top of page

Join our Foal watch...

Foaling Season is a stressful time for everyone.   

We have been so fortunate to have many people who watch over our Mares & Foals year after year.

We can not thank you enough.

Pregnancy

  • Mares are given a due date of 340 days after breeding

  • Mares can go as early as 310 days or as late as 370 days

  • Mares can start and stop their labor up until their water breaks

  • Some mares wait to be alone and  some wait for their herd.

  • Our mares are perfectly comfortable with us in the stall while they labor and during delivery.   

  • Maiden Mares (Mares who have not ever delivered a foal) break all the rules. 

Foal Watch

  • We monitor our mares very closely and watch for signs.

  • Our mares come into the barn at night approx 30 days before their due date so we can monitor the behavior during the night

  • We watch for patterns....times they typically get restless or times they lay down to sleep.

  • We also check the PH and Calcium levels of their milk.   When the PH falls low like 6.2 and the calcium goes really high, Foaling is close.

  • We also watch the shape of their belly, the softness around the tail and how much resistance there is in the tail.

  • We focus most on the udder .     It will become enlarged and will often "wax"   Wax looks like candle Wax on their teats.

Signs of Active Labor

  • We prefer our Mares to delivery in our Large foaling stall on shavings instead of Straw--Personal Preference

  • Our mare typically start pacing the stall.  This can start and stop for days.   Our goal is to watch the patterns and for increasing signs of restlessness.   The closer they are the more restless they become

  • We see the mare rubbing their tails on the walls then increase to bumping their rumps on the wall.

  • They may lay down or roll to help position the foal.

  • They may go from nibbling their hay to forcefully ripping at the hay net-aggressively eating.

  • Biting their bellies with contractions--We do time them just like in we do with humans.

  • All these symptoms continue to progress until their water breaks.

OUR TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM  

Green- The Mare is in and out of the barn, we are just monitoring them.  She is within the "Foaling Window" but she is testing normal & her behavior is normal.

Yellow-The Mare is making some changes & could progress but not close to ACTIVE labor.   We increased our monitoring.

RED-WE STOP WHAT WE ARE DOING & STAY CLOSE TO THE MARE.    Everything points to she could foal any time.
traffic-light-sequence-vector-7569020_edited.jpg

  • Please note-I live onsite and when they are laboring I am 100ft away at all times.   Once their water breaks, I enter the stall.   Our mares are not alone when they are close to foaling.   So if you do not see someone, typically we are right outside the barn.

  • If you are concerned about our mare or If we are standing by or Not or even sure if there is an issue...

  •   Barn-Call/Text (734) 755-3562     

  • Christina's Cell-Call/Text (734)-497-1294

  • I would rather take a million calls day or night then to miss the call that Mom or Baby needed help.

  • We also have a private facebook group that we post daily on and encourage our watchers to comment on the thread with updates that you see on camera.   Join by Searching on

  • facebook  groups "SFGH Mare Watchers."

bottom of page