Foaling season is here and if your mare is in foal and due to have a baby this season, you most likely will have a four-legged bundle of joy by early summer.
According to Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Jon Matthews, who with his wife Robin owns Matthews Equine Services in Ramona, horses are long day breeders that have a gestation period of 11 months or 365 days. Mares only come in heat during the long days and they don't cycle during the short days.
Matthews said that breeders want their foals born after Jan. 1 because of registration. If a foal is born on Dec. 30, it is considered a yearling on Jan. 1, according to horse registration. Late spring or early summer is the best time to have a mare due to foal, because it's best to have a bigger animal earlier for show, he said.
Matthews suggested a few tips to keep the mare's fertility high. He said good health is key and to keep the mare on a vitamin supplement high in vitamins E and A. If the breeder wants an early foal, it's best to keep the mare under lights three hours after sunset. Start this procedure three or four months before the mare is bred to get her cycling fully. A fit mare has a better fertility rate, because she will have better uterine and muscle tone than a mare that is not fit.
"It's important to breed to a stallion with good fertility," said Matthews.
The national average for stallion fertility is 50 percent and it's best to shoot for one with a fertility of 50 percent or higher. Breeders are not obligated to provide fertility records of their stallions, so it is best to breed to a fertile and proven stallion.
Matthews added that one of the biggest problems in the horse breeding industry is that there is no documentation for the fertility of the stallion. According to Matthews, a lot of money is wasted on stallions with a low fertility rate or stallions whose semen does not ship well.
Because of cool shipped semen, mare owners can choose stallions from anywhere in the country or Canada. Frozen semen would have to be used if the semen is shipped from anywhere off the continent. Matthews added that artificial insemination with shipped semen has its challenges because it adds additional variables to the breeding process.
"Straw is better than shavings," said Matthews.
When a mare foals, straw is the best for bedding because bacteria, especially E. coli, can live in the shavings and negatively affect the newborn, Matthews said, adding that straw is safer and cleaner than shavings, and it's important for the mare to have a dry area and adequate room to foal.
Matthews said the mare-in-foal's udder will change about six weeks before she foals. The udder will be firmer and fuller in the morning and smaller in the afternoon. When the utter is as big in the morning as it is in the afternoon, the mare is getting close to having the baby. When wax forms at the end of the mare's teats, she will usually foal within 48 hours.
"When they have milk, foaling is imminent," Matthews said. "Normally a foal is born within an hour of the water breaking."
Matthews advises to keep a close watch. The foaling process usually goes smoothly and only takes about 30 minutes, but, if there is a problem, call a veterinarian. Mares typically foal between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., so many owners miss the birth.
Matthews said that some people believe it's important to imprint the foal during the first few hours it's born. In his experience, the foal is born with his/her personality and it's important to allow the mother and foal to bond during the first few hours. He added that owners can interfere with the normal bonding that needs to occur and, if it is disrupted, the mare can reject the foal, especially maiden mares.
The most important thing to do at the time of birth is to dip the naval in either mild iodine or Novalsan and hold for 15-seconds. If the foal appears healthy, the mare and foal should be checked by a veterinarian within 12 to 24 hours after foaling.
Matthews advises saving the placenta in a bucket of cool water so the veterinarian can look at it during the neonatal exam.
"There is a reproductive clinic in town," Matthews said. "We have a clinic, lab and ambulatory services."
Matthews works with Kastel Coz Sport Horses off San Vicente Road in addition to his own practice. It is a private ranch where Matthews does embryo transfers, semen freezing and breeding to mares located on ranches and farms.
Matthews can be contacted at 760-789-1123.

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