AS SPRING approaches, many will be anxiously awaiting the arrival of this season's foals.

After the process of getting your mare in foal, the last three months of her pregnancy require careful consideration and planning, whether this is your first foal or your 40th.

In this article we will try to give some guidance to make this final part of the process as stress free as possible for both you and the mare.

More than half of the foal’s growth occurs in the last three months of gestation and so at this stage additional nutritional support is often required.

Frequent feeding with small meals of good quality forage and a hard feed designed for pregnant mares will provide both mum and baby with important minerals and sufficient energy. It will also give the mare adequate energy reserves for the production of milk and colostrum in the first few weeks after foaling.

That said, mares which are fat may be predisposed to having difficulties when foaling and so feeding should be based on monitoring her body condition score and adjusting accordingly.

It is recommended that pregnant mares are vaccinated routinely against equine influenza and tetanus and they receive a booster approximately a month before their foaling date.

This means that some immunity against these diseases will be passed to the foal via the mare’s colostrum in the first few hours after birth.

Foals will have no immunity of their own at birth and will rely solely on what they gain from the mare.

This is one of many reasons why it is prudent that any change in location of the mare prior to foaling should be done no later than two weeks before the expected due date.

Furthermore, this will allow her to be settled in plenty of time and reduce potential stress immediately around the foaling period. Worming of the mare should be done 2-4 weeks before her due date with an appropriate product.

Around three weeks prior to the expected foaling date, any Caslick’s procedures should be undone by the vet. This involves removing of any stitches from the vulva to allow easy exit of the foal and reduce risk of tearing.

If you are unsure whether your mare has had this procedure performed, ask your vet to examine her in plenty of time.

Foaling boxes must be larger than a normal stable and free of any objects that the mare or foal could potentially injure themselves on.

A thick straw bed is usually best. If you choose to foal your mare outdoors, a small paddock with safe secure fencing is necessary.

Regardless of whether your mare will foal inside or outside, make sure there is a way of adequately lighting the stable or paddock.

It is useful to put together in advance a few items which might be required come foaling time.

The main event of the birth is made up of three stages – during stage one, the mare is likely to be restless and sometimes slightly colicky as uterine contractions begin; then stage two begins when the membranes, or ‘waters’, break and forceful contractions propel the foal into the outside world. Passing of the placenta constitutes stage three of labour.

It is important to know how long each of these stages should take and when you should be concerned and contact the vet. Time is of the essence in foaling situations.

Being well prepared and knowing what to expect should make the whole experience of your mare foaling a lot easier and less stressful.

The vast majority of mares will have no problems, but with some forward planning and knowledge, hopefully any issues which arise can be dealt with swiftly.?