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Foaling and Breeding
By Peter Fenton Equine Veterinary Practice
The idea of producing a foal from your own mare seems like a good one
to some owners but it is a decision not to be made lightly. There are
numerous medical, financial and common sense decisions to be made
first.
I regularly hear owners of mares say they don't have time at the
moment to work the horse so they are going to put them in foal. How
will you find the time for two if you are struggling to find the time
for one?
Before starting down the long and expensive path of producing a foal some questions need to be answered:
Why am I breeding my mare?
• to produce an animal I will rear and eventually ride and compete
• to produce a quality animal to
sell because my mare is of good conformation and been successful in
her work
these are both good reasons, in my opinion
• because I want a foal
• I don't want to / don't have time to ride my mare anymore due to other time commitments
these are not a good enough reason, in my opinion
If you just want a foal then go and buy a good quality one.
Can my mare breed and should she?
Firstly should she? There is no point breeding from mares with poor
conformation, inherited disease (eg Navicular Disease) or bad
temperament, as you will only produce an animal with similar faults.
Secondly can she? Before breeding your mare if you are unsure about
what to do you should have her examined for breeding soundness.
She will have a thorough examination plus rectal palpation and possibly
ultrasound examination of her reproductive tract to ensure she is
capable of producing and maintaining a pregnancy. There are a number of
problems and diseases that can cause irregular or no seasons and
failure to become pregnant which could be rectified before your mare is
bred. There is no ideal age to breed a first foal as long as the mare
is healthy and in good condition. That said fertility does reduce with
increasing age and in my opinion a mare should be skeletally mature (4
years +) when she delivers her first foal.
Which stallion should I use?
This obviously depends on the breed of your mare and the type of
work
you intend the foal to eventually do. In this area I find the majority
of people are breeding either pure bred show stock (e.g. Welsh cobs and
ponies, Arabs etc) or sports horses which can be separated again into
foreign blood type horses or native Irish Draught / Thoroughbred cross
type used for eventing, showjumping, dressage and hunting. The mare
determines the size of the foal at birth so there is little danger in
choosing a stallion larger than your mare. It is personal preference
but look at the performance records and previous foals for an idea of
what you might expect to
produce,
Natural Service or AI (artificial Insemination)?
There are pro's and con's for both methods. Natural service involves
knowing your mares cycle, travelling her, sometimes a long distance to
a strange yard and hoping she settles. The stud will request that your
mare is swabbed for infectious causes of abortion and infertility and
may require she be up to date with her flu and tetanus vaccinations.
She could be there several weeks until successfully covered and scanned
in foal. You will normally pay the stud fee plus livery and a lot of
studs offer a veterinary package that will cover all scans and
treatment necessary to get your mare in foal, obviously carrying a
charge.
The use of AI in horses has become much more routine and is a
preferable option to a lot of mare owners. The mare can stay at her own
yard and when she is due in season is scanned regularly (sometimes
hourly!) to accurately predict the time of ovulation. This is more
important with frozen semen than chilled as it can only survive 3-4
hours inside the mare whereas chilled semen survives 12-14 hours.
Pregnancy rates with frozen semen are lower than with natural service
but with chilled semen it is similar. AI is particularly useful in
aggressive mares or mares that do not travel well and stress in strange
surroundings. The semen is usually couriered as needed directly from
the stud.
Herpes, Bacteria, Twins and Abortion
Once your mare is confirmed pregnant we would ideally like her to stay
that way! The majority of pregnancies that fail in mares do so before
49 days. Of the mares that lose their foetuses later on (abort) the
process can be separated into infectious and non-infectious causes. The
most common infectious cause of abortion in mares is herpes virus. The
virus, like many, is transmitted via the respiratory route causing
respiratory disease in all horses, not just mares, and causes abortion
in pregnant mares. Prevention is straightforward by vaccination
repeated at 5,7 and 9 months of the pregnancy. All horses can be
vaccinated against the disease again reducing the incidence of
respiratory disease and the risk to pregnant mares. Bacteria of many
types can infect the foetus and cause abortion. The infection ascends
up the vagina and through the cervix often from urine or faeces
collecting in the vagina. This is as a direct result of poor vaginal or
perineal conformation that should be picked up and discussed at a
breeding soundness examination.
By far the most significant non-infectious cause of abortion is twin
pregnancies. 65% of twin pregnancies result in abortion. 21% in the
birth of 1 weak foal and 14% in the birth of 2 foals (14% of which
survive to only 2 weeks old). Twins can be picked up on a scan at 28 to
30 days and either one embryo is crushed or the mare is aborted and
re-bred.
The Pregnancy
Your pregnant mare will normally change her character becoming quieter.
As pregnancy progresses she may start to object to ridden exercise.
There is no reason for your mare not to work virtually up to the date
she foals but if she is objecting or becoming tired quickly then work
should be reduced. In the last three months of the pregnancy the mare's
abdomen will become larger and more pendulous as this is the time when
the foal grows the fastest. It is sometimes necessary to increase the
mare's hard feed at this stage and she may eat less hay or haylage as
room in the abdomen reduces. However don't go reaching for bags and
bags of stud mix if your mare is maintaining her condition because a
fat mare may have trouble foaling. The mare's udder develops in the
last 2 weeks of pregnancy and the area around her tail head relaxes and
softens. She may also show mild to moderate colic signs.
The Final Countdown!!
After an average of 342 days (320-385) you are hoping the birth goes
well and are hoping you are there to see it. About 48 hours before
birth a waxy deposit should collect on the end of the mare's teats
(waxing up). As the birth approaches the mare may become restless
getting up and down frequently and she may stop eating. As she begins
to go into labour she may sweat in patches. There are two ways you will
see the birth of your foal. One way is a 24 hour stake out of the
stable once you know she is close and the other is by buying an alarm
system which we have available from this practice. Fortunately 99% of
foalings go without a problem but if something does go wrong then it is
certainly a medical emergency.
Common problems include:
• Failure to pass the
foal. If you are aware of the rupture of the placenta and passage of a
straw coloured fluid then the foal should arrive within 30 minutes. If
it has not then call for veterinary assistance immediately.
• Retained placenta.
If the foal is bom and the placenta (afterbirth) is not passed within 3
hours the mare will need treatment to help her to pass it. It is not
passed within 8 hours the mare is likely to become ill with
endometritis (infection of the womb) and subsequently endotoxaemia and
laminitis - aggressive treatment is necessary.
• Vaginal tears. These may require surgical repair.
• Uterine Artery
Rupture. Large foals in small mares can cause the mare to bleed
internally. If the bleeding is contained she should survive. If she
bleeds into her abdomen she is likely to die. The mare will show signs
of colic and will have pale mucous membranes and a weak pulse.
• Failure of passive
transfer. If the foal does not drink sufficient colostmms in the first
6 hours of life or if the mare has run milk before the birth, the foal
will have very low antibodies and therefore poor resistance to disease.
These foals need intensive care to survive the first few weeks of life.
It is important to seek veterinary advice if you are unsure at any stage
and best practice to have your foal checked once he / she arrives.
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