horse labor

Question
If the horses cervix is still closed is the horse in labor

Answer
Kimberly,

I sincerely hope that you are not asking this about a horse you have now because by the time I get this and answer it the mare should have either delivered or is gone.  Mares go into labor for only a few hours and the actual hard pushing will only last about 30 min.  If the cervix is still closed, and I don't know how you would determine that without an exam, then most likely she's not in labor, at least not yet.  Horse's labor progresses much like humans and other animals.  Early stages when the foal is being positioned for delivery and the muscles in the pelvic region are relaxing may go for a day or so.  During this time you probably won't even realize the mare is in early labor because they behave fairly normally.  The last half hour is when the mare gets up and down and is obviously pushing, you can see her sides contract.  The final stages of labor are very hard and go quickly.  Think about horses in the wild.  The mares leave the herd shortly before the foal is born in the middle of the night when danger from predators is lowest, deliver their foals quickly and are up and back with the safety of the herd in a couple of hours.  The last stages of labor exhaust the mare which is why it doesn't last too long.  A mare in hard labor for more than about 30 min. generally doesn't make it, nor does the foal.  Fortunately, some 95% of equine births are uneventful and require no assistance.  

I hope this answers your question.

Lyn