I agree Mares are in foal for a very long time and there is only a small gap when it is best to put them in foal. June-August iirc. So it does amke sense to get her foal straight away but at the risk of humanising her (yes I know there is a word for that but I cant remember it) I think it seems quite pointless, Im sure she will still be fine to use next year.
I do feel incredibly sad for Emma, she tried so hard and she is getting a lot of stick. Not nice at all.
I have just found this FAQ with Emma on H&C
Your questions answered
This is the third foal Queenie has lost. Will she be bred from again? Queenie has had three perfectly healthy foals including Jasper one of our geldings, since she has been here. She's also had a successful preganancy and birth, sadly badly disabled which had to be put down. Then she had an early term miscarriage. There is no reason why we should not breed from this animal again.
How long was the period the foal was left before resuscitation was attempted? Our users were concerned that it was left for a good five minutes before help arrived and the sac was broken over the foal's face. Emma intervened as soon as she realised there was a problem - after a maximum of two minutes.
Did Queenie get a chance to 'realise' her foal had died? Was she left with her for a while? Yes the foal was left with Queenie until she realised it was dead.
Will she be offered to the foaling bank for an orphan foal? No, she will not. This is Farm Manager Richard Morris' decision after much consideration for Queenie, Emma, her existing work load and the other horses we have in our care. We have done this in the past and it is a huge commitment that at this time we just are unable to commit to.
How is Queenie? Queenie is fine, she has gone out to the paddock this morning with Joe (her best friend - another horse). The vet is coming to check her over and advise on her condition.
Was Queenie put to the same stallion with whom she lost her previous two foals? No a different stallion was used for this pregnancy.
With her history, why wasn't a vet there? Can you share the team's foaling experience? Her history is four perfectly normal births. We had our vets on standby and were on the phone to them throughout the whole period of resuscitation. Between Emma and Richard, they have 40 years of foaling experience.
Were the team there for the whole time, but out of camera shot? Our users were concerned that no one was with her. Yes, they were with Queenie for the entire foaling, but out of shot most of the time.
Our users are concerned that Queenie didn't seem to get patted or comforted. Why was this? The focus quite rightly was on the foal and we did not want anyone else in the stable. Queenie also was not receptive at this time to contact. Emma did not stop speaking to Queenie all the time we were in the stable and she was treated with the utmost care including visits throughout the night to ensure her welfare.
What went wrong? The foal made no effort to breath for itself. When Emma noticed it did not make any effort to move or struggle, she intervened immediately. The foal had a weak pulse at this point but was still sustained by its umbilical cord. When Queenie stood up this broke and the foal slipped away. We will not be conducting a post-mortem so we will not know the exact reason. The birth was timely and straightforward, a healthy foal in these circumstances should have no problem at all.
Can our users visit Queenie? We will get her back into her normal routine as quickly as possible. So she will be out and about by the weekend, if anyone wants to visit her then, they may.