45 



loose-box, and fastened to a piece of delicate cord 

 in the corner. An old piece of net-backing" is very 

 suitable. The reason for fixing the mare's head in 

 the corner is to prevent her getting into an awkward 

 and dangerous position when foaling. Foals are fre- 

 quently injured, and sometimes killed, by mares lying 

 down against a wall to foal. As soon as mares have 

 foaled, they will generally break their delicate bind- 

 ing in their eagerness to reach their foals, and turn 

 round in perfect safety. 



INDICATIONS OF FOALING. 



It is always desirable for an attendant to be 

 present when mares are foaling, if possible. The 

 duration of a mare's period of gestation is forty-eight 

 weeks, and they generally foal pretty close to their 

 time, though not always. Some mares will drop 

 their foals ten days before they are due, and others 

 will carry them ten days beyond, which practically 

 means a fluctuation in their period of pregnancy of 

 three weeks. In most cases a creamy kind of wax 

 forms on the points of the mare's teats, and they 

 rarely carry their foals beyond forty-eight hours after 

 its formation. But, while this is a rule, it is not 

 without exception, as some mares do foal without 

 the least indication of wax. The sliding of the 

 bones at the root of the tail is another reliable guide 

 that parturition is approaching. The immediate 

 signs of foaling are too palpable to require descrip- 

 tion, and some mares will foal in ten minutes after 



