The National Stud

1. What is one item in your foaling kit you would be lost without?

Oxygen tank, very important part of a foaling kit as it can save/help a foals life.

2. Do you use foaling cameras or any other foaling devices to let you know when a mare is going to foal?

No, we just have a night watch person that checks the mares every 15 minutes, if a mare is running milk and restless she will be checked every 10 minutes.

3. Do you put head collars on your foals straight away? When do you start handling the foals?

Yes we do put head collars on the foals, the morning after they are born. We also start handling the foals the day after they are born as they will then have temperatures taken and navels dipped twice a day.

4. How soon do you start turning your foals out? When do you begin turning them out in groups?

Once the foals have had a newborn check (the day after foaling) and have the all clear from the vet they can then get turned out for a short period of time, weather depending.

5. One piece of advice for someone foaling their mare for the first time this year?

Always get to know your mares, start checking their bags every day. Preferably a month before they foal, get to know what’s ‘normal’ so you then know when things start to change. It is always good to know your mares’ foaling history and keep boxes as clean as possible in the foaling unit. Always stay calm!

Castlepark Stud

1. What is one item in your foaling kit you would be lost without?

Foaling ropes.

2. Do you use foaling cameras or any other foaling devices to let you know when a mare is going to foal?

We use the Sisteck foaling alarm at the start and at the end of the foaling season. Very helpful if there isn’t someone up all night long. Once we open the foaling unit someone is on duty all day and all night.

3. Do you put head collars on your foals straight away? When do you start handling the foals?

We put head collars on the foals during their first week after being born and start handling them straight away.

4. How soon do you start turning your foals out? When do you begin turning them out in groups?

The foals get turned out as soon as possible weather permitting. For the first time just one mare and foal in a paddock. After the first day, we put two or three in a paddock and once the foal is a couple of weeks old we have four to six per paddock. The groups remain the same up to weaning time.

5. One piece of advice for someone foaling their mare for the first time this year?

Gather enough information to know what to expect. Have a foaling kit ready and remember foaling happens quickly and some mares don’t give much warning.

Ringfort Stud

1. What is one item in your foaling kit you would be lost without?

A foal enema.

2. Do you use foaling cameras or any other foaling devices to let you know when a mare is going to foal?

Yes, we use foaling cameras and a stitch-in alarm.

3. Do you put head collars on your foals straight away? When do you start handling the foals?

Yes, head collars are put on the first day after birth but we take then off at night. This means that the foals get caught and handled twice a day from birth.

4. How soon do you start turning your foals out? When do you begin turning them out in groups?

We turn out the foals if possible the first day after birth into a small paddock, they are allowed to bond with the mare for two to three days on their own before joining any other mare and foal.

5. One piece of advice for someone foaling their mare for the first time this year?

Always keep your heavily pregnant mares in a bio-secure and de-stressed environment.