99% of all foalings go smoothly, quickly, and without any problems or interference from human beings. In fact, many times, humans can cause problems because inexperience makes them want to help out because the mare is in pain. It’s just that 1% of foalings that get really scary really quickly and this is where your vet needs to be in the area when it all goes down.
Most of the time, just stay out of the mare’s way and let her do her thing. Especially since she’s done this before, thus she already knows what she is doing.
Foaling outside in a clean grass paddock is probably one of the most clean and hygienic areas for a mare to foal out. It’s only difficult if the mare is not experienced, or you have a mare with a history of difficulties, and/or the newborn foal needs some help for some reason which is why most people using foaling stalls, but a stall is not absolutely required. Good clean dry grass is best choice.
As others have noted, keep a watch on hand so you can note the time frames as she progresses in labour, through delivery and how long it takes her placenta to come out. Also note your foal’s developmental milestones - becoming bright and alert, attempting to get up, taking its first steps/falls, when it finds the food bar, when it pees and when it poops. Everyone wants to help the foal. I really resist this. Putting your hands in the wrong place can put pressure on the foals abdomen, can cause bladder ruptures and all kinds of other trouble. Keep your hands off unless the foal is not making any progress after a couple hours. The process of the foal learning how to use its legs, learning how to get up, how to balance itself, how to move and walk are all extremely important neurological milestones and learning processes the foal MUST learn. Humans interfering with them trying to get up can actually interfere with this very important learning process. If after a couple hours the foal is not being successful, then you can assist the foal to its feet - your one arm goes around the chest, the other arm goes around the rump. NEVER under the abdomen.
I do not do an enema in my foals unless it is obvious that it takes strain to get the meconium out. My first choice is warm soap-water enema. If that doesn’t work, I will use a half of a PEDIATRIC Fleet. An hour later if still no progress, I will use the other half. Show restraint and caution when inserting the rubber tip for the enema. If done hurriedly or without restraint, you can puncture the rectal tissue and this is a death sentence for the foal.
Please do NOT use an adult Fleet enema. It can cause dangerous electrolyte disturbances in foals.
With the delivery, as long as the mare is making progress with her delivery do not interfere. If you feel you must, you can “hold” the foals legs so mare is able to maintain her pushing progress, but otherwise let her do the work. If it becomes obvious she is not making progress with her efforts, then first you determine if the foal’s position is okay - if it is then you help in time with her pushing - stretch the foal DOWN towards her hocks, NOT straight out. If the foal’s position is not correct, then call your vet. I never recommend an inexperienced person try to fix an incorrectly positioned foal.
Make a note, delivering a foal out will make a mare tired. This is normal for her to be tired. Don’t interfere unless she is obviously becoming EXCESSIVELY exhausted from pushing out an unusually large baby. Afterwards, Mare will want to rest for a while. Anywhere from 5-30 minutes or so is normal. Sometimes the foal is getting up before the mare. This is okay. As long as she is looking at her foal while down, nickering and even trying to lick at it, she can stay down. If you’re concerned, you can pull up the lips of your mare’s mouth and check the color of her gums. If they’re pale white, she needs a vet - something is wrong vascuularly - seriously. If they’re pink, poke them gently with your finger, it will go temporarily white and then rush back to pink. Backfill within 1-2 to 3 seconds is perfectly normal and your mare is probably okay, just really tired. If she herself is not bright and alert, then you call a vet. Otherwise, be patient with her.
Make sure ahead of time your vet is willing to come in the middle of the night. Some vets do not make nighttime farm calls! Keep his/her phone number on speed dial. Keep a back-up vet and your third choice Plan C veterinarian also on speed dial. In the spring, everyone’s mare, cow, sheep, goat, llama, dog and cat are having babies and the vets are often run ragged and may not be available for your call.
Put together a basic foaling kit - lots of clean towels. Clean facecloths work great for traction on the wet slippery foal legs if you’re deciding to help with the birth (again not recommended unless it is obvious the situation is not progressing, and again one needs to be sure the foal’s position is not the reason it is not progressing before one starts pulling). Chlorhexidine or diluted iodine or betadine in pill bottles for dipping the stump. Maybe some twine to tying up the stump/placenta upon itself at the mare’s back end. A plastic bag or pail to put the placenta in. Clean scissors in case you need to cut the sac from the foal’s face.
I really keep things simple, quiet and CALM for my mares. Mares feel extremely vulnerable when they foal out and are even more sensitive to YOUR excited energy. Force yourself to stay CALM. No rushing around, even in an emergency. Keep your voice low and quiet, rub down the foal for her, let her sniff the towel, let her see her baby. Stay out of her way.
I don’t always tie up the placenta as with most of my mares it slides out of their vulva before they get up, but there are a few where it sticks around longer, so you may want to tie it onto itself so she doesn’t rip it to shreds. (The only reason you don’t want her stepping on it is because a torn up macerated placenta makes it difficult to determine if the whole thing is there or not upon inspection.)
Do have your vet check the placenta for its entirety if you are not sure. If it’s not all there, she will need some oxytocin and the vet may choose to perform a lavage. Leaving an undetected piece of placenta in her uterus causes a life threatening medical emergency in the mare.
Books can scare you senseless. I don’t teach people what wrong things to recognize - there is an impossible array of possibilities that can go wrong. Instead, I prefer to teach people what a variety of NORMAL foalings looks like.
When they teach staff at a bank to recognize counterfeit money, they do it by having them study the REAL money. Then when a counterfeit comes along, you recognize it.
Same thing with foalings. There are a variety of proper and normal things that go down with foalings. Learn the normal ranges and times frames involved and the right presentation of the foal. The one time you run into a problem, you’ll know it instantly because it doesn’t look the same as a regular foaling.
Otherwise, breathe. Enjoy the process. Enjoy your foal.
