understanding the foal

The arrival of a foal signifies the culmination of eleven months of planning, waiting, and dreaming. But once that foal takes its first breath, the owner or caretaker must be prepared for the challenges and responsibilities that lie ahead.

Understanding the Foal is an essential guide for owners, farm managers, and anyone else raising a foal, whether one at a time or a hundred on a large breeding farm. This book encourages the reader to increase his or her powers of observation to help recognize problems in a timely fashion. Knowing what to look for often is the key and can mean the difference between a healthy foal and a sick one.

Understanding the Foal is organized in a step-by-step fashion and discusses late-term mares, the birth process, caring for and monitoring newborns, and caring for weanlings. Common foal problems and diseases also are discussed in an easy-to-understand style. Written by Christina S. Cable, DVM, Understanding the Foal is a must for every horse owner or manager.

Christina S. Cable, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, owns Early Winter Equine in Lansing, New York. The practice focuses on primary care of mares and foals and performance horse problems.