A mare that experiences a straightforward birth should be ready to go back under saddle six to eight weeks after foaling. However, if your mare had a complicated birth, it might take far longer.
A healthy pregnant horse can be ridden during much of her pregnancy. However, there are periods when riding should be avoided, don't ride a mare for at least 30 days following conception or during the final two to three months before her due date.
You can comfortably continue to ride your mare until she is about 8 months into her pregnancy and even compete safely, however after about 6 months you may just want to reduce her workload and slow things down a bit. Watch her closely and adjust her exercise accordingly.
Only one hour after being born, a foal can stand up on its legs. After 2 hours, it can run. It takes two or three months to socialize. The easiest time to handle and train it is before it is weaned from the mare.
A HORSE can walk within an hour after birth.
A mare that experiences a straightforward birth should be ready to go back under saddle six to eight weeks after foaling. However, if your mare had a complicated birth, it might take far longer.
Allowing the foal to run alongside the mare while you ride is perfectly fine, so long as you're in a safe, enclosed area. Within the first two months of the foal's life, it will be extremely attached to Mom, and will be frantic – sometimes to the point of risking injury – if she is taken out of sight.
Many owners believe riding a pregnant mare will harm her or even cause her to abort. Fear not, though, our sources say. If she's generally healthy to start with and her pregnancy isn't considered high-risk (for example, a mare with a history of pregnancy loss or abortion), saddle her up and enjoy a ride!
Stallions Have Their Limits. Stallions may always be “on,” but that doesn't mean they can constantly breed. After all, they do need time to eat, sleep, exercise, and socialize. A stallion can typically cover one to three mares a day and about 30 to 40 mares in one year.
Generally, mares are past their reproductive prime when they reach 15 to 16 years old. There are mares that can carry and deliver healthy foals into their 20s, but the majority of them have had multiple successful pregnancies before.
Optimal breeding is every other day while she is in estrus and before she ovulates. A mare will normally ovulate about 24 to 48 hours before the end of estrus.
Encourage the mare and foal to rest as long as possible. Give them an opportunity to bond undisturbed. Treat the umbilical cord with an antiseptic solution, recommended by your veterinarian, soon after the cord breaks and for several days thereafter to prevent bacterial infection.
After energy and protein, the most important nutrient is calcium, required for healthy bone and muscle growth and development. Calcium requirements increase post-natally to 50-60g daily for an average-sized mare.
If the membranes have still not passed by 8 hours after the foal's birth, your veterinarian will administer antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. The placenta should never be manually pulled out, as this may cause parts of the placenta to be retained or cause damage to the lining of the uterus.
Mares also share a special and intimate connection with their foals. In honor of Mother's Day, enjoy these precious moments between moms and their little ones. It doesn't matter if they have feet or hooves- there is nothing quite like motherly love!
It doesn't happen very often, but sometimes a mare will refuse to care for her newborn foal. Walking away and ignoring the foal is a mild form of rejection; not allowing the baby to nurse is more serious; and in the worst cases, some mares kick, bite, and have even been known to kill their foals.
As a result, stallions have evolved strategies to safeguard against raising other stallions' offspring. And one of these instincts is to kill young foals – especially males – that are probably not their own, if the opportunity arises.
When a mare is approaching her foaling date it is best to disturb her as little as possible, especially during the night. Most mares will foal between the hours of 10pm and 2am, but parturition (aka birthing) can occur at any time of day.
Those foaling at home should also make sure to have a clean, safe and quiet space for the birth. Mares typically foal at night. “Being prey, horses are trying to find the time of day where they feel the safest and away from the public,” says Delvescovo. This makes veterinary monitoring during pregnancy very important.
Get mare and foal outside as soon as they're healthy and strong enough. Start them in a small paddock for short periods and gradually building up to more space. This is as much for mom as it is for foal.
Post Parturition Guidelines: The 1-2-3 Rule The foal should stand within one hour of delivery, nurse within two hours, and the placenta should pass within three hours. If there are any delays, a call to your veterinarian is crucial, as this is a critical time for the mare and foal.
“Many mares have mild to moderate uterine cramps after foaling, and they will lie down to expel the placenta,” says Black. “This is not something to worry about. The cramping is usually temporary, and a normal process, but you need to watch the mare.
The longer the time frame the mare's placenta is retained the greater the risk of potential complications occurring, including metritis (infection of the uterus), systemic inflammation and laminitis. These complications can be avoided by prompt treatment and removal of the membranes.