Steps to preparing the mare for the breeding season It's the time of year matchmaking is on our minds. Breeding season is around the corner, and we need to think not only of which stallion to breed to-but also the preparation needed to ready our mare for breeding. Breeding can be as simple as nature designed it to be or as complicated as timing the insemination of frozen semen. To optimize your chances of a successful breeding, there are a few steps and questions we need to ask ourselves. First and foremost, what is the body condition of the mare? Every year, I see mare after mare presented for breeding that is in poor body condition. Body condition scores of horses range from 1 (a rack of bones) to 9 (obese) with most broodmares in the 5-6 range. The best pregnancy rates occur when a mare is gaining weight or at least on a positive plane of nutrition. Thus, make sure your mare is in good condition when she is sent to the stud farm. Make sure your mare is current on all vaccinations at least three weeks prior to being sent to the stud farm. It is little value to vaccinate the day you send her off. Find out what shape your mare's uterus is in. This is best accomplished by having a complete breeding soundness exam performed. What time of year are you planning on breeding the mare? If you are aiming for an early winter breeding, e.g., late January or February, in North America, then you must place your mare under artificial lights for about 30-45 days prior to the start of the breeding season. The length of daylight regulates the estrous cycle of the mare; mares show heat when the days are long and stop cycling during the short cold days of winter. They are also referred to as seasonal polyestrous (they show many heats during a specific season, i.e., spring and summer). The length of light needs to be about 16 hours a day. When the mare is placed under artificial light the pineal gland (which controls the release of melatonin) is fooled into thinking that spring is here and summer is around the corner. Temperature has little, if any, to do with the onset of estrus in the mare. Towards the end of the artificial light period, it may benefit your mare to undergo some teasing with a stallion. Additionally, some veterinarians will administer a hormone, e.g., progesterone, for a short period of time to augment the start of the cycle. Most Breeding farms require the mare to have a negative uterine culture prior to being sent to the farm? Uterine cultures are often performed to save time when breeding mares. No one wants to waste semen breeding infected mares. Three complete cycles are the limit with some facilities. If the mare does not become pregnant, will they have a veterinarian conduct a complete examination to discover the cause? Will your mare be bred via live cover or artificially inseminated with fresh, shipped, or frozen semen? These are all questions that need to be address prior breeding the mare Lastly, You need to send a copy of the mare's recent medical history that might be important to the stud farm's veterinarian. If your mare tends to get a uterine infection with natural breeding but not with artificial insemination, the breeder should know. Most important of all, I think, is to have contact numbers so that the farm can contact you in case of an emergency. If your mare is up to par  then you are ready to send your mare. May she get pregnant on the first breeding.

Getting Close to Foaling? Alright, so you've got her bred, and you've given her all of her shots. You have the foaling kit ready ( See foaling Kit list below)and you've put straw down in her stall.....now what? Wait and observe. Read on to find out about sure fire signs that your mare is getting closer to giving birth.   One of the first signs that your mare will show will be at 2-6 weeks prior to foaling. This is the development of her mammary glands. Her udder will begin to get larger and sore to the touch. At 1-3 weeks prior to foaling, she will begin to have perineal relaxation. (relaxing of the muscles in the rear-end) This will only continue to get looser as she gets closer to having her foal. Once she gets to 7-10 days prior to foaling, the ends of her teats will fill up with colostrum. 48-72 hours prior to foaling, the ends of her teats will begin to "wax up." This is caused by the sticky colostrum leaking slightly. It will look like tiny little balls of wax at the tips of her teats. 0-24 hours prior to your mare giving birth, her vulva will begin to loosen up and elongate. At 12-24 hours prior to foaling, you will start to see milk dripping from her udder. It generally will get heavier as she gets closer to giving birth. And lastly, as your mare gets ready to give birth, she will get very uneasy. She will start to walk around and try to get comfortable. She will, more than likely, lay down and get up multiple times before she is ready to have the baby. And of corse every mare is different. Not all mare will show all of these signs.

Foaling Kits    SPRING is almost here and that means BABIES ARE COMING!! Amidst all of this excitement, don't forget to pack your foaling kits...scroll down to see what Red Tail Arabians suggests to help make the foaling of your new arrival as easy as possible!    First and foremost, a large, seal-able plastic box and tight lid make the best foaling kit container. It can be left in the barn and will stay dry and clean until needed. Clean tail wrap to wrap the mare's tail prior to foaling Betadine to wash the mare prior to foaling and to paint the navel after birth. Nolvalson can also be used. Regular exam gloves (rubber dish gloves work fine!) so you won't get betadine all over your hands. Sponges to apply the disinfectant A clean medicine dose cup (the kind that holds medicines like NyQuil) or an empty 35mm film container to put disinfectant in. Used to dip the chord. A large heavyweight trash bag to remove the placenta from the stall. (Your veterinarian may ask you to save the placenta so that it can be examined to see that all the pieces are present, ensuring that infections and problems will not crop up later.) Make sure you keep this away from the other barn animals. Sharp, clean scissors to open a thick placental sac or to cut the umbilical cord. Piece of chord/string in isopropyl alcohol to tie off umbilical cord. At least two fleet enemas to be used if the foal seems to have trouble defecating after it is born. Contact your veterinarian prior to using them, but having them on hand will shorten the time to treatment. A few large towels and a few small hand towels. These are used to grasp the foal's feet and legs if you need to help pull and to dry and clean the foal after birth. Sterile lubricant, such as Vaseline, and long OB gloves in case you have to go in and "help" the position of the foal. A flashlight with fresh batteries. This can be a small light. A watch to keep track of time during foaling. A thermometer to check temperatures. Make sure that the thermostat is used with caution on the foal; perforation of the bowl can occur very easily, resulting in the death of the foal. Temperature: Foals - 102 F or 38.5-39 C Mature - 99-101 F or 37-38.3 C A stethoscope to check heart rate and lungs Heart Rate (in beats per minute): Birth - 80-120 Six months - 60-80 Yearling - 40-60 Mature - 28-40 Probiotics for foal (vitamins, minerals, enzymes, live organisms in a paste to "jump start" the foal) Colostrum Bank phone number or commercial brand colostrums replacer on hand. Coffee, lots of Coffee for the foal watch person! A cordless phone with Vet's number! never hurts to be able to call a vet without having to leave the mare! Also, it's not a bad idea to have another box set up for the vet in which you have oxygen, IV fluids and administration kits, the long OB gloves, Rompun (Xylazine), and Oxytocin. You can always administer the oxygen, the tranquilizer or t