Caslicks vulvoplasty

During pregnancy your mare will require a well balanced diet. Avoid allowing her to get too fat and also avoid weight loss. You do not need to feed her complicated diets but a commercially available and well balanced broodmare mix should suffice. Avoid excessive supplements and herbal products.

If your mare has a history of losing pregnancies then it advised to monitor her pregnancy and placental health by ultrasound. These examinations can be performed by an EquiBreed veterinarian on a monthly basis throughout gestation. If your mare does lose her pregnancy or abort, then you must ask your vet to examine the fetus and the membranes and ideally send them to a diagnostic laboratory to rule out infectious causes of abortion.

If your mare has had a Caslicks vulvoplasty (sutured vulva to prevent contamination of her reproductive tract with faeces or air) then this will need removal by your regular vet prior to her foaling. It can be removed anytime after 320 days of gestation or if she develops an udder prior to 320days of gestation. Check your mare's vulva, by looking under her tail and see if the vulva has been sutured together. The suture material may OR may not still be present and the opening of the vulva will be short. If you are in doubt then ask your vet to check or ask the stud where she was served or inseminated if they have a record of a Caslicks being performed on your mare. In some mares they have had a Caslicks performed prior to going to stud so there may not always be a record of when it was performed.

• A normal mare’s gestation length (time from ovulation to foaling) is on average 340 – 345 days, but can vary from 315 – 400 days.

• This can be quite tricky!
• Udder development usually starts 3 – 6 weeks prior to foaling.
• Waxing of teats occurs 6 – 48h prior to foaling.
• Softening of the ligaments around the tail.
• Drop in body temperature 24h prior to foaling. (You need to measure and record your mare’s temperature daily).
• Milk electrolyte levels change within 24h of foaling – ask your vet about the availability of these tests.
• Mare’s faeces often become flattened as foaling is imminent.

• Keep your foaling mares in small groups (ideally one mare per paddock, or less than 3 mares per group) in clean, safe paddocks that are well fenced.
• Keep your vet’s emergency phone number handy.
• For inexperienced breeders or valuable foals it may be best to send your mare to a stud. (Contact the stud more than 2 months prior to foaling to book your mare in. Visit our links page to find some of the studs that may be willing to foal Sport Horse mares.)
• Organise foal watch and consider purchasing a foal alarm.
• Prepare your foaling kit (see p47, NZ Horse and Pony, August 2005). This should include a torch, tail bandage, sterile lubricant, towels, clean bucket, soap and your vet’s phone number.

• Restless stage – your mare may appear to be uncomfortable, lying down intermittently, pawing the ground. The “waters break” at the end of this stage as the placenta ruptures.
  • This stage may last from 5min to 3h.
• Delivery of foal – Within 5min of the waters breaking the white foal membranes should appear at the vulva. The foal’s feet should be presented at the mare’s vulva and the foal’s head should be resting between its front knees. During this stage, most mares will be lying down and they will experience strong abdominal contractions.
  • This stage should take less than 20min.
• Expulsion of the placenta (membranes)
  • This stage should take less than 3h.

• It is better to call your vet too soon rather than too late.
• If your mare develops an udder more than 2 months prior to expected foaling.
• If the first stage (restless stage) lasts for more than 3h.
• If a “red bag” appears at the vulva.
• If the second stage (delivery of foal) takes more than 20min.
• If the foal’s tail, bottom or back is presented at the mare’s vulva.
• If the foal’s feet are upside down or above the foal’s nose.
• If the foal’s head is presented with no feet visible.
• If the membranes are not expelled within 6h of foaling.

• Thoroughbred studs.
• Standardbred studs.
• Bonnington Lodge (Waikato) ph 07 827 6707 886 9901 or email: bonningtonlodge@xtra.co.nz.

Now your mare is in foal you need to ensure that she produces a live foal. However, things can go wrong and it is best to be prepared to insure your investment.

Foetal insurance is available from NZ Bloodstock (www.nzb.co.nz), Jardines Insurance (www.horseinsurance.co.nz) or Quadrant insurance (www.qig.co.nz). Please contact them for information.