What is Birth Alarm?
Birth Alarm consists of a transmitter and a receiver.
The transmitter is attached to an anti-roll girth which
is placed around the horse’s withers. The mare
experiences no discomfort whatsoever from the
leather girth. The transmitter has a range of over
500 yards, but you can extend this distance by
connecting it, for example, to a beeper. The
transmitter is waterproof, so the system is also ideal
for births that take place out-of-doors.
You set the receiver in the desired place, for
example in the bedroom, and plug it in. A 12-volt
adapter is available for isolated locations.
How Does Birth Alarm Work?
It is not normal for a mare in the late stages of gestation to lie totally on her side
when resting. Normally speaking, she rests in a half-lying, sitting, or even standing
position. The position in which she lies totally on her flank is unique and is utilized only
during the expulsion phase of the birth process. There is, however, a group of mares
(approximately 10%) that do rest in the totally lateral position, and these form an
exception to this rule. For this group of mares, Birth Alarm is equipped with a special
setting which enables it to detect and report the onset of delivery
in all cases without exception.
Birth Alarm can be adjusted to two different settings: 4a and 4b.
• Setting 4a is for the standard situation in which the totally
lateral position is a unique occurrence, i.e., the mare does not
rest in this position.
• Setting 4b is provided for the group of mares that rest in the
same position they assume during contractions.
Birth Alarm USA 800 581-8666
The Horse:
Totally at ease with man and a cherished domestic animal. And despite this “fraternization
between horse and man,” a mare in foal displays surprisingly instinctive reactions. She is wary:
she feels instinctively that the expulsion of the foal puts her in a highly vulnerable situation. It is,
in fact, strongly suspected that the mare is capable of delaying the birth, for example, until she
feels totally undisturbed and at ease. A variety of phenomena can signal the commencement of
the delivery itself, but these signals can just as well be absent or else barely discernable.
The expulsive forces in the birth of a foal are indeed very intense. And research has shown that
during the contractions the mare lies down totally on its flank for a shorter or longer period of
time. In this totally lateral position the mare is able to absorb the intense contractions and
increase the expulsive power. Birth Alarm is based on this physiological phenomenon.
Jump to
(Home Page)
(Next Page)
(Previous Page)
