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It is assumed that the pregnancy started with a healthy mare and that all physical, mental and emotional factors are normal.

A mare that is a little on the plump side when she becomes pregnant is actually ideal, as she will usually do better. You want her to not only make it through the pregnancy but also have enough milk for the foal and a plump mare just does better in both situations.

The mare should be current on all vaccinations before becoming pregnant. Be careful not to give any vaccinations during the first 90 days of her pregnancy.

There basically is not a whole lot to do that is different from normal care during the first 4 to 5 months of the pregnancy.

You can even ride a pregnant mare for the first nine months of pregnancy as long as you do not do any risk activities (jumping, racing etc.). In fact, the mare will benefit from the exercise of riding her.

The foal will start to double in size the last 2 months of pregnancy and this is when the mare should be turned out so that she can get free exercise.

She many experience swollen legs during these last two months of pregnancy and it is preferred to have her free exercise rather than to be ridden.

A pregnant mare needs to have adequate amounts of minerals during her pregnancy, which can be given using a commercial mineral mix that contains 25% salt to increase the palatability of the mineral supplement contained in the mix.

Be careful NOT to feed any other source of salt to the mare while she is on this mineral supplement that contains salt.

When she reaches her 5th, 7th, and 9th months of pregnancy a vaccine for rhino pneumonitis should be given.

This disease is serious, not to the mare but to her unborn foal, as it can cause abortion in pregnant mares and respiratory distress in young horses.

During her last 4 to 6 weeks of pregnancy she will need to be given a routine booster for a variety of equine disease so that she will make new antibodies for these diseases, which will pass on to the foal in the mare’s colostrum when she nurses.

During the first few months of life the foal’s immune system is maturing and until it does the foal will need the antibodies from the mare’s colostrum to stay healthy.

Avoiding parasites:

The mare should be dewormed following a regular schedule until the last month of pregnancy.

During that last month of pregnancy the mare should receive a daily dewormer until the foal stops nursing. Following this deworming schedule will greatly reduce the incidence of parasitism for both the mare and foal.

Hooves During Pregnancy:

Especially during those last two months of pregnancy the mare’s hooves will be carrying a lot more weight and need to be checked more frequently for break up or splaying of the hooves. They need regular trimming and special attention.

Previous Articles By This Author

• Buying Your First Horse
• Equipment for Horses
• Basics of Horse Care
• Grooming your Horse
• The History of Horses