Pregnancy and childbirth in a mare is a serious and alarming period. Females reach puberty by two years, and begin to give birth only in 3-4 years.
Signs of pregnancy
It is possible to visually determine pregnancy in a horse from the sixth month. Up to this point, the veterinarian can determine it by taking tests from the animal. Signs of pregnancy:
- the horse is in a lying position for a long time;
- eats a lot;
- actively protects its territory;
- often there is one;
- walks separately from other individuals.
How is the pregnancy going?
In most cases, it proceeds without complications and ends with the birth of a foal. It is important to keep in mind that in the later stages the mare needs better nutrition. In the last three months, food should be 40% more nutritious than at the beginning of pregnancy. You need to feed often, because eating a lot of horses is already hard.
The timing
Pregnancy in a mare lasts 11-12 months. Duration depends on the season of the year, feeding and size of the fetus. During the first months, the embryo develops; in the remaining months, it quickly grows and develops.
Room preparation
In order for a baby horse to be safely born, it is necessary to prepare a place for childbirth. The room should be closed, dry, warm, dimly lit and without extraneous animals, then the mare will be comfortable. The walls and floor must be disinfected with a solution of iodine or potassium permanganate. It is recommended to lay fresh, dry straw bedding on the floor.
What is the name of the calf horse?
In most cases, mares give birth in early summer, when it is warm and a large amount of food. As a rule, problems at the birth of the young generation are rare, and often human help is not needed. The birth process usually lasts about half an hour. The cub appears muzzle forward.
A foal - a cub of a horse - is able to stand on its own in an hour and a half. At first, he kept close to his mother. He quickly learns to walk, and at first it looks very awkward, as the limbs are not completely straightened. The baby has soft hair, a fluffy mane and a tail. From the first days of life, the foal must be protected from drafts. Caring for a baby, taming it to a person must begin from birth. The more attentive the attitude towards him, the more obedient he will be when he grows up.
The limbs straighten completely after five weeks, and the calf is perfectly standing. Starting from the sixth week, the foal can eat grass, but continues to feed on milk for another six months. It protects the foal from various infections, as it contains many nutrients.
After six months, the cub of the horse grows up and in the proportions of the body becomes like a small horse. Muscles are made strong and hooves become stiff.
The age of horses is usually counted from the first of May of that year, when they were born. Only English purebreds are considered an exception, they count down from the first of January of the next year after birth.
Nutrition
After birth, the calf feeds on mother’s milk. After 15 days, the foal needs to be fed with vegetable feed, mainly oats or barley.
This requires a small feeder. First you need to fill up 150 g of feed, and then gradually increase to 2 kg per day. While the foal is eating food, the mare must be tied so that she does not eat the baby’s food, or put the feeder in a place inaccessible to her.
Help person
Most horses are ready to work after only three years of life. Horses can work up to twenty years. Then they have the same problems as other animals:
- teeth grind;
- the digestive system is damaged;
- blood circulation worsens;
- vision weakens.
Therefore, at home, monitoring the condition of animals is much simpler and easier. In the wild, the animal dies, as it is not able to chew food.