Preparing your mare for the birth of the foal

When your mare is expecting a foal, it is an exciting time. The preparation for the birth begins well before the due date. What do you need to think about and what do you need to have at home?

3 March '25 - 3 min reading time

The most important thing you can do to prepare for the birth as well as possible is to keep your mare in good health and condition. A birth is a top sport so you want your mare to be optimally prepared. And growing the foal in the womb and suckling the foal are also intensive activities.

Sufficient exercise

Therefore, make sure that your mare also gets enough exercise in the last phase of pregnancy. In any case, a lot of free movement with social contact, but also riding, lunging or ground work can often still be done for quite a while. It varies per mare and even per pregnancy what a mare can handle. Some mares happily compete six weeks before the birth, others clearly indicate five months before the birth that they no longer want certain things. In general, walking and light exercise on the lunge line will still be possible for quite a while during pregnancy. Riding and especially galloping is not comfortable for every mare in the last three or four months of pregnancy. When galloping, the foal more or less hangs on the mare's back and as the foal gets bigger, this becomes increasingly uncomfortable. At the end of her pregnancy, a mare carries around an extra hundred kilos! At a certain point, the mare can no longer tilt her pelvis properly and cannot sufficiently tense her abdominal muscles to keep the topline round. That is the moment that you should not sit on her anymore. However, keep your mare moving. Good condition is essential for a good birth and your mare should not be too fat. The core muscles may also do some work, for example by trotting quietly on the lunge with a low neck or by stepping over some bars. Always keep a close eye on your mare and keep in mind that horses, as flight animals, do not always show if something is unpleasant or painful. You know your horse best, but be careful and if in doubt, choose an activity that is less intensive for your mare. Keep in mind that every pregnancy is different; if your mare could be ridden up to two months in advance last year, that is no guarantee that this will also be the case this year.

Vaccinations and deworming

The mare must be vaccinated against influenza and tetanus in any case. Tetanus is a fatal disease that takes the lives of several foals each year. They can also become very ill from influenza. If the mare has been vaccinated correctly, she will pass on the antibodies to her foal via the placenta. Many people also vaccinate against rhinopneumonia, a virus that can cause colds but also abortion. It is also useful if your mare's deworming has been kept up to date, preferably by means of worm research. Many experts no longer consider the standard deworming a few weeks before birth to be necessary, this used to be the custom. Consult your vet about your mare's vaccinations and deworming about three months before the due date.

Suitable box

Often the mare is moved to a different, larger box than the one she normally stays in before giving birth. It is nice if mother and child have some space. It is wise to do this move about six weeks in advance. The mare can then get used to the new situation and it is important that she feels at home. In addition, she produces antibodies against the germs present in the stable during this period of getting used to it. She can then pass these on to her foal via the colostrum. It is wise to clean the box completely with soap and water and to let it dry well before the mare enters it. Do not use disinfectants unless absolutely necessary, foals lick everything! Also make sure you have a camera and possibly another alarm system such as a birth alarm. If you have a camera, you can see in the weeks before giving birth what 'normal behaviour' is for your mare. How often does she lie down (this will increase as the pregnancy progresses) and how quiet or restless is she at night? If you know what is normal, you will also be better able to recognise abnormal behaviour. And that is good, because a birth happens very quickly with a horse and if problems arise, you often have to act very quickly. By the way, foaling in a pasture is not a problem at all, it is often the cleanest. But in a pasture it is very difficult to install good camera surveillance. However, if your mare unexpectedly starts her birth while she is in the pasture (during the day, for example), do not panic, but keep the other horses away and just let it happen.

Gathering materials

Also use the last few weeks before the due date to put all the things you might need at the birth within reach. In most cases, a birth goes well and the mare can do much or almost everything herself. But if something goes wrong, you have little time and you want to have a number of things within reach.

Prepare:

Clean bucket

Clean towels

Soap and sanitizer for your hands

Iodine or other disinfectant for the umbilical cord

Umbilical clamp

Clean bottle with teat suitable for foal

Tail bandage

Lubricant

Charged phone with your vet's emergency number on it

Sufficient vitamins and minerals

In the last phase of pregnancy and also during the lactation period your mare needs (a lot of) extra nutrition and especially minerals. You can read more about this in another article.