The Complete Book of Foaling: An Illustrated Guide for the Foaling Attendant

I read the whole book from front to back... I love the no nonsense advice. Right to the point. I felt well informed. I assembled everything I needed in case of an emergency. My mare had her colt in the middle of the night without intervention.

Being first time horse owners, we were surprised to find out that one of our new broodmares was expecting a foal. Having been pasture bred, we had no expecting dates to go off of other than the ones given by the vet after performing an ultrasound. I had a lot to learn in a short period of time and this book was mentioned in a forum somewhere on my Internet travels. It was easy to follow and very detailed, almost too much regarding all of the possible situations in which a foal would need help being delivered. I was a bit paranoid for sure as there is really no way a vet can be there in time unless they live next door. Within a week of the expected delivery, the birthing pen was prepared, the monitoring system hooked up, and the foaling kit complete and organized. The only problem, my mare didn't read the book (I gave her a stern talking to). Even though I checked her twice a day for all the "signs," she wound up having the foal in the pasture. My husband fed the aggressively hungry mare at 8:30 am (losing appetite is one of the signs) and an hour later at 9:30 am (foals are typically born before dawn) saw a new colt standing next to her. Since my husband did not read the book (relied on me to provide the Cliff Notes), I was able to confidently walk him through all of the after foaling "must do's" until I got home from work. I gave four stars as I would like to see the book updated (printed in 1993) and include foaling after care like how much and what to feed the mare before weaning for good, quality milk production, when to expect the foal to begin eating solid food (mine began eating mama's hay by week two and I didn’t know if this was “normal”), and how to care for a youngster with foal diarrhea, as opposed to how to prevent it, (didn’t have an opportunity to clean the udder before nursing) as this was very nerve-wracking and scary. All-in-all, an absolute must-have reference guide.

Great book. A bit fear mongering but VERY well worth it

The book delivers what you would expect from the title. If you decide to have a foal, then you must be prepared to handle any situation that could arise. I have read many books on this subject. This one covers every situation that could possibly go wrong. The picture illustrations show several foal dystocia positions. Exact instruction on how to correct each one is easy to understand. The foaling kit, a well as what to have with you when you enter the stall to check the position of the foal. There is a small window of opportunity here. If you miss this stage right after the water breaks, then do not check her.I see many foaling videos online and almost all are from people who have no clue what they are doing. I even saw a video where the attendant cut the umbilical cord with a knife. Being prepared gives you peace of mind. I thought I knew everything until I read this book. Now I understand how a simple correction, will allow the foal to pass through the birth canal with ease.

I bought this book because I am a little rusty on my foaling ability (its been a few years) The book was very very thorough and had a lot of illustrations and pictures. Unfortunately in black and white however... Its a good book to get back in the swing of things although it is outdated. I have heard "Blessed are the broodmares" is a very very good book as well. That will be my next purchase! I like this book and would recommend it in conjuction with another book, Alone however as I said it is a bit dated and would need supplementation

I was a bit terrified to experience my first foal arrival with a maiden mare and I purchased this book upon recommendation from a horse breeder and vet. I studied the book well to prepare myself for everything leading up and to the big event. This is truely the completed guild to foaling and you'll know how to recognise an emergency after reading. Of course there is a lot of information on the web, but I put my trust in Dr Hayes. My own copy of this book is dog eared and ready for another read next time I venture in to breeding again. I highly recommend this book.

If you could only buy one book on foaling then this is it. Karen Hayes covers in detail preparation of your mare through to the actual birthing. She also includes dystocia and what to do and flollows the process through to after care of both mare and foal. The book is well set out, easy to read with plenty of diagrams and photo's to back it up.... A MUST READ for anyone planning on foaling their mare at home and a great reference tool also for the more experienced foaling attendant.

This book is fantastic! It was exactly what I was looking for. It has a lot of great information, pictures/diagrams and is comprehensive about foaling and what to do if something goes wrong. The closest vet takes 35 minutes to get here, I wanted to know what I would need to do if I had to assist in the delivery, and I felt like this book gave me that information. I learned a lot about foaling from reading this...I don't necessarily agree with everything the author writes, however, the information in this book is a gold mine. I recommend it highly to anyone that has a pregnant mare or just wants to know more.

I bought this book, as my mare was pregnant at the time, and I had'nt a clue what to do when the time came, I found this book very informative and easy to follow, as luck would have it, we were very lucky as one day I nipped to the shops when I came back she'd foaled, with absolutly no problems, tinkerbell will be 3 in May and they are still extremely close.Thanks

Very interesting read but frightens the life out of you with what can go wrong !!

Fantastic book, loads of detail. Don't scare yourself by reading too much though! Hoping I won't need to actually use it, but a great reference to have on stand-by.

brilliant thank you

My hard copy is very poor quality. The pictures are of such poor quality that I could hardly make them out. In fact it looked as if it had been photocopied from elsewhere.