In order to correct for this mares should be supplemented with a good quality vitamin and mineral mix. Once lactation begins, the mares energy and protein needs increase further. After 3 months of lactation a mares milk production is usually declining and this is where we have to slowly start decreasing her supplemental feed intake before weaning at months to help dry up her production of milk.
Mares benefit from as much turnout as possible — preferably for a minimum of 6 hours a day. Worming Parasite control relies on regular twice weekly! It is important to check the labels or consult your veterinary surgeon with regards to which wormer is suitable to administer to pregnant mares.
To ensure maximal protection of the new-born foal it is recommended that pregnant mares are vaccinated for influenza and tetanus in the last weeks of pregnancy. Pregnant mares can also be vaccinated against Equine Herpes Virus 1 and 4 that can cause abortion. This vaccine is given at 5, 7 and 9 months of pregnancy. Rotavirus can also be vaccinated against in the 8th, 9th and 10th month of pregnancy. Unlike many other mammals, mares do not have a well-defined gestation period.
Oh, how many mare owners wish their charges were as predictable as sows with their nearly foolproof pregnancy length? For horse breeds, alas, gestational periods of mares are far more variable, with anywhere between and days completely within normal limits. Some experts extend this range further, indicating a day gestation could be considered normal. Multiple studies have evaluated gestation lengths in mare herds. One study examined the gestation lengths of Standardbred mares at two commercial farms over a two-year period.
Of the foals resulting from these records, the mean gestation length was days. Further examination of data revealed a mean of days for fillies and days for colts. They are not. Premature foals are those that are born too early based on gestational length.
Dysmature foals are full-term but have physical characteristics of premature foals. In both cases, foals may have silky hair coats, curled ears, small bodies, domed heads, and lax tendons. Because bones within the knees and hocks may not have calcified normally, these foals are predisposed to limb deformities. Foals born before the day mark to healthy mares rarely survive, in part because surfactants, which assist with development of the respiratory system, do not work as they do in women.
Mares with a problem, such as placentitis, may have an abbreviated gestation that ends in a viable foal, as elevated cortisol can hasten fetal development and better prepare it for survival.
Those foals born between and days frequently require neonatal intensive care, usually in a veterinary hospital, but high-quality nursing often sees these foals through.
Avoid a situation where at delivery the mare or her foal are forced into a corner or up against a wall. If available, use a stall with a floor that can be readily cleaned and disinfected. After a thorough cleaning, a 10 percent solution of normal laundry bleach and water sprayed on the floor and walls is a good disinfectant. Clean bright straw or clean grass hay for bedding is preferable to shavings. It is less dusty and won't cling to the wet newborn or mare like small wood particles will.
Also, wood shavings can be a source of some germs and toxins. Always keep the stall well ventilated and clean. A few things can cause abnormally long pregnancies and should be investigated.
If a mare's pregnancy extends past days, your veterinarian should examine her to determine if she is still pregnant and confirm that all is well.
Just as with human babies, using an ultrasound your veterinarian can assess the viability of the unborn foal. It is vitally important that the foal nurses colostrum within the first 12 hours of life. Colostrum is extremely rich in antibodies that help prevent disease in the foal until its own immune system kicks in, especially if the mare was vaccinated appropriately. Without adequate colostrum, the foal is at an increased risk of infections.
Your veterinarian can test the colostrum to determine whether it is rich in antibodies.
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