now go over the Yea my mare is having a baby. Your mare has had her foal. All your sleepless nights of waiting and fretting are over. All seems good. If your like me and really know your mares. I go in the foaling stall and assist when need be. Pretty much all my mares expect me to help them. There a tad spoiled:) So the first thing I check is for position. One foot then second foot then a nose. If all of that is present then the foal is in the correct position and should slide out. I will help my mares when they are in heavy pushing to help pull the foal out. If your going to help her always pull with a contraction and down towards there hocks. Once the foal is out. I make sure I have the bag off the the foals head. That way your little one can breathe. I also sit the foal up on his sternum to get any fluid out of his lungs. Then I get my handy dandy foaling kit and grab my towels. I start to rub the foal and dry him off. I then give one towel to the mare and let her sniff it. As I work on the foal I always have one eye on the mare to check how she is doing. Now my mares trust me allot. So they are ok with me being hands on with them. I also imprint my foals. So we all have a understanding with each other and were safe doing it this way for me. I then put the bedadine on the cord to disinfect for any bad germs that might get on it. Now I have a obsession about dipping the cord. I dip about 4 times a day till it falls off. I have seen to many foals go septic because people dip once and think that’s all you have to do. At this point i just sit back for a bit. I watch both mare and foal and check for anything that might not be right. I see if the foal can get up on his sea legs by himself or if he needs a little help from me. If he needs some help then i help him up and show him the milk bar. If not I let him find it on his own. But I keep a close watch to make sure he is sucking and latched to the nipple. That is very important!
My next step is to check to make sure all the plumbing works:) has the foal urinated yet? Has he passed his his first poop? If he has then all is good and you can get some sleep. If no then your still on watch. If I see the foal having a hard time trying to pass his first poop. That is when I give him the enema. Lube it up first a little. Make sure you use the whole enema too. Trust me it will all come out. Once you see that he is passing all should be good there.
Now your foal is nursing, pooping, peeing and getting up and down on his own. Mare is doing great. Now you can have your rainbows and butterfly’s moments! Let your mare bond with her foal. Remember it’s her baby your just a auntie till he’s weaned;)
This is how my typical foaling will go. I will share with you the OMG what happened and what do I do next time.
