Uterine contractions push the foal into the rapidly dilating cervix. The foal then turns onto his front and extends his head, neck, forelimbs into position to fit through the cervical canal. The mare then begins to strain. The forelimbs then burst through the allantoic sac, then releasing allantoic fluid.

The mare will lie down and the abdominal muscles strain as the vagina widens. The front feet of the foal will appear, followed by the nose and shoulders. The Amniotic sac ruptures and the foal starts to breathe. The strong abdominal contractions continue until the hind legs emerge.

The mare gets up, and the umbilical cord breaks. Within the first 30 minutes, the foal makes an attempt to stand up and search for the udder. The mare will then lick foal’s anus to stimulate passing meconium. Finally, the placenta is expelled about 1 hour after birth.

Stage 1:

Stage 2:

Stage 3:

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