What about if the baby is in the wrong position? Are there any websites too? Thanks.
I don't know about websites, but some of the books try to cover the subject to a point. Lots of what you will learn will be from visiting other farms and from your own experiences.....at least that's what happened with us.
We are STILL learning after over 15 years of breeding........
FIRST thing is to call the vet!
One of the biggest things I know to do is when the presentation of the two hooves and the nose isn't right, is to be aggressive....."Grease up, dip yourself in iodine/nolvasan" and go up inside the mare to feel what's going on. Sometimes it's an easy fix....Either the nose is hooked up or one foot is folded back. Don't be afraid to push the foal back up inside a ways to unhook or unfold.
Another common presentation is a breech. That's when it's good to know a horse's basic conformation so you know you are feeling the BACK legs. The best thing to do is to pull the foal out (in a downward motion) with the mare's contractions as FAST as possible.
Unfortunately there are presentations that are almost impossible to solve without a vet and unless your vet lives within minutes away, you are destined for a sad result, I hate to say..... They aren't common, but they do happen and they've happened to us. One is what I call an "umbrella breech" and it's when the foal is trying to come out butt first.
For an "umbrella breech" you can feel the tail and rear but no legs or feet. It's rare, but it's possible to push the foal back up and get the two legs extended to present as a regular breech. Looking back, if we'd known more at the time, we may have been able to do it but instead the vet did and by that time the foal was lost.
This is probably a lot of stuff to absorb in one post....sorry about that. And there are many other presentations not mentioned, but many of the books mentioned in previous posts bring them up. They aren't common, but they do happen. The most important thing to remember is --- IF YOU GO INSIDE THE MARE AND DON"T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON --- MAKE SURE YOUR VET IS ALREADY ON THE WAY!!!!
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THE HEALTH AND LIFE OF YOUR MARE.
Please feel free to PM me if you want.
MA