What do you have in your foaling kits?

[Cluny]

I'm a first time breeder (although have had horses all my life) and my maiden mare is due to foal mid-July (give or take). She will foal at home and I'm just starting to get everything sorted so I'm well prepared.

Can I ask what do you have in your foaling kit?

Thank you

 

[GemG]

Off top of head...

Scissors
Bandages
Dry clean towels
Clean bucket
Clean sponges
Hibiscrub
Torch
Camera ?!
Stopwatch or you prob can use phone or watch to time 'stages'....
Iodine solution, there are various brands..

There was an article in a recent horse and hound covering this I think.


Most important .... Mobile phone fully charged with vets numb in... As anything out of ordinary I would call them anyway!

Best of luck, we fortunately had a wonderful textbook foaling in the field at 10am in front of us! But it was mares 5th foal, so she has had previous experience! Try to stay calm, I believe successful, uncomplicated foaling rates are very high, but it's good to be aware of what should be happening and when, so help can be called if required. We had foaling 'kit' and thankfully didn't need to use it.

Enjoy the experience, it is a miracle!

 

[TBB]

As above and gloves (disposable) short hand ones for doing messy things and long elbow ones for checking presentation or looking for a nose/foot. Enema for the foal, string to tie up the afterbirth until the mare cleans, notebook and pens (in case one refuses to write) to take note of times, water bag appears, bursts, feet appear, nose appears etc (easy to forget times if panic sets in). I always have a shallow plastic bowl and a jug in the kitchen in a bag in case a mare needs to be milked etc.

 

[Rollin]

GemG, love 'trying to stay calm'. We have foaled ten times now and NEVER feel calm.

 

[GemG]

....I admit I was far less nervous having my own two babies (human), than waiting for the mare to foal! You feel out of control....!

 

[AnShanDan]

I always have a shallow plastic bowl and a jug in the kitchen in a bag in case a mare needs to be milked etc.

*If* I have another foaling to do, I will def. have a human breast pump and bottles all ready sterilised. Friend's mare foaled with us and her foal was very weak and couldn't stand unaided, mare was unhelpful when we held him at her udder, so I milked the mare and fed him by bottle for a couple of hours and that was enough to get him up and then he was away. Pump worked really well on mare.