1-2-3 Rule 4 A Healthy Foal

Written by UF Veterinary Student: Iffat Nawsheen

Pregnancy is a very rewarding yet delicate time for the pregnant mare. Gestation in a horse can last between 310 and 374 days. It is very important to create a relationship with your veterinarian at this time in order to ensure that both the mare and the foal are healthy and so that if an emergency were to occur, your veterinarian can better respond to it.

In order to know when to call your veterinarian with an emergency, you must first know healthy parturition, or foaling.

Stage I: The mare is preparing to expel the fetus. This process can take from 1-4 hours. During this time, the mare is restless, is twitching her tail, and can be seen standing up and sitting down constantly. Her cervix is dilating and it can be advised to get her somewhere dry and comfortable for delivering her foal.

-       If you see a “red bag” appearing at the vulva, this is an immediate emergency. The placenta has detached prematurely and the foal has no oxygen. If there is no on-site veterinarian, you must manually rupture the bag and deliver the foal.

Stage II: The mare’s water breaks and is in active labor. The foal should be delivered within 20 to 30 minutes. In a normal birth, you will see the foal be expelled from a white-ish blue membrane. The foal should come out with its front legs and head out first, beginning with one leg.

-       If the mare is straining for longer than 20 minutes, with no progress, call your veterinarian as this is an emergency.

-       If the foal is not in correct positioning, an experienced farm-hand or veterinarian can assist you in manually repositioning the foal.

Stage III: The placenta must be passed last.

-       If this does not occur within 3 hours, contact your veterinarian as this is an emergency.

Once the foal is here you must observe the 1-2-3 Rule.

At 1 hour the foal should be standing independently.

At 2 hours, the foal should be nursing successfully.

At 3 hours, the mare should have passed the placenta.

Your veterinarian should do an exam on both the mare and the foal within 12 hours of the foal being born. Refrigerating the passed placenta for your veterinarian to inspect for breaks or fragments is very important. This is to ensure that both the mare and foal have the best chance of survival, growth, and thriving as there are many complications that can be prevented post-birthing. Remember, conversations before birth and coming up with a plan with your veterinarian is the best practice for mitigating complications!