Taking care of our horses during the ice/snowstorm this past week was challenging to say the least. Historic amounts of ice buildup on structure roofs resulted in catastrophic damage to some barns and covered arenas. Most of us came thru ok, just tired from the all the extra work.
Ice/Snow Storm Lessons Learned
- Have a dose of Banamine or Bute on hand for a colic.
- In the barn, keep a trough with a heater coil filled with water to dip out of.
- Have heavy duty extension cords to utilize tank heater coils in outside large water troughs.
- Buy a pair of Crampon (ice cleats) so you can walk on the ice.
- Monitor your horses water intake (breaking ice and adding hot water to bucket) and fecal output. Horses will drink less and eat more hay causing an impaction.
Foaling and Breeding
- Vaccinate mare 1-2 months before foaling for colostrum antibodies in 1st milk.
- Pick up mare milk Ph test strips to test milk for exact foaling night.
- Pick up or get foaling kit ready: 2 enemas, Povidone iodine or Chlorhex for the navel.
- Have a dose of Banamine for the mare if she is uncomfortable after foaling.
- Prepare foaling area /stall. Use straw or hay over shavings for clean bedding.
Normal foaling takes 15-20 minutes after the water breaks with the mare getting up and down often with front legs sticking out. Check your watch every 5 minutes for progression of delivery: white sac with feet, then nose, then head, then shoulders, then the chest, then the rest of the body.
Foaling 1,2,3
- Foal should stand in 1 hour.
- Foal should nurse in 2 hours.
- Mare should pass the placenta in 3 hours.
Call the Vet When:
- If foaling has not progressed after the water breaks.
- If the sac is red instead of white, call the vet immediately.
- The foal is not nursing or the mare won’t let it nurse.
- The foal is straining to poop even after enemas.
- The foal is weak, unable to support itself to nurse, or unable to get up.
- The foal develops diarrhea before the foal heat diarrhea (day 7-12).
- The foal has milk face. This is when the foal bumps the bag but doesn’t nurse & mare’s milk sprays its face.
After FoalingColostrum is the first milk and is essential for the new born foal’s life and immune system. The antibodies in the colostrum are only absorbed the first 12-24 hours of life. That is why early nursing is so important. If the mare is dripping milk before foaling, she is losing colostrum on the ground reducing the amount of antibody rich colostrum for the foal.
When the foal is 24 hours old, an IGG test should be run to determine if the foal has adequate antibody level (800 or more). If not, a plasma transfusion of antibodies is needed.
For the first Week the foal should have calm, constant handling. Monitor that the foal is nursing and swallowing. Normal foal behavior cycle is nurse, play, nap 3 -4 times an hour. Keep the stall clean and well bedded.
Breeding
Horses are seasonal breeders. During the winter months due to shorter daylight hours, mares enter an anestrus phase where they do not cycle. Some mares will show signs of heat but the ovaries are usually inactive. Unless stalled under lights, most mares will not have a cycle we can breed on until March or April. At that time, we can do an ultrasound exam at the clinic. Dr Hayes may give the mare a shot to bring her into heat if needed. We will monitor the heat cycle, do a uterine culture (if she is not a maiden mare) and treat the uterus if an infection is present. This cycle is often not a good one so it is best to breed on the next cycle which is more normal. If you are breeding using shipped semen, we will need to know their contact information and what days the stallion is collected & shipped. We try to line up your mare’s heat cycle and ovulation with the shipping days. There may be several ultrasounds throughout the breeding process. Dr Hayes will call and request a shipment when it is needed.
HB 25 Ivermectin
On December 4, 2025, HB 25 became law in Texas. It allows people to purchase Ivermectin without a prescription. The drug became popular for treatment during the Covid19 pandemic even though the FDA has not approved it for such use. Its backers said the measure is about medical freedom. Its opponents are concerned about misuse and drug safety. Ivermectin tablets have long been used in human medicine for treatment of parasites and river blindness in 3rd world countries. Ivermectin has been used for years for respiratory virus treatment in swine. It works by stopping the virus from multiplying and overwhelming the immune system so the body can catch up and fight the virus. During the pandemic, a client nurse told me that her Dr. was prescribing 9 mg per day for treatment of Covid and it was working. When I got Covid, I took it and it worked. I immediately felt better. Several clients told me that they had taken ivermectin with similar results. Do not take the horse wormer ivermectin. The horse paste is 1.87% ivermectin or double the dose.
Castration Signs: February 13-18 If the weather is warm enough.
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