Caring for Mares & Foals

Lesson 4: Foaling

When to Call the Vet

While this course is intended to prepare for a very special experience with your mare, it is not intended to take the place of a veterinarian’s care. Several times throughout the course I have recommended you speak to your veterinarian. He/she would much rather be called sooner then later. A few years ago my friend’s mare that had been breed to my stallion was having difficulty. They were quick to call the vet and he was able to save their valuable investment (the foal, now a 2 year old, is worth thousands of dollars). The sobering note was something the vet told them. He said that he is usually only called out when it is too late and that theirs was one of the few live foals he had the opportunity to deliver. On that note, let me encourage you. Any time things do not seem to be progressing the way you think they should be, call the vet. The foal does not have much time after the birthing process starts to complete that process. Unlike other species such as sheep and cows, a foal needs to be born shortly after labor begins, so you have no time to lose. We will spend the next lesson on birthing problems, as unhappy a topic as that is.

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