What to do if YO's mare goes into foal when he's not there?

[BeckyMason97]

My YO's mare is just starting to bag up and could foal at anytime now, the problem I have is that my YO isn't at the yard all the time and has no monitor or camera on her, he usually has to leave by 3pm and has Mondays off, during that time, the horses are in my care. I have no clue what to do if she goes into foal when he's not there, so just any guide lines on what I can do until he can get down would be very very helpful!

 

[Fools Motto]

If the mare is just starting to bag up now, maybe the YO knows that it is unlikely she will foal just yet and therefore be more vigilant when the mare is showing more signs like waxing up and running milk?

I doubt the YO would leave you in sole charge of this situation, as it is a lot of responsibility.
Do you know if the mare has foaled before?

 

[magic104]

Has she foaled before? If so there should be little to worry about TBH. What I would say is do not be in a hurry to get them up. They are all different & some mares/foals feel the need to rest after foaling. For the mare she still has to expel the afterbirth & the foal to stand up to feed. Leave the umbilical cord to break on its own then it will need dressing with a gentle solution of iodine or a chlorhexidine solution twice a day. The afterbirth needs to be checked & you need to check the foal has actually latched onto the teat. Then depending on the time of day get the vet to come & check them both over.

I am sure others will fill in the gaps or even have better information to pass on

 

[BeckyMason97]

I'm pretty sure it's her first time in foal, but I could be wrong.

He's very very relaxed about the whole thing to do with his horses, I think it's purely because he knows I'm always just down the road and always there to do anything that needs doing. He might be different when it gets closer to the time, I'm not sure but I'm just checking if there's anything I need to do, just in case! She's a few weeks over due and I'm the one who noticed her starting to bag up, can't say YO actually checks!

Thanks for the advice, hopefully he'll be there when she goes rather than me. I would've expected him to at least put a camera in the stable but he hasn't bothered, annoyed me a little if I'm honest!

 

[Spring Feather]

I'm very relaxed about my horses and at foaling time too. I can assure you that I do all the checks and am always present at the births so being relaxed about it all is neither here nor there. I would however bring your concerns to his attention. If he is indeed expecting you to deal with the foaling down then I feel he should not be placing you in this situation as you don't have the experience and if something were to go wrong, well sorry but he has no-one but himself to blame as HE should have made suitable arrangements for this birthing. We can't tell you what to do in every instance, foaling down can be very complex and it's not something you learn in one thread on a forum, and I don't think you should be expected to learn this unless it's part of your job (even then it's something you need experienced guidance in).

To be frank if I was you I'd firstly tell him of your concerns, then I'd make sure I have his mobile phone number on speedial and I'd tell him to have it with him, switched on, 24/7. If the mare shows signs of coming into labour then phone him and tell him to get his butt down those stables. It's his responsibility not yours and you cannot and should not be blamed for anything going wrong.

 

[the watcher]

Spring Feather, I do wish there was a 'like' button.

Foaling is natural and easy most of the time but when it goes wrong it can go wrong very quickly