NEWS
Foaling at Claiborne Farm
Posted: Wednesday, December 03, 2008 12:49 PM
Historic Kentucky farm now conducts most foalings outside, in grassy paddocks with fewer hazards than a stall
Photo by Z
by Cynthia McFarland
The winner's circle may be the ultimate destination for a Thoroughbred, but the beginning of that dream takes place far from the shouts of the crowd and the thunder of hooves down the stretch.
Every foaling season, that dream is born anew as a broodmare strains and pushes her foal into the world. As that baby unfolds its long legs for the first time and makes an awkward attempt to stand and nurse, only a quiet audience of one or two will be on hand to witness the moment.
Thousands of foals have been born at Claiborne Farm since Arthur Hancock Sr. founded the operation in 1915. The Paris, Kentucky, farm, which has remained in the Hancock family since its inception, has been home to some of the Thoroughbred industry's top sires and racehorses.
From its first stallion, *Wrack, who was imported by the senior Hancock and entered stud at Claiborne in 1915, the farm has stood such noted sires as *Nasrullah, Bold Ruler, Buckpasser, Nijinsky II, the legendary Secretariat, the influential Mr. Prospector, Danzig, and Unbridled. Fourteen Kentucky Derby winners have stood at the farm.
Horses foaled on the historic Claiborne Farm acreage include such standouts as Forty Niner, Personal Ensign, Easy Goer, Nureyev, and Lure, among many others.
With foaling season rapidly approaching, Claiborne manager Gus Koch discussed how the operation handles one of the most important aspects of a Thoroughbred breeding farm.
Busy season
"We're blessed to have a very stable horse population and get to know these mare families through generations," said Koch, who has been at Claiborne for 30 foaling seasons. "When I came here we had a mare named Monarchy, who was a full sister to Round Table. She produced the family of Preach and Pulpit. We may be foaling a mare and also have foaled her grandam. We're very fortunate that way."
In 2009, Claiborne will foal approximately 155 mares. As each mare approaches her foaling date, she is moved into the foaling barn known as Claiborne 7.
"Both Bold Ruler and Round Table were foaled at Claiborne on the same night [in 1954]," noted Koch, "and we're still using that same barn."
Two broodmare barns in the foaling complex contain a total of 38 stalls, making it possible to watch a good number of mares at a time. Koch does not rely on a specific date to move a mare, but plans to have her in the foaling barn within ten days of her due date, or earlier if she is showing signs she is getting close, such as developing an udder.
Mares spend all day outside but are brought into the barn to eat and for the night. This routine continues once they rotate into the foaling barn, where they are under the watchful eyes of the foaling and nightwatch crew 24 hours a day.
Two or three employees are in the barn throughout the day, and there are two members of the nightwatch crew on duty every night throughout foaling season.
"We have very good foaling men in James Sebastian, our head foaling man, and Tommy Jones, who helps him at night, and we have a good day man in Charlie Oliver. Therefore, myself and the assistant farm manager, Bradley Purcell, do not have to attend every foaling," Koch said. "These people stay put at the foaling barn; they keep an eye on the newborn foals and the mares getting ready to foal."
Although mares are kept inside at night so they can be watched closely, as soon as a mare starts showing signs she is about to foal, she is taken outside to one of three foaling paddocks adjacent to the barn. Approximately a half-acre in size, these clean, grassy paddocks are used only for foaling. There is plenty of room for the mare to walk, move around, and get up and down, and paddocks are lighted to allow the foaling personnel to monitor the mare. There are no feed tubs or water buckets to get in the way.
"We started foaling outside four or five years ago," Koch said. "We wanted to get back to nature, and we've had great success with it. The mares are more relaxed outside, and the foals get up quicker. There's less worry about disease. It's more natural and a healthier environment."
Of course, if the weather does not cooperate, mares are foaled in a stall. In this case, thick straw bedding is used, and all buckets and tubs are removed.
First steps
"When a mare breaks water, we'll put on a sleeve and go in to make sure the foal is in proper presentation with both front legs and head coming," Koch said. "If that's there, we step out of the paddock and the mare foals pretty much unassisted. We're in attendance, but we don't interfere or assist unless she needs help."
Koch admitted that "it takes a strong person not to go in and pull that foal," but he has found that hands-off foaling is actually much better for the mare and foal if they do not need help.
"We think the mares don't get rushed this way and are more ready to foal," Koch said. "They have more time to relax, and we reduce the incidence of cracked ribs you can have when foaling is rushed and someone is pulling before a mare is ready. Everybody wants to help, and a lot of time too much help can be detrimental. You can't beat nature."
With a normal foaling, the foaling crew watches the mare from just outside the paddock after checking to make sure the foal is correctly positioned. Unless the mare or foal needs assistance, the crew members do not enter the grassy area again until the foal is born. The cord is allowed to break on its own and as soon as it does, the foal's naval stump is thoroughly saturated with 2% iodine, which is applied with sterile cotton. The mare's udder is washed with mild soap and water before the foal nurses for the first time. This is done to remove fluids and any dirt or fecal matter that may have dirtied the udder during the foaling process.
"We make sure the foal gets up in a timely manner and we watch closely, especially with a maiden mare, to make sure the foal gets to nurse," Koch said. "It's very important for a foal to get that first colostrum, so we're very diligent about that."
In some cases, a mare may have been dripping milk long enough before she delivers that she does not have much colostrum left when the birth occurs. A daily chart is kept on every mare; if a mare is dripping milk, this is noted and she is watched carefully. The veterinarian is alerted because, if the foal does not receive adequate colostrum from its dam after birth, it may need frozen colostrum, plasma, or both.
Claiborne collects colostrum and freezes it for just such occasions. The farm also donates colostrum to the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers' Club for its colostrum bank, which helps farms in the area.
After the mare has foaled and passed the afterbirth, foaling personnel collect and weigh it. The afterbirth is saved for examination by the farm veterinarian the next morning. He will spread it out on a table and check to make sure the afterbirth is complete and that no part has been retained in the mare, as this can lead to serious problems. Color and thickness of the afterbirth also are checked to be sure all is within normal range.
Remain in paddock
Once the mare has foaled and the newborn has nursed, they are allowed to remain outside in the paddock, weather permitting. The resident farm veterinarian examines both mare and foal in the morning. The foal is checked to make sure no ribs were cracked during delivery and that its naval stump is clean and dry.
After a careful physical examination, blood is drawn from the foal for a test that determines if the newborn has received enough antibodies from its dam's colostrum. "We make sure the foal is continuing to nurse and that the mare has enough milk," Koch said. "That's not a given because sometimes a mare is bruised and in pain and won't let her milk down. We try to be patient about that without endangering the foal."
In cases where a mare is not producing enough milk, the farm leases a nurse mare for that foal.
The mare and foal spend most of the first 24 hours after foaling outside, weather permitting. Although they are brought into a stall for veterinary examination and for the mare to eat, they are turned back out afterward.
"We want them outside as much as possible," Koch said. "We want the mare to get out to exercise after foaling so she'll clean out."
If a mare's manure seems dry, she will be fed a bran mash after foaling, but this is not routine for all mares. Typically, a mare will not receive her full grain right after foaling, but it will be increased to the normal amount in the days following delivery. Mares are fed a 14% protein feed, along with quality alfalfa-mix hay.
"For years we traditionally fed first-cut clover hay, but we started feeding mixed alfalfa hay [with timothy or orchard grass] about eight years ago," said Koch, "and we feel this has really helped milk production."
Many mares benefit from having a Caslick's repair to prevent infection or aspiration of air. In a Caslick's repair, very thin pieces of tissue on both edges of the vulva are cut away and the edges are then sutured together, leaving an opening beneath the sutures sufficient for urination. The sutured area must be manually cut open before foaling or breeding to prevent tearing of the surrounding tissue.
Mares that have had a Caslick's repair are not sutured again the day after foaling, Koch said.
"You don't want to have to twitch a mare just after she's foaled. It's stressful on her and can raise her blood pressure. We're very careful not to do that and try to give her a little time."
Despite the countless foalings that he has watched, Koch still finds it to be a moving and emotional experience. It is, he said, among the most rewarding aspects of his career. "I've always loved foaling season and the mares and foals," Koch said. "There are all the travails along the way to get a mare in foal, keep her in foal, and get a good foal on the ground. We know the risk and the work involved; it's a big thrill to get one on the ground and watch him grow up."
Cynthia McFarland is a freelance writer based in Fairfield, Florida
