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The Foaling Primer: A Step-by-Step Guide to Raising a Healthy Foal
Buchaktionen
Mit Lesen beginnenLänge: 346 Seiten2 Stunden
- Herausgeber:
- Storey Publishing
- Freigegeben:
- Nov 12, 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781612122571
- Format:
- Buch
Beschreibung
Start your foal off on the right hoof! With correct handling, health care, and training during the first year, you can establish a strong foundation that will benefit your horse throughout his life. From bottle feeding to rope leading, Cynthia McFarland covers everything you need to know as you guide your foal from birth to yearling. With an emphasis on recognizing critical developmental signs, McFarland’s expert advice will help you raise a healthy, happy, and well-adjusted foal.
Informationen über das Buch
The Foaling Primer: A Step-by-Step Guide to Raising a Healthy Foal
Länge: 346 Seiten2 Stunden
Beschreibung
Start your foal off on the right hoof! With correct handling, health care, and training during the first year, you can establish a strong foundation that will benefit your horse throughout his life. From bottle feeding to rope leading, Cynthia McFarland covers everything you need to know as you guide your foal from birth to yearling. With an emphasis on recognizing critical developmental signs, McFarland’s expert advice will help you raise a healthy, happy, and well-adjusted foal.
- Herausgeber:
- Storey Publishing
- Freigegeben:
- Nov 12, 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781612122571
- Format:
- Buch
Über den Autor
Cynthia McFarland has been a horse owner for more than 30 years and has written two books and hundreds of equine articles for numerous publications including Horse Illustrated, Equine Journal, Western Horseman, Horses USA, Quarter Horses USA, and Thoroughbred Times. Cynthia lives in Ocala, Florida — the “Horse Capital of the World.”
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Preface & Acknowledgments
This book is intended to serve as a helpful guide through the exciting and sometimes confusing process of gestation, foaling, and raising a foal. Use it as a handy reference and resource, and don’t hesitate to ask questions of your veterinarian. There is no such thing as a dumb question.
As any horse owner quickly learns, there is not just one right way to do things. If you gather a dozen respected veterinarians, farm owners, and managers in one spot, you will hear a dozen variations on the same theme — and this doesn’t mean any of them are wrong.
I have tried to write the guidebook I wish I’d had when I began the adventure of breeding, foaling, and raising foals. My hope is that it will give you direction, answer many of your questions, and prepare you for the rewarding experience of watching your foal enter the world and grow into a healthy young horse.
I am greatly indebted to those who graciously shared their expertise, offered their opinions, and generously gave of their time during my research. My heartfelt gratitude to Steven A. Murphy, DVM; Sharon J. Spier, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California at Davis; Kathleen Crandell, PhD, Kentucky Equine Research; Mark Shuffitt, University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service; Ken Breitenbecker; the American Association of Equine Practitioners; the American Quarter Horse Association; and the Appaloosa Horse Club. Thanks also to Mom, for your enthusiasm and thorough proofreading.
I truly appreciate the farm owners and horse owners who kindly allowed photographs of their horses to appear in this book: Bo-Bett Farm, BryLynn Farm, Lynn’s Appaloosas, Horsefeathers Farm, Marablue Farm, Petty’s Quarter Horses, Stanley White’s Grandeur Arabians, Turtle Pond Farm, and Stonehedge Farm South. To Alexandria, Annette, Bobby, Casey, Caroline, Cindy, Dalton, Danielle, Evon, Lynn, Mary Jane, Nina, Shanea, and Dr. Murphy … you were perfect models!
— Cynthia McFarland
1 Getting Ready for the Big Day
It is springtime in horse country, and few sights stir the hearts of horse lovers more than that of mares and foals on good green pasture. It is an image filled with both the satisfaction of the moment and the promise of the future.
As the owner of a pregnant mare, you have put time and effort into choosing a stallion, breeding your mare, and caring for her over the months. Perhaps you bred your mare because she has such an outstanding pedigree that you want to carry on her bloodlines, or maybe you want to raise and train your own horse instead of buying one. It could be that you want to break into breeding and selling your own stock. For whatever reason, you now own a pregnant mare, and no doubt your mind is brimming with hopes and plans for the foal she is carrying.
If you show or participate in competitive events, you might be dreaming of raising tomorrow’s champion. But you don’t have to compete in a show ring to know the unique rewards in breeding and raising a beloved riding partner and companion. The journey from witnessing your foal’s first wobbly steps to enjoying your friend and riding mount is one you will treasure for many, many years.
One thing is certain: You are sure to be counting down the days until the new foal’s expected arrival. Because the average mare is pregnant for 343 days, your foal won’t make his appearance until approximately 11 months and 11 days after the mare was bred. Welcome to the waiting game!
Will it be a colt or a filly? What color will he be? Will he have his dam’s blaze and stockings or will he look more like his sire, with few white markings? Will she have her dam’s kind, laid- back personality or be fiery, like her spirited sire?
Caring for the Pregnant Mare
Eleven months may seem like a long time to wait, but there is plenty you can do to fill the time. If you normally ride your mare, you can usually continue to take her on easy outings into the second trimester, unless your veterinarian says otherwise. Nonstrenuous exercise is beneficial to her, and throughout her pregnancy she should be turned out in order to exercise freely. Pregnancy and foaling will be easier if your mare is in shape and not overly fat or too thin.
Although 343 days is the length of the average pregnancy, it’s not uncommon for a mare to be late.
Although she is eating for two,
you shouldn’t have to change her feed ration during the first months of gestation, or pregnancy. During the first trimester, the average pregnant mare can be fed a maintenance ration. Her nutritional requirements will increase only slightly during the second trimester, as the fetus is not growing rapidly for these first eight months.
By the seventh month of gestation, the fetus is only about 17 percent of its birth weight. Sixty to 70 percent of the fetus’s growth takes place during the third trimester, and in the last 2½ months of gestation, the fetus actually doubles in size. This is the most critical nutritional phase during pregnancy. For example, copper content in the mare’s ration is essential during late gestation for healthy fetal bone development. If the mare doesn’t receive adequate nutrients, she will deplete her own body stores.
The growing fetus builds up reserves of certain minerals such as copper, manganese, zinc, selenium, iodine, and iron during the last trimester. The foal will need these minerals during its first months of life. Because it is impossible to correct inadequacies by supplementing the mare and foal after birth, the mare must consume adequate amounts of trace minerals during her last months of pregnancy. Quality forage and a commercial balanced grain or concentrate ration designed for broodmares will contain the necessary nutrition during this important stage of gestation.
Purchase a weight tape at a feed or tack shop so you can determine your mare’s approximate weight and can adjust her feed ration accordingly. Once the foal is born, the tape will also be helpful in measuring how the foal is growing.
Commercial feed labels give directions on how many pounds to feed according to your horse’s size. As feed should always be fed by weight, not volume, it is advisable to purchase an inexpensive bathroom scale to keep in the barn. This makes it easy to weigh your feed ration and flakes of hay so you know exactly how much you are feeding.
BODY SCORING CHART: What Is Your Mare’s Condition?
There are nine scores on the body-condition scoring system, with 1 being poor condition and 9 being extremely fat. Scoring is determined by looking at the horse from the side from a distance of about 15 feet. First look for noticeably visible ribs. If you don’t see ribs, the horse’s condition score is 5, which is considered moderate or better. (If the horse has a heavy coat, you will have to use your hands and not just your vision to check her condition.) A healthy pregnant mare should be a 6 or a 7 on the body scoring chart.
Some mares are easy keepers — that is, they gain and maintain weight easily; others are more difficult to keep weight on. If you have any questions about whether your mare is too fat or too thin while she is pregnant, don’t hesitate to consult your vet.
Score 1: Poor (abuse case) — very prominent vertebrae, ribs, shoulders, withers, and tail head; extremely thin neck.
Score 2: Very Thin (starved) — prominent vertebrae and ribs; very thin neck, shoulders, withers, and tail head.
Score 3: Thin (skinny) — ribs readily visible; moderately thin neck, shoulders, and withers; prominent tail head.
Score 4: Moderately Thin (underweight) — light ridge along back; outline of ribs visible; neck, shoulders, withers moderately thin, some fat around tail head.
Score 5: Moderate — flat back (no crease or ridge); ribs easily palpable but not visible; shoulders and neck blend smoothly into body; rounded withers; moderate fat around tail head.
Score 6: Moderately Fleshy (average) — may have slight crease along back; ribs palpable but not visible; a little fat along withers, behind shoulders, and along neck; soft fat around tail head.
Score 7: Fleshy (healthy) — may have crease down back; ribs barely palpable; average fat along withers, shoulders, and neck; soft fat around tail head.
Score 8: Fat — crease down back; difficult to feel ribs; area around withers and behind shoulders filled with fat; noticeably thickened neck; fat along inner thighs; very soft fat around tail head.
Score 9: Extremely Fat (obese) — obvious crease down back; patchy fat over ribs; bulging fat along withers, behind shoulders, along neck, and around tail head.
Keep up-to-date with your mare’s hoof-care program.
Although your mare is eating for two, you usually won’t have to change her ration until the last trimester of pregnancy.
Vaccinating the Pregnant Mare
A pregnant mare should be current on her vaccinations to protect her and her newborn foal. The veterinarian will tell you which vaccinations your mare should receive and when. For the greatest protection, vaccinate every spring and fall. Schedule her semiannual vaccinations for when she is five to six months pregnant.
Watch Out for Fescue!
If your mare is grazing on a fescue pasture that is not endophyte-free, take her off this grass at least 90 days prior to foaling. Fescue grass often contains an endophyte fungus that causes serious complications during late pregnancy. These include abortion, thickened placenta, prolonged pregnancy, little or no milk production, and retained placenta after foaling.
To give your foal a healthy start, it’s important to maximize the antibodies in the mare’s colostrum (the first fluid produced by the mare, which is rich in protein and antibodies) by ensuring that she gets the booster shots the vet recommends four to six weeks before her foaling due date.
Feeding the Pregnant Mare
Please note that all amounts given are approximate, as every mare is different. Rations should always be adjusted to meet your specific mare’s needs.
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