Prevention of diseases in neonates and foals comes down to a few things:

• Vaccinate the mare about 30 days before foaling for the major diseases affecting your area.
• Feed the mare well (high-quality protein), but don’t let her become overweight (BCS>6).
• Dip the foal’s umbilicus in iodine when born.
• Be sure the foal drinks the mare’s colostrum within 12 hours. Test the milk and test the foal at 24 hours.
• Keep the foal in clean surroundings.
• Avoid the stress of aggressive horses. Keep them safe from harm. Keep the environment safe from injury-causing things (poor fence and wall construction/upkeep.

Seek the advice of someone who has raised foals to help you understand prevention and signs of trouble. Most things are avoidable, but some are not. While most foal deliveries happen without human help, it is good to witness the delivery and the after-moments to prevent a problem. Remember, however, that many problems happen due to human interference or their lack of attention to the human world we surround these newborns with.

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