194 STABLE MANUAL AND HORSE DOCTOR 



longest 419, making the extraordinary difference of 132 

 days, and of 89 days beyond the usual term of eleven 

 months. It is a mere supposition that the mare carries 

 her first foal longer than subsequent ones; neither does 

 the term vary on account of the offspring being a tilly 

 or a colt. With race-horses, who take their age from 

 the 1st of January, and who are brought to their post 

 at two years old, early foaling is of the first importance. 

 With other breeds, who do not figure in Weatherby's 

 register, the beginning of May is the most desirable time 

 for stinting them. The foal will then be dropped in the 

 following April, when there is pleasant air, and natural 

 food for dam and offspring, and they need not be so much 

 in stable. 



When nearly half the time of pregnancy has elapsed, the 

 mare should be petted and varied in her food. This is about 

 the period when they are accustomed to slink their foals, or 

 when abortion occurs ; at this time, therefore, the eye of 

 the owner should be frequently upon them. Good feeding 

 and moderate exercise will be the best preventives against 

 this. The mare that has onct; slinked her foal is ever liable 

 to the same accident, and therefore should never be suffered 

 to be with other mares about the time that this usually 

 occurs, which is between the fourth and fifth months ; for 

 such is the power of imagination or of sympathy in the mare 

 that if one of them suffers abortion, the greater number of 

 those in the same pasture will share the same fate. The 

 mare gives a day or so notice of the " event," by the 

 appearance of adhesive matter about the teats. Even up 

 to this time gentle work will not hurt her. 



If a mare has been regularly exercised, and apparently in 

 health while she was in foal, little danger will attend the act 

 of parturition. If there be false presentation of the foetus, 

 or difficulty in producing it, it will be better to have 

 recourse to a well-informed practitioner, rather than injure 

 the mother by the violent and injudicious attempts which 

 are often made to relieve the animal. For further 

 instructions regarding foaling, see Chapter XXIII. 



As soon as the mare has foaled, she should be turned into 

 some well-sheltered pasture, with a hovel or shed to run 

 into when she pleases, and as, supposing she has foaled in 

 April, the grass is scanty, she should have a couple of feeds 

 of corn daily. The breeder may depend upon it that 



