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So you've bred your mare and are now eagerly awaiting the arrival of her foal. If this is the first foal you've welcomed on your property, then you're likely excited and nervous. Try not to worry too much; your mare naturally knows what she needs to do to bring a healthy foal into the world. However, there are a few things that you will need to do in order to prepare your property for the foal's arrival. If your property is simply not sufficient for your new, four-legged addition, it may be worth finding another horse farm for sale in Ocala, FL. Pad the Stall Make sure your mare is in a large, well-padded stall every night approaching the expected delivery date. There should be no exposed, sharp edges such as nails and splintering boards. You should also remove any items from the stall floor, like any buckets or ropes. The mare or foal can get entangled in or injured by such items during the foaling. You should also ensure that the stall has ample padding on the floor so that the mare can lie down comfortably and has a soft place to land after birth. It's not recommended that you use sawdust or dirt to pad the stall floor. The foal can inhale the dirt and dust with his first breaths and quickly develop a respiratory infection. Look for dust-free stall padding at your local feed store. A Safe Pasture When your mare is approaching her delivery date, it may be a good idea to separate her from the other horses on the property. If you don't want to keep her in her stall all day, consider finding a separate pasture for her. This will allow her to be outside and grazing, but will keep her away from any potential scuffles in the herd, which could harm her. Additionally, this pasture can (and should) be used after the foal is born. Other horses may bite or kick a new foal in the herd. To avoid this, you should put the mare and foal in a separate field that is adjacent to the other horses' pasture. This keeps the foal safe, allows mare and foal to bond, and lets the other horses see the new addition to the herd so that they can adjust to its presence prior to being officially introduced into the herd. The pasture you use should be flat and generally free of any potential hazards. This could include steep drop-offs, large or ample stones, and thorny bushes. Such obstructions could harm a curious foal. Additionally, the fence should be sturdy, with barricades low enough to the ground that the foal can't slip out underneath the fence. Ideally, the fence should be constructed of a material that won't harm the foal; consider using wood or vinyl fencing instead of barbed or electrified wire fencing. Clean Up the Property Overall, it's a good idea to ensure that your horse farm is clean and free of unnecessary objects. Horses can be very curious, and if they escape from their pasture, they will often explore the items around your property. You should ensure that any farm equipment or potentially harmful substances are kept in a shed, tack room, or other area that can be locked to prevent a horse from getting into them. This is especially true of foals. They are smaller and more rambunctious, so they can often slip into places your other horses wouldn't be able to get to. Before your new foal arrives, clean up your property to ensure that there is no way it can harm itself should it get out of its pasture. If your property is simply too run down or doesn't have the space to welcome the foal, consider looking at another horse farm for sale in Ocala, FL.
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