I want to make sure I do things right with Bree, so she and the foal are both healthy and get everything they both need.    She should be 6 months along, and the foal is due around March 27.  I'm hoping to have her checked and confirmed pregnant by the vet when she comes to snip Ranger.  But I can't imagine her not being pregnant.  It will just be nice having the vet say "yes, she is" and knowing for sure.  

Shots?  Wormer?  Supplements?  What do you do with your pregnant mares from 6 months on?  So far, I've been feeding her normally, but giving her and the others extra because of this cold weather.  Brome and alfalfa hay, plus at night they get soaked beet pulp with their grain.  They also get loose salt and minerals.   Thanks!   Lisa Bialy Firewalkers Ranch Bennett, Colorado

I do not vaccinate with the rhino.  I only vaccinate in the spring or do so 6 w to 2 m prior to foaling so the the antibodies are optimal for the colostrum.  I feed 1/3 alfalfa to 2/3 grass to 1/2 and 1/2.  No minerals are passed thru the milk so whatever the foal has stored from in utero has to last until adequate feed intake commences...1 m or so on.  I set up a separate area so the mom cannot get into it and have a bucket of free choice Triple Crown Junior (low carbohydrates so no sugar spikes) mixed with loose equipride, small amount of soy, osteoform/clovite, and on the side a fine hay/alfalfa to nibble on.  Most of my foals almost double in wt in 1 m, that is a lot of growth.  I will also use Rejuvenade...a liquid vitamin at 3cc per 100 lb until I feel they are eating enough on their own.  If I see any tendon/bone issues I will continue that plus Osteoform until resolved. 

Whew, a lot of info but that is what I do, those first 6 months and in utero growth set up the whole rest of their lives, it can't be skimped on, and an intensive nutritional program until they are 1 yr is better. Growth continues until 6 or so to reach full maturity with the fastest growth in the first year. I do not want a fat foal, but neither do I like to see ribs.  The mare produces 25 gal of milk and day, so she needs about 25,000 calories a day.  I never want to see a 'ribby' mare, and if she is going into winter, I like to have to press to feel ribs, as the foal can take her weight down quickly and she needs the reserves for cold weather.  An obese mare (score 7 or higher) can have foaling problems due to fat dystocia, so the weight needs managed carefully. 

I would love to have green grass  but the quality of the grass is dependent upon the quality of the soil.  Many soils are depleted of nutrients, thus pretty grass but not meeting nutritional needs.  Beware.  Green grass is NOT ENOUGH.  Worm load on the pasture cannot be underrated.  If there is a heavy parasite load, no matter what you feed, the horse will be robbed of what they need.  I use rotational wormers accordance with the season, have your vet do fecal samples in the fall to see if you have tape worms that need to be addressed.  These will only show up in the fall, Oct or so, and worm accordingly.  It is easy for a 6 m foal to have the mesenteric artery (blood supply to the gut) blocked by worms and die of colic.  Not to mention damage to the other organ systems that migrating worms destroy...lungs, arteries, scarred guts that then can't digest and utilize nutrients.  Sooo...I worm my pregnant mare about 1 wk before foaling and at foaling...Ivermectin and then one of the others...NOT Moxidectin.  I then worm my foals every 2 m along with the rest of the herd.  If I see a big belly, 'ribby' look, I have the vet check for worms in a fecal and follow their recommendations.  Moxidectin is not to be used until the foal is over 6 m of age and hasn't been studied in pregnant/nursing mares or stallions used for breeding.  Consult your vet.  Foals eat their dam's manure to develop and replace intestinal flora.  Foals can get scours (diarrhea) with the mares heat at 7 and 28 days, so I like to have a paste probiotic on hand which will usually rebalance the gut.  This can be given after 24 hrs of age as well.  Foals can dehydrate and die very easily...playing one hour and in serious trouble the next...observe carefully and call the vet if concerned.

I do imprint my foals, I do not get in between the mare and her foal. They need to bond to each other, not to me.  I try to have a quiet, relaxing environment with a minimum of commotion as the foal's nervous system is hypersensitive and rough touch, loud noises, bright lights are a shock to the system....I do gently dry them off, blow in their nostrils THRU MY NOSE (they don't need to smell my last meal), welcome them to the world, and tell them how glad I am they have joined me in this adventure.  I then stand by until they nurse well.  I watch for the first poop and pee, and give a small fleet enema if they seem to be straining a lot.  Between 14-24 hrs of age I have the vet out to check mom and baby, and to do a serum antibody level on the baby.  If the antibodies are not high enough, odds are your baby will die as they have no immunity of their own.  DO NOT FEED THE BABY ANYTHING BY MOUTH THE FIRST 24 HRS OF LIFE.  This will cause the gut to close prematurely and the foal will not be able to absorb any more antibodies form the mare.  I use Chlorhexadrine to treat the umbilical stump asap once broken.  I continue to treat it twice a day until it is dry.  If you use a Betadine solution, check the concentration and make sure it is dilute 0.5% or so as there is a risk of burning the foal's skin if it is too strong. 

I also use the Equine Stress Control which greatly settles the fear response in the foal and they are much more able to accept the early halter lessons, etc.  The Essential Oils from Young Living of Peace and Calming, Gentle Baby, Harmony, Vetiver, Valor, and Valerian are all good oils to have on hand for a birth as they aid soothing the hypersensitive nervous system as well as soothing the mare.  You can apply them to your hands or diffuse them in the birthing area.  If there is respiratory difficulty, RC and Raven are fantastic for opening the respiratory passages.  Again, apply the oils to your hands or hold the bottle near the nostrils 2-3" away, and if the horse rejects them respect their choice and offer another or allow them to choose the oil from a group.  Lipping, grabbing, nudging all indicate their choice of that particular oil that will help them the most.  I can order these oils for you or assist you to sign up so you can get the wholesale prices.  There are many others that are amazing for fighting infections, 100% pure, organic, therapeutic grade essential oils.  I hope this helps stimulate your thoughts and there are many ways to get to the same goal, these are just my choices developed thru the last 10 years of foaling, and any day I may learn something new that will change how I manage my pregnant mares and their foals. 
 
Let joy and happiness be yours,
Maxine

What grain do you give your mares, where you add the soy, clovite and osteo-form? Right now, I've been using Mary's 4-way mix from Elizabeth Feed. I will have to go to the barn and grab the tag so I can tell you what's in it, but it's a sweet feed.

And I also have Ranger, my stud muffin, who is 2 1/2 and growing like a weed and having a hard time keeping up with his metabolism. And I have Eowyn, my new 2 1/2 year old filly, who is already 15.1 and I want to make sure she is getting the right stuff as well. And keeping her well away from Ranger!

Best, Maxine

THANK YOU, HORSE JOURNAL AND AMERDON!!!!

Maxine Doner

I hope this will be of interest to you. It is on the hoof mechanism and there are allot more in this area of u-tube. This is why I try not to shoe my horses. The hoof wall and the sole hit the ground, spread, then the frog hits the ground as the full wt of the horse lands, then the reverse happens as the hoof becomes unweighted. This acts as "pump" mechanism for the blood flow in the hoof, resulting in thicker hoof walls and soles. Calluses also form just like ours do when we go barefoot, This callus should not be removed as it protects the inner hoof structures. This allows the full hoof to support the coffin bone which does best parallel to the ground. When the horse is shod, the shoe locks the hoof into place and does not allow expansion, thus limiting blood supply and causing poorer horn and sole quality. The coffin bone hits the sole with no ground support as well when the horse is shod. It takes a full year for new hoof to grow from the coronary band to the ground, the sole as well. We wouldn't go from no shoes to rocks immediately and neither will your horse. There is natural selection in the wild horse model: bad hooves, the horse becomes food and the genetics are not passed on. We by pass this with our domestic equines. Some horses will do fine completely barefoot, others will not due to their genetics. I do believe that by keeping horses barefoot when not being ridden, the hoof quality WILL improve, you horse will feel better, and there are a variety of boots out there for when the horse is being ridden on rocky terrain.

I hope this is of interest and stimulates some thought,

Maxine