Helping a mare through pregnancy can be any
extremely rewarding experience, but remember that it is also a lot
of hard work. If you’ve decided to allow your mare to become
pregnant, make sure that you can be responsible for this medical
condition, as well as an extra life. Breeding horses is a great
career if you have the time and effort.
First and foremost, mares are pregnant longer than women. In
general, a mare will carry her foul for about 11 months. During this
time, care and regular checkups from a vet are crucial. You may even
want to find a vet specializing in this particular field. As your
mare’s due date approaches, make sure to keep a watchful eye. Keep
your vet’s number on hand and call whenever the horse goes into
labor so that the vet can arrive to help with the birth. In some
cases, a vet may not be needed, but if you are inexperienced, or if
the birth takes longer than a half hour, you vet should come to help
with the birth.
Cleanliness is important. You don’t have to hose out the entire barn
and use a disinfectant, but make sure that you can clean bedding in
a clean stall available for your mare. Also, it is important to tie
up the horse’s tail so that it doesn’t get in the way. Don’t tie
this too tightly, and leave it free was soon as the birth is over.
Of course, after the birth, rinse the mare’s hindquarters and remove
any soiled bedding, replacing it with fresh bedding.
If you see anything unusual going on with the birth, it is best to
call you vet right away. Remember, a horse birth will look very
different from a human birth, so before you mare goes into labor,
make sure that you talk to your vet about what to expect.
Afterwards, it is also important to let the mare care for the foul.
Instinct will lead a mare to do the proper things for her new baby,
and interfering may confuse or anger the horse. Keep your distance,
and if you think something may be wrong, call the vet.
You new addition to the family should be walking and drinking milk
from the mare rather quickly. Remember, this is a very tender time
in both horses’ lives. Keeping them away from other animals for the
first week or two may be a good idea. Afterwards, it is best to talk
to your vet about the vaccinations and special food your foul may
need to grow strong and healthy.
