What happens when a mare foals?

16
Apr
2009

An expectant mare

The mares at the H&C stud, Le Haras de la Granderie in France, are due to foal in May and June. But what should you expect to see and when should you be watching?

The average mare has a pregnancy of about 338 days, or around 11 months, but this is a rough guide only. There are important clues to watch out for when a mare is set to foal. Most are subtle physical signs, but on our foalcam you may see the mare appearing restless and she may show signs similar to mild colic. These can include sweating and looking round at her stomach.

Mares often choose to foal at night or in the early hours of the morning, so they are checked regularly. The mares at our stud, Le Haras de la Granderie, wear birthing alarms to make sure help is at hand if needed.

When the mare is ready to foal down, her waters break - just as they do in humans. The actual birth is usually over remarkably quickly - normally within 30 minutes. The mare will usually lie down and have strong stomach contractions that push the foal down the birth canal. In a normal delivery, the foal’s front feet come out first, followed by its nose.

The foal will still be covered by the birth membranes when it is born, and the mare should nibble this off the foal to enable it to breathe; this is an important stage of the bonding process between mare and foal. The umbilical cord usually remains attached until the mare gets up. After foaling, the afterbirth may visibly protrude from the mare - this is normal, but not a sight for the squeamish.

A normal foal will be on its feet within one to two hours. Foals are born with very long legs, so this is not as easy as it sounds. Watching a foal stand for the first time is a magical experience. The foal should take its first drink within about two hours, and will suckle at least four times per hour in the first week of life.

As our foalcam is a live stream, please be aware that you may see graphic images; a live birth is not for the feint hearted. Occasionally, things do go wrong and the mare may reject a foal, need emergency veterinary treatment or in rare cases, the mare, the foal or both may die. If this happens, we endeavour to cut the live stream but the stud’s priority has to be the horses involved. With this mind, please think carefully before allowing young children or those who may be distressed by a negative outcome to watch our foalcam.