Irish Field reader: We have put our Draught mare in foal this year for the first time. What type of care plan should we have in place for our mare now that she has been scanned in foal? Any advice would be great.
EXPERT ADVICE
Andrea Ryan, MVB, MRCVS, CertEP, Cert EM(Stud Med), Veterinary surgeon at Kilcash Equine Clininc
Be realistic when breeding mares. We all know of mares that are spotted in season, scanned once, covered and hey presto... 11 months later... a foal arrives!
Mares are not machines and there is a wide variation in the level of intervention required to get mares in foal. Some are simple, others very difficult!
Old maiden mares can be very challenging to get in foal due to stiffness of the old maiden cervix which can predispose to persistent mating induced endometritis. Usually once an old maiden mare is in foal she will behave as all other mares and can be cared for as any other.
The first pregnancy scan is usually performed 16 days after natural cover or 14/15 days after insemination with frozen semen. Many vets recommend repeat scanning a few days later to reduce the possibility of missing a twin pregnancy.A twin pregnancy may result from a second ovulation several days after the first ovulation and may not be readily visible on the first examination. A scan to determine a live foetus is usually carried out between 28 and 35 days and is also another opportunity to check for twins.Remember a twin pregnancy cannot be ruled out on a single scan, especially one done before 28 days. Twin pregnancies are rarely successful in the mare and so appropriately timed scanning to prevent this is the responsibility of the mare owner.EXTRA ATTENTION
Mares that require extra attention in pregnancy are those that have a history of pregnancy loss/abortion and/or placentitis. These mares may require preventative medications and placental monitoring during the latter half of their pregnancy.
Mares that have become pregnant after a foal heat cover have a slightly higher rate of early pregnancy loss than other mares but once the pregnancy is well established (>42 days) there is no significant difference to other mares.
Once a mare is pregnant, she should be kept in good condition (not fat), be regularly de-wormed and have careful maintenance of teeth, feet and flu vaccinations etc.Additional vaccinations against EHV (equine herpes virus) and rotavirus should be considered especially on properties where there are large numbers of pregnant mares.As far as riding a pregnant mare goes, it is considered safe to continue riding to approximately 100 days gestation although very arduous exercise should be avoided in all pregnant mares especially in hot conditions. Gentle riding or light competition should be fine.As foaling approaches first time breeders should be aware that not all mares give good warning of impending foaling. This is especially true of maiden mares. If the mare owner is not experienced in foaling and the care of neonatal foals, it would be safer to send the mare to a foaling unit where both the mare and her newborn foal will be carefully monitored.