364 A TREATISE ON HORSE BREEDING. 



NATURAL PRESENTATION. 



When there is a single foal the common and desirable 

 presentation is with the fore feet first, the nose between the 

 knees, and with the front of the hoofs and knees and the 

 forehead directed upward toward the anus, tail and croup. 

 (Plate IX, Fig. 1.) In this way the natural curvature of the 

 body of the foetus corresponds to the curve of the womb and 

 genital passages, and particularly of the bony pelvis, and 

 the foal passes with much greater ease than if it were placed 

 with its back downward toward the udder. When there is a 

 twin birth the second foal usually comes with its hind feet 

 first, and the backs of the legs, the points of the hocks and 

 the tail and croup are turned upward toward the anus and 

 tail of the mare. (Plate IX, Fig. 2.) In this way, even with 

 a posterior presentation, the curvature of the body of the 

 foal still corresponds to that of the passages, and its expul- 

 sion may ba quite as easy as in anterior presentation. Any 

 presentation aside from these two may bs said to be abnor- 

 mal and will be considered under "Difficult Parturition." 



DIFFICULT PARTURITION. 



With natural presentation this is a rare occurrence. The 

 great length of' the fore limbs and face entail in the anterior 

 presentation the formation of a long cone, which dilates and 

 glides through the passages with comparative ease. Even 

 with the hind feet first a similar conical form is presented 

 and the process is rendered easy and quick. Difficulty and 

 danger arise mainly from the act being brought on prema- 

 turely before the passages are sufficiently dilated, from nar- 

 rowing of the pelvic bones or other mechanical obstruction 

 in the passages, from monstrous distortions or duplications 

 in the foetus, or from the turning back of one of the mem- 

 bers so that the elongated conical or wedge-shaped outline is 

 done away with. But prompt as is the normal parturition in 

 the mare, difficult and delayed parturitions are surrounded 

 by special dangers and require unusual precautions and skill. 

 From the proclivity of the mare to unhealthy inflammations 

 of the peritoneum and other abdominal organs, penetrating 

 wounds of the womb or vagina are liable to prove fatal. The 



