Foaling mares are totally relaxed, stress free
Wednesday, June 11, 2014 - 11:42
in Biology & Nature
Foaling in horses is extremely fast. Labor and the active part of foaling, resulting in delivery of the foal, take 10 to 20 minutes and are considerably shorter than giving birth in humans or in cows. Is this brief period stressful for the animals or are horses more relaxed than humans when giving birth? Researchers also took samples of saliva and blood and analyzed the levels of stress hormones such as cortisol and epinephrine, and have concluded that, “normal foaling appears to cause just the opposite of a stress response”.