TIMELY intervention ensured the successful arrival of Dexter, one of 27 foals born at Mount St John stud in North Yorkshire this spring.
The mare, Aperta, had passed the bag (the whitish sac, or amnion, the first part of the placenta) and was straining when resident vet Kara Johnston MRCVS realised that something wasn’t right.
“No feet or head were visible, so I inserted my arm and found that the foal was upside down,” says Kara. “His legs were above his head, so Aperta was pushing his feet into her rectal wall.
“A foal stuck like this won’t be able to get out alone and can die through lack of oxygen,” Kara explains. “Without help, it’s bad news — and dangerous for the mare, too, as she can suffer a…
