Well we had to wait a couple of weeks longer than we expected but it seems that the mares have finally decided to get on board with foaling season! We currently have 6 foals on the ground, 5 of which arrived over the course of 10 days. It's been a good year for fillies which is always super exciting for us and also very tempting to find one or two to keep. Here's a little picture of what things looks like during this exciting time of year.
Foal Watch: This part involves a lot of waiting and wondering! We have a foaling alarm system that measures the mare's temperature every 5 minutes and compares it to her average temperature for the time of day. Prior to foaling mares will often show a temperature drop and this is the signal to send an alert that foaling is imminent. The system works well and the temperature drop is consistent, however we also get a lot of false alarms during the spring season when our daily weather does drastic swings. So there's a lot of sorting through the alarms to see which are legit! We're also watching for physical signs of foaling- udder development, softening around the tailhead, waxing (beads of colostrum on the teats), and attitude changes. When we see these signs we know to be extra vigilant because a foal is going to be arriving soon.
Foaling: Once the system alerts and we recognize that a mare is about to deliver we make it a point to attend the foaling. This allows us to recognize any problems and address them quickly. Ideally, we can sit back a little ways and just monitor but if something isn't right acting immediately is critical to increasing the odds of a good outcome. Our system generally alerts 1-2 hours ahead of the actual delivery so there is a bit of down time waiting and watching as the mare gets increasingly restless. Once her water breaks and active labor begins the process is quick- generally a foal should be on the ground within 15 minutes. To make things extra complicated, mares have a tendency to foal at night. Ours seem to prefer 12-1AM or else around 5-6AM. This means that even when all goes well the arrival of a foal usually means lost sleep and a day of being very groggy.
Foal Care: Getting a foal on the ground is great, but it's really just the beginning of our adventures with the new arrival. There are several steps to take after birth to make sure mom and baby are healthy and off to a good start. The 1-2-3 rule of foaling says that foals should stand within one hour and nurse within two hours, and the mare should pass the placenta within 3 hours. Getting the foal on it's feet and nursing is especially important as foals are born with no immunity and receive antibodies from the first milk that their mother produces (colostrum). Getting this colostrum into their system within the first few hours of life is absolutely critical to their long term health so we are sure to stick around and make sure the foal can stand and nurse before leaving mom and baby to bond. We also pull blood when the foal is around 18 hours old to see how well they received and absorbed the antibodies so that supplemental colostrum or a plasma transfer can be provided if needed. Another important step in the first few days of life is dipping the foal's umbilical stump in a disinfectant to help prevent bacteria from entering the body through the stump. These steps are just the basics for a healthy foal, any signs of trouble can involve temperature checks, extra assistance standing/nursing, vet checks, antibiotics, and other various steps. We do a lot of foal checks for the first couple of weeks to be sure our babies are active, nursing and happy!
In all, foaling season is an exciting but chaotic time of year. We love welcoming new arrivals but there's always a sense of anxious concern in trying to be sure that everyone is thriving. The start of foaling season is extra crazy because we have so many mares due at once. At the moment we are nearly halfway through our 2020 foal crop, with the remaining 8 foals spaced out a bit more over the next 3 months. We have been blessed with some very exciting babies and healthy deliveries so we're excited to keep going and get a few more on the ground!
