🐴 Preparing for Your Mare to Foal: A Complete 2025 Foaling Checklist 🍼🧼

By Dr Duncan Houston BVSc

Foaling season is exciting—but it can also be stressful without preparation. In 2025, proper hygiene, monitoring, and postnatal planning ensure your mare and foal are safe, healthy, and supported. Here's how to get ready. 📅🐎

💉 1. Vaccinate the Mare

Thirty days prior to the expected foaling date, make sure the mare receives a booster vaccine. This helps her pass protective antibodies to the foal via colostrum. 🛡️🍼

Also check:

• 🧬 Is she vaccinated for tetanus, EHV-1/4, influenza, and rotavirus?
• 🧪 Does she have a Caslick’s procedure (vulvar suture) that needs to be removed before foaling?

🧼 2. Sanitize the Foaling Area

If you're using a stall, it must be thoroughly stripped and disinfected:

• 🪣 Scrub with accelerated hydrogen peroxide or diluted bleach
• 🧹 Remove all organic matter first—disinfectants only work on clean surfaces
• 🧽 Wash buckets, mats, and all equipment used in the stall

🐾 Tip:

Use straw bedding instead of shavings to avoid irritation and ingestion by the newborn foal. 🌾

🌳 3. Choose the Right Environment

When possible, foal in a clean, dry paddock. Paddocks are typically:

• 🚫 Less contaminated than stalls
• 🌬️ Better ventilated
• 🐴 Safer for large mares that need space to lie down

If weather or space prevents this, make sure the stall is large and disinfected. 🧼

📸 4. Install a Foaling Alert System

Thirty days before the expected foaling date:

• 📷 Install a camera system in the stall or paddock
• 🔔 Use a foal alert monitor if available

Being alerted to labor signs can mean the difference between a normal foaling and an emergency. ⏱️

🛠️ 5. Prepare Your Foaling Kit

Have these items ready to go:

• 🧻 Clean, dry towels
• 🗑️ A large bag to save the placenta for vet evaluation
• 🚛 Access to a trailer in case of emergency transport for a C-section

Bonus Tip:

💊 Keep chlorhexidine or betadine solution for dipping the umbilical stump shortly after birth. 🧴

🧪 6. Schedule the New Foal Exam

Once the foal is born, contact your vet for a neonatal exam and blood test:

• 🩸 Test IgG levels at 12 hours of age to confirm colostrum absorption
• 🩺 Check joints, umbilical structures, and vital signs

This early exam can catch infections, limb issues, or failure of passive transfer. 🧬

📲 Ask A Vet for Foaling Support

Need help preparing your mare for foaling? Visit AskAVet.com or use the Ask A Vet App to get a foaling checklist, product recommendations, and new foal exam scheduling. 📱🐴

Dr Duncan Houston and the team are here to guide you through each step of the foaling journey—from udder changes to first nursing. 💬🧠

🏁 Final Thoughts

In 2025, preparation is your best tool for a smooth foaling. From clean stalls to vaccine boosters, every step you take ensures a safer delivery and healthier foal. Don’t leave it to chance—get ready today. 🐣❤️

Download your foaling kit checklist at AskAVet.com and get peace of mind before the big day 🐴🧼