Trade Zone: The Healthy Foal
Your broodmare is in her final months of gestation and is approaching her term. After a year of planning and preparation, you, as her owner, must be ready for what follows. The time has finally come to prepare the way so that the newest addition to your stable has every chance of reaching its highest potential. The mare, in essence, is “in the starting gate.” And when the bell rings, the race for the healthy foal will have begun.
The right nursery Ensuring the foal’s health begins before that baby’s little hooves touch the straw. According to Dr. Franziska Wohlfender, Swiss specialist in equine medicine and surgery who has carried out research on more than a thousand Thoroughbred foals in Newmarket, it’s important to think about where your mare will foal and what teams will be available to assist her if necessary. “Have a look at how the stalls and paddocks are built, and check for hygiene and tidiness,” she said.
Even though no foal can really be born into a bacteria-free environment, it doesn’t hurt to make an effort to make its surroundings as clean and safe as possible.
Also, make sure the mare is healthy herself, well looked after, fed properly, and up-to-date on her vaccinations.
“General husbandry and common sense are very important when it comes to selecting a birthing site for your mare,” she added.
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