194 THE HORSE 



is observed, and afterwards once a day, until the foal is 

 dried up again. 



Mares in foal should have a run out every day, except 

 in very stormy or frosty weather, when there is a danger 

 of slipping up and injuring themselves ; but at least within 

 a month of foaling she should be brought under cover 

 at night, and the appearance of her udder should be 

 observed before going out in the morning, and when she 

 returns to her stable. Usually the udder begins to increase 

 about a fortnight before foaling, though some are a little 

 earlier and some later ; and then wax, a yellow substance, 

 appears on the teats and remains about a day. If this drops 

 off, and is followed by milk dropping away, the mare will 

 probably foal in about ten hours ; but if the wax falls off and 

 is not followed by milk, she may go for some days before she 

 waxes again. 



The box in which a mare foals should always have 

 two doors to it, or else the door should open outwards, lest 

 she should go down against the door, and if it opens 

 inwardly there is no getting into the box without disturbing 

 the mare. As soon as the foal is born a string should be 

 tied round the navel-string, about an inch from the foal's 

 belly. If it is tied too close, and stretches the skin of 

 the belly in consequence, it will probably bring on inflam- 

 mation ; and if it is tied three or four inches away it will 

 sway about when the colt is gambolling, and this again 

 will bring on inflammation ; from whatever cause this 

 results, it will very probably prove fatal. The navel-string, 

 after being tied, should be cut off close to the ligature. One 

 of the chief reasons for tying the string is that thereby 

 microbes are prevented from entering the wound, which 

 is again a frequent cause of losing a foal, especially from 

 Joint Evil. The raw place, and the whole of the remainder 

 of the navel-string as far as the belly, should be lightly 

 touched with a camel's-hair brush, or a clean feather, 

 dipped in Chinosol lotion, or other antiseptic ; but caution 

 must be exercised in choosing an antiseptic for such a 

 delicate subject as a newly born foal. Chinosol is perfectly 

 safe, and so is carbolised collodion. 



