Foals: What does it need for a good start in life?

Having your own foal is an exciting thing. Many mare owners dream of breeding a foal from their mare. However, with the offspring comes a lot of work and many considerations need to be made even before covering. Once the foal is born, there is not much time left to rethink plans or get the necessary equipment for the foal.

In this guide, we show you what you need for your own foal – from preparing for the birth to getting used to the headcollar.

Preparing for when the foal is born: What equipment do I need?

A mare is in foal for between 330 and 345 days. That’s about 11 months to look forward to and prepare for the foal’s birth. So that you are prepared for all eventualities and have everything you need to hand, here is a rough guide:

1. Prepare the stable for the birth

The birth alone is very stressful for the mare. To minimise the stress, the mare should be placed in the foaling box four to eight weeks before the expected date of birth. This allows her to develop antibodies against the germs present there. These in turn are extremely important for the foal’s immune defence, which it absorbs with the colostrum. The mare should also be wormed around 14 days before giving birth so that no worms contaminate the milk or the stable.

If the birth is imminent at around 10 days, all the important utensils for the foal birth should be ready. Normally, the mare will manage the birth herself – only in an emergency should you intervene. You should have the following items to hand:

• Ropes or birthing chains: If the mare is unable to push the foal out on her own, ropes or birthing chains are placed around the foal’s front legs to pull it out with the mare’s contractions
• Clean towels: The mare will lick her foal clean and dry herself. If it is a maiden mare who is overwhelmed with her first foal, or if the outside temperatures are low, it may be necessary to rub the foal dry with clean, soft towels. It is important that these are clean in order to minimise the germ load.
• Disposable gloves
• Tissue scissors: If the umbilical cord does not tear off when the mare stands up, it can be cut with tissue scissors
• Disinfectant solution such as iodine to disinfect the foal’s navel
• Aluminium spray to cover the navel and close the germination site
• Enema: An enema helps the intestinal faeces to pass more easily.
• Clinical thermometer
• Baby bottle / Milk bottle with teat for collecting the colostrum
• Bucket with fresh water and soap: For cleaning the mare’s legs after giving birth
• Contact the vet. The vet should be alerted before the birth to ensure that he is on standby and available in an emergency

2. Indications before birth

• Four to six days before the birth, the udder swells. The teats also become larger.
• A few days before the birth, the belly becomes visually smaller because the mare turns the foal into the birthing position by contracting the abdominal muscles.
• One to four days before the birth, drops of wax form on the udder. These are small white drops on the teats. Approximately 90% of all mares foal within 24 to 48 hours after the wax drops have formed. With some mares it takes longer, other mares do not form wax drops at all.
  Important: Do not milk the mare! The first milk (colostrum) contains the antibodies necessary for the foal. Some mares lose a little milk before giving birth due to high pressure in the udder. This is not a cause for concern. However, if the amount lost increases, it must be collected and frozen for the foal.
• On the day of birth: The mare becomes restless and sweats a lot.
• During the colic-like pre-labour pains, the mare turns to her belly.
• The mare defecates a lot, paws, stamps and exhibits flehmen frequently. She also alternates a lot between lying down and standing up. The labour begins and the mare must not be disturbed any further.

3. Course of the foal’s birth

When the foal enters the birth canal, the amniotic fluid is released shortly afterwards and the bluish-white skin of the egg appears. When the contractions begin, the foal first appears with its front hooves and mouth. Once the head and shoulders have emerged, the rest of the body quickly follows. The mare will usually remain lying down for a moment to recover. Part of the foal’s hind legs can remain in the mare. The foal should be left in this position so that first-time mares in particular understand and establish a connection with the foal. If the mare stands up, the foal will slip out completely and the umbilical cord will also break at the predetermined breaking point.

The afterbirth should finally come off within two hours, at the latest after six hours. To prevent the mare from stepping on it, it can be tied up. If it does not come off, the vet must decide whether to remove it manually or with medication. The vet should also check the afterbirth for completeness to ensure that there are no tissue remnants that could cause life-threatening uterine inflammation.

4. Foal Aftercare:

The foal is born unprotected without antibodies. It is therefore important that the follow-up care is as germ-free as possible.

The foal receives the necessary antibodies via the colostrum. The colostrum contains around 1.8 to 2.8 litres. The foal must ingest this colostrum within the first three hours. After that, its intestinal barrier closes and it can only absorb the necessary antibodies in small quantities or not at all. It may therefore be advisable to milk 100 to 150ml before the birth in order to feed it to the foal if it does not want to get up and suckle in time.

The next important step is to disinfect the navel. When the mare or foal stands up, the navel tears at the predetermined breaking point approx. 15cm below the abdominal wall. This open wound is a perfect entry point for germs. The umbilical stump should be coated with iodine or dipped in it, which dries out the navel. Aluminium spray will cover the area from germs like a plaster. This procedure can be repeated several times.

The foal usually makes its first attempts to stand and walk after the first 20 to 45 minutes. Shortly afterwards, the foal will seek out the udder and start drinking. Both the movement and the milk cause the foal to expel meconium. Meconium is the foal’s first, very firm, faeces, which is the result of drinking amniotic fluid, hair and tissue secretions. Colts in particular can have problems passing meconium due to a narrow pelvis. The use of an enema can facilitate the expulsion of hard intestinal faeces. It should pass within the first three to 24 hours. If the foal continues to expel meconium for more than 24 hours, the vet must relieve the foal immediately with antispasmodic medication and enemas.

You should also keep an eye on the foal’s urine output – not so much how often it urinates. This should also look normal and not strained.

Use the clinical thermometer provided to measure the foal’s body temperature after four to five hours. This should be between 37.1 and 38.9°C. If it is below this, check the energy supplied through food intake.

Summary:

• First attempts to stand up: 15 to 45 minutes
• First suckling & colostrum intake: Up to 3 hours after birth
• Body temperature: 37.1 to 38.9°C
• Release of meconium: 3 to a maximum of 24 hours after birth
• Urination: Up to 12 hours after birth
• Discharge of the afterbirth: 2 to 6 hours after birth

From foal feed to foal rugs – What you need for foal rearing

1. Healthy keeping conditions for foals

Proper rearing lays the foundation for the foal’s future healthy life. The foal spends the first six months with its mother. Just a few days after birth, it can be turned out for a few hours. Plenty of exercise stimulates the tendons, joints, bones, hooves and lungs to develop healthily.

From the very beginning, the herd is of the utmost importance for social behaviour and the company of foals of the same age for the play instinct.

After weaning, most foals will be brought to a place that offers youngstock livery. This should be scouted out and decided on before the foal is born. It is worth visiting several times, even spontaneously, at different times of the year to make sure you have found the right youngstock livery. After all, this is where the foal spends the first three years of its life. Colts are best reared separately from fillies. Their play instinct is more aggressive and can lead to injuries to the mares.

In addition to a soft, clean and warm lying area, the foal should be offered a variety of surfaces. Different but sure-footed surfaces support the development of bones and hooves. This is because the pointed, steep foal hoof must develop into a broad, flat yearling hoof. A pure, soft deep litter bedding is rather problematic for foals.

2. The correct feeding of foals

The correct feeding of a foal begins with the broodmare, who must not lack any nutrients during gestation.

Even when a foal is born, care should be taken to ensure that it receives all the important nutrients. Foals grow very quickly and reach around 80% of their later body size by the time they are six months old. Without the right minerals, they can quickly become deficient and suffer from growth problems. Foals can lose a lot of weight, especially after weaning, as the nutrient-rich milk is missing.

Protein is particularly important here as a component of the muscles. A lack of the amino acids lysine and methionine can lead to growth disorders.

When feeding a foal, it is also important that the liver is not overloaded and obesity is avoided. For this reason, supplementary feeding should only be started after weaning, when the rich milk is no longer available. If the foal becomes too heavy for its still soft bones and joints, there is a risk of OCD (bone chip) formation.

What can the foal be fed now? In addition to milk, hay and fresh grass are perfectly adequate to cover the foal’s nutritional requirements. However, it needs a vitamin and mineral supplement from the 3rd month onwards. More on this in the next section.

Nevertheless, it can?t hurt to acclimatise the foal to concentrated feed before weaning. Black oats, which have a very good energy supply and availability, are ideal for this. Less is more when it comes to additives in the case of foals: hay/grass, oats or black oats in combination with a suitable vitamin and mineral supplement are perfectly adequate as a complete nutrition plan.

As soon as the foal is given concentrated feed, it must be offered water of drinking quality and be freely accessible. A foal feeder with bars is recommended to prevent the mother from eating everything.

3. Mineral and vitamin supplements for foals and youngstock

Vitamin and mineral supplements can be fed to foals from around the third month of life. The composition and quantity must be adjusted again after weaning. This stressful period requires a particularly large amount of nutrients and usually takes place in autumn when there is little vegetation. Mature grass (foggage) and hay then no longer provide sufficient minerals for the foal.

Under no circumstances should the foal be fed a vitamin and mineral supplement for adult horses. Only special foal vitamin and mineral supplements are tailored to the needs of young horses and cover all the necessary bulk and trace elements and nutrients:

• Calcium and phosphorus are crucial for the healthy development of bones, joints and tendons. Calcium requirements are greatest between the 7th and 12th month, but are adequately covered by hay and grass. The phosphorus requirement is covered by adding oats.
• Magnesium makes the bones robust and resilient. When horses are young, their bone stores need to be topped up with magnesium. In principle, there is sufficient magnesium in hay, but its value can vary depending on the quality of the hay. In this case, organic magnesium can help.
• The foal needs zinc to heal wounds, especially after gelding. A zinc deficiency can lead to warts, mud fever, bronchitis, infections and wound healing disorders.
• A manganese deficiency can lead to contracted tendons, joint deformities, reduced growth and splints in foals.
• Selenium is important for heart and muscle health and a strong immune system.
• Iodine ensures a healthy metabolism. An iodine deficiency impairs glandular tissue.
• Vitamins A, E, beta-carotene and selenium are important for the immune system and are partly supplied by fresh pasture grass.

Our Tip: The Original Landmühle Vitamin and Mineral Supplement Junior Premium contains all the important minerals and trace elements that growing foals need. From suckling foal to weanling to three-year-old, the premium vitamin and mineral supplement offers an optimum supply and can prevent the formation of bone chips.

4. Do foals need a foal rug?

As a rule, foals are naturally provided with everything they need to survive and withstand all weather conditions. If they also consume enough milk, their body temperature is maintained and they do not freeze.

developed a sufficiently thick coat. A foal rug can then provide the necessary warmth in the first few days. Whether the foal needs a rug depends on the date of birth and the associated outside temperatures. A foal rug may therefore be advisable if the foal is born before March.

A foal rug may also be advisable if the foal is kept in the field and the weather is unstable and cold and wet. If the foal is shivering, it not only needs a rug, but should also be brought into the stable.

What features should a foal rug have? A foal rug must be breathable and windproof so that the foal is protected from rain and wind but does not sweat underneath. It should also be made of robust material so that foals do not tear it when playing. Furthermore, the foal rug should be adjustable in size via the belly and chest straps so that it grows with the foal. We recommend the Foal Turnout Rug Kubi 0g for rainy days and the Foal Turnout Rug Kubi 200g for cold winter days from THERMO MASTER.

It is not only the foal that should be carefully acclimatised to the foal rug. Some mares do not recognise their foals with rugs. This can result in a nervous or even aggressive mare that no longer lets her foal get close to her. You should therefore approach this slowly and also get the mare used to the sight.

Getting the foal used to a headcollar – Playfully preparing for the serious side of life

Foals should remain foals for as long as possible and be allowed to enjoy their childhood. Groundwork or even lungeing should not be started too early. At the same time, you can still train them to interact with people so that you don’t have to tame a strong wild horse later on.

Familiarisation with people can begin as early as the first week of life. This involves working with the foal’s childlike curiosity. It is best to sit in the stable or near the foal and wait for it to come to you. You can start by slowly touching and stroking the foal. Everything happens on a voluntary and stress-free basis on the part of the foal. If it allows itself to be touched everywhere, you can also practise briefly holding it by hugging it. Here too: Without force, without stress and not for too long.

If the foal can be touched on the head, ears and neck without ducking away, you can move on to the next step: Putting on the foal headcollar. The headcollar is first pulled over the nose and then over the neck in calm, even movements.

The foal headcollar must not slip or be adjusted so far that the foal gets caught in it when scratching with its hind hooves. This not only leads to injuries, but can also make the foal head shy in the long term. Even with suitable headcollars, the foal should only wear its first piece of equipment under supervision and for short periods of time.

Once the headcollar is on, it must not be pulled under any circumstances. The neckband is still very soft and can be damaged by pulling on the headcollar. It is better to hold and guide the foal with both arms. A lunge rein can later be wrapped around the foal in a figure of eight.

Which headcollar can be used to acclimatise the foal? Under no circumstances should a knot rope halter be used. A knot rope halter exerts too much punctual pressure and may cut into the still soft structures.

A leather headcollar that is softly padded and yields to pressure is best. Leather headcollars are generally not infinitely adjustable and therefore tend to be disadvantageous for the foal’s growth. There are also softly padded nylon headcollars that are lined with neoprene or padded with teddy fleece. Many nylon headcollars for foals grow with the foal.