Stages of Foaling in Horses

The majority of mares give birth without difficulty, moving smoothly through the various stages of labor and parturition. However, mare owners and foaling managers need to know when the mare is not making progress and may require some sort of intervention to ensure the well-being of mare and foal.

The first stage of labor in horses normally lasts from one to four hours. Early signs resemble those seen in a colicky horse: restlessness, lying down and getting up repeatedly, looking at the flanks, nipping or kicking at the abdomen, sweating, and pawing the ground. The mare’s signs of discomfort may ease for a while and then resume. During this period, uterine contractions are moving the foal into position for delivery. Instead of lying on its back with legs flexed, as it has for most of the pregnancy, the fetus is rotated onto its belly with its forelegs and head extended toward the mare’s vagina. As the contractions become stronger and the foal begins to move into the birth canal, the mare’s membranes will rupture and release a large quantity of fluid. This marks the end of the first stage.

Actual delivery of the foal occurs in the second stage. The mare’s contractions become very powerful at this time. She may lie down, remain standing, or walk around at any time, even after the foal’s feet are visible outside the vulva. In a normal presentation, the foal’s forelegs are extended with one hoof slightly ahead of the other, with the head stretched along the forelegs. As the feet become visible through the amnion, the mare is pushing the foal’s shoulders through the cervix, after which she usually takes a brief rest before pushing the rest of the foal’s body out. During this time the foal is still receiving some oxygen via the umbilical cord. The attendant should be sure that the foal’s nose is uncovered and free of fluid, especially if the membrane has not ruptured naturally. The foal’s hind legs may remain inside the mare for a few minutes as the mare takes another break. This stage may go quickly for some mares, while others take up to half an hour for complete delivery. Anything over this amount of time is cause for concern. If there is a great amount of vaginal bleeding at any time or if the mare becomes exhausted without producing the foal, these are also signals that she is in distress and needs veterinary help immediately.

The last stage of labor is expulsion of the placenta. This usually occurs within a few hours after delivery of the foal. It’s important not to pull on the placenta but to let it detach from the uterine wall by itself. If the mare is up and moving around and the placenta is hanging out but has not yet completely released, it is a good idea to gather it into cheesecloth and tie the bundle so that it doesn’t get stepped on and the weight of the placenta creates some traction for removal. The attendant should examine the placenta once it is passed to be sure it is complete, as any retained placental tissue is likely to cause uterine infection. If there is a long delay in passing the placenta, a veterinarian should be called to examine the mare. Mares that appear to have severe abdominal discomfort or excessive bleeding after the third stage should also be examined.