MANAGEMENT OF THE MARE 
177 
similar in order to prevent infection. Just so soon as the -colt can eat it 
should be fed all that it can handle in addition to his mother’s milk. The 
dam should be fed grain, in addition to the pasture, in order to increase 
the flow of milk.” 
Corsa writes extensively on the handling of the foaling mare and the 
new-born: “If one wants to make some preparation for the early foals, 
it is all very simple and inexpensive. A small building containing two 
boxstalls, each 18 by 20 feet, separated by a space 6 feet wide, serves every 
purpose. The south half end of the space may be enclosed to make a very 
comfortable place for a man to wait for the expected newcomer. The 
building should face south, and entirely across the front should run a 
strip of 4 or 6-pane window sash, so that every bright hour may bathe the 
stalls in sunshine. This simple structure should be placed a short dis¬ 
tance from other buildings and away from other horses. Adjoining it 
should be provided a nice lot, where the mother and her baby may enjoy 
themselves free from the danger and annoyance of other horses. 
“But whenever and wherever the foal comes, when the mare lies down 
it must be somebody’s business to be on the spot ready to help the mare 
and take care of the foal. Inexperienced men, either through excitement 
or through ignorance, too often unduly hasten the coming of the foal. 
This is bad for the mare and often fatal for the foal. The rope is fre¬ 
quently called into use too soon, and more often is used too severely and 
without judgment. Give the mare a little time; nature will assist power¬ 
fully if left to herself. 
“The navel cord of the foal should be left untied. Paint at once with 
iodine and completely cover with some drying powder. The powder 
should be applied repeatedly until the cord has entirely dried up and 
healed. In aggravated cases give the iodine treatment once or twice a day, 
spraying the interior of the cord if the trouble is extreme, and apply the 
powder three or four times a day. Beware of the little pus pockets. As a 
further precaution against navel-ill, give the first bacterin treatment in 24 
hours; repeat in six days and again when the foal is about a month old. 
Fortunately for men remote from a veterinarian, this treatment does not 
require professional services. Anyone with ordinary horse experience can 
do the work. 
“As soon as the foal is able to stand, it should be given an injection of 
warm castor oil or warm, soapy water, preferably castor oil. This should 
be repeated, if necessary, until the caretaker is satisfied that all the little 
hard lumps have been expelled. Many foals are lost because the caretaker 
is too quickly satisfied with the results of one injection.” 
The method of feeding and handling the foaling mare, her previous and 
after care, in the manner described by the Robinsons follow: “In the 
spring the mares that are soon to foal are kept in pastures near the barn. 
At night those that are soon to foal are put in a little pasture near the 
house, and someone goes to look at them about four times during the 
night, or even every hour in some cases. This attention is absolutely nec¬ 
essary, if one would avoid the frequent loss of foals and sometimes the 
loss of a valuable mare. Whenever help is needed it is needed at once. If 
the afterbirth does not all come away naturally within a day, the uterus is 
flushed full of warm, antiseptic water and the membrane removed care¬ 
fully by hand. The mare is fed lightly at first after foaling. She is not 
given much grain for the first two weeks. If she is fed heavily there is 
too copious a flow of milk, and the foal is likely to develop digestive dis¬ 
orders, and may die. Mixed timothy and clover hay is about all that is 
needed at first.” 
The Hodgsons, in dwelling on the management of the foaling dam, 
write: “Under conditions prevailing in our latitude, it is possible for our 
mares to foal out on pasture after April 15, and they do foal on pasture in 
the great majority of cases. A good bluegrass pasture, well exposed to 
