Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

The Foaling Process
By Kimberly A. Rinker

With the advent of spring comes renewed hopes and dreams for many horsemen throughout the state. And nowhere can that kind of energy be felt than on one of the many North American breeding facilities.

The selection of the right mare for the right stallion plays an extremely important role in the breeding game. Owners and breeding experts carefully inspect genetic and performance history of both stallions and mares in hopes of procuring the ultimate 'match,' thus producing a winning foal.

As foaling time draws near, the mare's stomach expands with the weight of her youngster, and her udder begins to swell and a waxiness develops, and she may even begin to drip milk. Even with these signs, however, it can be very difficult for breeders to pinpoint exactly when the mare will foal. Many mares do not like to be watched during this time, and they can be exasperating when the time actually arrives.

Foaling usually occurs at night, or in the wee hours of the morning and can happen indoors or outside in the pasture. If everything goes normally, the whole process usually takes just between fifteen to thirty minutes. Many a breeder has missed the actual foaling by falling asleep briefly or going for a hot drink.

When the mare begins to foal, her uterus contracts, producing labor pains, and the first thing breeders observe is a large, balloon-like object full of liquid at the opening of the mare's birth canal. This will break and great quantities of fluid will rush out, to be followed almost immediately by the forefeet and the nose of the foal.

The mare is now under a great deal of strain and her pains are tremendously powerful at this stage. The rest of the foal's body soon appears, and then suddenly, he is out, although still attached to his mother via the umbilical cord. After a certain amount of time the mare will stand up or the foal will start to struggle and the cord will stretch and break as nature intended it to do.

The mare must then pass the afterbirth, or placenta, which has supplied the growing foal with all it has needed to live and develop. If this has not happened within two hours time, then usually a veterinarian will be called in to help deliver it. If the afterbirth were to be left inside the mare, very serious and often fatal conditions could arise, such as laminitis and death.

Usually, within two hours time, the newborn foal is standing on it's own two feet and suckling. As with people, all horses are individuals and the times may vary. The foal will usually attempt to get up, rise half-way up, and then tumble over several times. Many breeders feel it is not wise to assist the foal to rise as they feel the energy expenditure is good for the foal, and that their attempts to stand help to strengthen them.

Often a person on hand for the foaling will assist the foal once it is able to stand on it's own, by helping guide the youngster to the mare's udder. Some breeders tie off (ligate) the umbilical cord and then cut it. Others prefer to let it break naturally, and then dress it with an antibiotic to prevent the entrance of infection.

Some breeders routinely have a veterinarian on hand for the foaling procedure. Many vets will give a newborn foal an enema, a tetanus antitoxin shot, vitamin injections and possibly an antibiotic injection.

The broodmare will also be examined for tears with the birth canal and for her overall general health. If the mare is to be rebred and has had no difficulty in foaling, then many breeders will generally breed her on what is known as the "foal heat." That is, the first heat cycle that she comes into directly after foaling. This is usually nine or ten days after birth.

If the mare did not shed her afterbirth immediately or became torn in the foaling process, then a breeder usually waits until the second heat, which is another 19 to 21 days after the foal heat. Many owners prefer to breed on the second heat as standard practice, to allow the mare to recover completely from foaling.