The 1-2-3's of Foaling

With springtime on the horizon, some of you may have mares in foal and be making final preparations to introduce one or more youngsters to your herd. If you are a veteran to foaling, this information shouldn’t be anything new, however, if it has been a while or if your first encounter with a new arrival, the following information should be helpful to your success. There are two types of “1-2-3’s” that are important. First, we will talk about the three stages of labor. Then, I will discuss the 1-2-3 rule on newborn foal behavior and health of the mare and foal.

Let’s start with the stages of labor. Mares more often than not foal at night. The usual hours are in the 10pm-2am timeframe, but let’s face it, this could really happen anytime. There are many changes in the mare as she gets close to foaling that you may experience, even though these changes can vary greatly as well. First, mammary development usually takes place in the last 10-15 days of gestation, with the average gestation length being 340 days (range of 320-365), or about 11 months. Muscles in the croup and tail area will soften, and waxing will occur on the teats. Calcium concentration in the milk will rise, and many mare owners use a milk calcium test to check for this. Water hardness strips are a great tool and indicator to use for checking milk calcium levels. By mixing .25 mL of milk with 1.5 mL of distilled water and dipping strips in the solution, you can look for an orange/reddish color to indicate foaling in less than or equal to 48 hours usually.

When its time to foal, you will experience the three stages of labor. Stage one is where the mare appears somewhat uncomfortable. She may appear to be experiencing mild colic symptoms, be restless and uneasy, have a decreased appetite, may pace around and be sweating. Stage one might turn quickly into Stage 2, or it might take up to 24 hours. Stage 2 begins with the water breaking, and should last no more than thirty minutes. Most often stage 2 will take only up to ten minutes. The “water breaking” is the breaking of the chorioalantois membrane of the placenta. If this membrane appears and has not ruptured, it is important to quickly open it. At this point, the mare will most likely be lying down, but she can get up and down and this is still normal. The majority of mares will deliver the foal just fine without assistance, but if it’s taking a while or if the mare insists on standing, intervening will be necessary. If stage 2 takes more than 30 minutes, dystocia (difficult birth) is most likely occurring and a veterinarian should be called. If more than an hour goes by, the foal’s life is definitely in danger, and most often death will occur. There are several types of dystocia, such as having a leg back, the head back, or even the breech presentation. The mare will need assistance in any of these cases. After delivery, the mare may rest for up to one hour before standing, and the umbilical cord will remain attached. After the cord breaks naturally (we should not break the cord) it should be dipped in an iodine or chlorhexidine solution. A 2% Betadine solution is a good choice. Now we are ready for stage 3, which is expulsion of the placenta. This should take less than five hours, and most often occurs within one hour after foaling. If the placenta is not expelled within six hours, call the vet. Problems associated with a retained placenta could be laminitis, metritis (uterine infection), septicemia (bacterial infection of the bloodstream), or even death. During stage 3 the mare may seem slightly colicky for various reasons and is not uncommon. She should be monitored closely. At the end of the three stages, it is important to notify your veterinarian of the birth (if you haven’t already called). Your vet will want to come see the foal and take a blood sample to screen for “NI” or neonatal isothrolysis, to make sure the foal and mare’s blood types are compatible and the foal is off to a healthy life, not to mention check over the foal’s general appearance and behavior.

Now let’s talk about the “1-2-3 rule” of foaling, which is directly linked to the health and well being of the foal and the mare. Ideally, you will want the foal to stand within 1 hour, nurse within 2 hours, and have the mare expel her placenta within 3 hours. As always, this might not happen exactly on time, but within reason. If your mare is due to foal this spring, monitoring her and the foal with these “rules of thumb”, so to speak will hopefully be helpful to you. However, when in doubt, call your veterinarian!

Special thanks to Dr. Sally Vivrette, DVM, PhD and Dr. Scott Bailey, DVM, both of the NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine for providing educational material reviewed and used in this article.