Mare owners are encouraged to keep basic critical supplies on hand during the foaling season. The items in the list below are considered essential supplies for routine management of foaling and immediate care of the newborn foal. Contact your veterinarian about additional recommended medical supplies or equipment. We recommend owners receive specific instructions or training from their veterinarian on appropriate use of equipment, recognizing complications during the foaling process, and medical care of the newborn foal. In the event of a complication, the person attending the foaling is encouraged to immediately call the farm manager, owner, or veterinarian for additional help or instructions.
You may use our foaling kit checklist to assemble your own kit, or can purchase a complete foaling kit from Animal Reproduction Systems (ARS).
| Item | Use | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Thermometer (fast-reading) | Evaluation of body temperature of mare and/or newborn foal | Local drug store, Amazon, or ARS |
| Stethoscope | Evaluation of heart rate and respiratory rate in mare and/or newborn foal | Local drug store, Amazon, or ARS |
| Scissors (stainless steel Mayo scissors) | Multiple uses, including opening a placenta in a "red bag" delivery, cutting umbilical tape, tail wrap material, or occasionally cutting the umbilical cord | Local drug store, Amazon, or ARS |
| Flashlight with batteries | Because most mares foal out at night, a small flashlight may come in handy. | Local hardware store or Amazon |
| Predict-A-Foal™ (milk calcium test kit) | Test for levels of calcium and magnesium in the secretions/milk; aids in the prediction of foaling | PBS Animal Health or ARS |
| FoalWatch™ (milk calcium test kit) | Test to measure the concentration of calcium in the mare’s colostrum; aids in prediction of foaling | FoalWatch |
| Tail wrap (Vetrap™ or equivalent) | To get tail hairs out of the way prior to and during foaling | Local farm supply store, Amazon, or ARS |
| Obstetrical sleeves (sterile) | Used if needed to check the position of the fetus during the foaling process | ARS |
| Obstetrical lubricant (tube, sterile) | Applied to sleeve prior to checking position of fetus (if needed) | ARS |
| Exam gloves | General purpose, non-latex gloves used when washing mare prior to foaling, handling placenta, etc. | Local drug store, Amazon, or ARS |
| Liquid soap (Ivory®) | Used to wash udder and perineum of mare prior to foaling | Local grocery store |
| Umbilical tape | To tie off the umbilical cord immediately after foaling (if needed; used as an alternative to an umbilical clamp) | ARS |
| Umbilical clamps | To clamp off the umbilical cord immediately after foaling (if needed; used as an alternative to umbilical tape); usually removed or will fall off after 2-3 days | ARS |
| Umbilical cord disinfectant (1% chorhexidine) | Used to dip the stump of the umbilical cord (navel) immediately after foaling to help seal the vessels within the cord and disinfect the area to reduce the probability of a bacterial infection (navel ill) | ARS |
| Towel | To dry off and stimulate respiration in newborn foal | Local department store, Amazon, or ARS |
| Enema (phosphate-type) | Administered to newborn foal at 1 to 2 hours of life to prevent or treat a meconium impaction | Local drug store, Amazon, or ARS |
| Colostrum/Brix refractometer | Used to evaluate the quality of the mare's colostrum after foaling | Amazon or ARS |
| Foal IgG test (ARS IgG test) | The ARS IgG test is an accurate, rapid, quantitative test for measurement of antibody levels in neonatal foals to evaluate passive transfer. | ARS |
| Foal IgG test (SNAP test) | The SNAP Foal IgG test is a convenient, semi-quantitative, on-farm test used to determine if adequate passive transfer of antibodies has occurred. | IDEXX or call (800) 548-9997 (only available through veterinarians) |
| Measuring cup (600 ml, 20 oz), plastic cup with handle | Convenient when collecting a larger volume of colostrum from a mare immediately after foaling for freezing/future use. | Local grocery store |
| Plastic bottle | Used for storage of colostrum in freezer; convenient size and pre-labeled | Local department store, Amazon, or ARS |
| Cotton gauze (4x4 pads or cheesecloth) | Used to strain colostrum to remove dirt and debris | Local grocery store, local drug store, Amazon, or ARS |
| Catheter-tip syringe (60 ml) | Dose syringe that may be used to administer oral medications to foal under supervision or instruction of a veterinarian | ARS |
| Foalert | Birth monitoring system | Foalert |
| Oxygen tank (size E tank) | Contact your veterinarian if O2 support is indicated. | Medical supply store |
| Oxygen regulator | Contact your veterinarian if O2 support is indicated. | Medical supply store |
| Oxygen line | Contact your veterinarian if O2 support is indicated. | Medical supply store |
| Nasal insufflations set (red rubber urethral catheter, 18 Fr, 16" long) | May be attached to oxygen line to administer O2; contact your veterinarian if O2 support is indicated. | Medical supply store |
| Foal resuscitation unit | Portable ventilation system used for emergency resuscitation | ARS |