ANDREA Ryan MVB of Kilcash Equine outlined how best to prepare your mare for foaling, post-natal care and common problems after foaling.

Andrea urged breeders to be vigilant when it comes to their mares’ weight, especially in the final stages of gestation “An overweight mare is in just as much danger as an underweight one.” An overweight mare can struggle with the pressure of foaling.

Regular deworming, faecal egg count and strategic deworming is extremely important. “The stress of foaling can often cause mares to release worms shortly after foaling so it is important to deworm them in the last third of pregnancy. They can pass pinworms and these can be ingested by the foal.”

Andrea recommends deworming in the last two months of pregnancy and then again a few weeks post foaling.

Regular hoof care is absolutely imperative – “it amazes me how many mares, and often quite valuable mares have really bad feet. This can really shorten the breeding life of a mare if they have bad feet.”

Andrea suggests shoeing your mare in front if her hooves are exceptionally bad. In the last third of pregnancy they will be carrying about an extra 100kg between their foal and the fluid so it is critical their feet are in good condition.

There are four main vaccinations your mare will need: flu and tetanus (four to six weeks before foaling), EHV (herpes virus) and ideally rotavirus. “If you are inclined to bring your foal with you to a stud when covering your mare again, it is really worthwhile having your foal covered for rotavirus,” Andrea said.

“You wouldn’t wish rotavirus on your worst enemy, it really is a horrible condition, it is an expensive vaccine but it is worth doing.”

The rotavirus vaccine will need to be given at eight, nine and 10 months of pregnancy. If you are trying to keep your costs down, Andrea suggests one vaccine at 10 months. This won’t guarantee your foal is completely covered, but it is better than no vaccine at all. Vets highly recommend giving all three vaccines. The EHV vaccine is given at five, seven and nine months.

Early in the season, if you have mares in a yard to foal, be careful not to have strong lights on all the time. Your mare naturally needs eight hours of darkness. If you have one mare foaling, try to have a light on only in her stable and the rest of the mares in darkness.

Post-natal care of the mare

Colic post foaling is quite common, particularly in maiden mares. “It is generally quite acceptable for a mare to be colicky after foaling, you may not need to call your vet out straight away, just keep an eye on her and see does it settle after a few hours,” Andrea explained.

Retained placenta is also very common. Your mare will require veterinary attention if she does not pass the entire placenta within six hours of foaling. This is why it is extremely important to examine the placenta thoroughly after foaling. You must take extreme care if you are using oxytocin to treat retained placenta. There is a risk of uterine prolapse due to large numbers of oxytocin receptors immediately after foaling.

Metritis is an infection in the uterus. If your mare is infected, she will become very sick within day or two post-foaling. Call your vet if you think your mare has an infection. Aggressive treatment is needed as soon as possible.

Recto-vaginal tears are also quite common. These will usually require surgical repair several weeks after foaling. These mainly occur during unattended foaling or explosive foaling in maiden mares.

How to examine your mares placenta after foaling: Lay out allantoic side out in “F” formation this makes it easy to see any missing parts – pay careful attention to horn tips Examine the thickness of placenta, colour and character of chorionic (red velvet) side \ Andrea Ryan