the female of the horse kind. See the article Equus, and Horse.

Before a mare is covered, she should be in the house about six weeks, during which time she should be well fed with good hay and oats well sifted; and in order to render her conception the more certain, near a quart of blood may be taken from each side of her neck, about five or six days before covering. Another method to bring a mare in season and make her retain, is to give her, for the space of eight days before you bring her to the horse, about two quarts of hemp-feed in the morning, and as much at night; and if she refuses to eat it, to mingle it with a little bran or oats, or else to let her fast for a while; and if the stallion also eat of it, it will greatly contribute to generation.

Mares go with foal 11 months, and as many days as they are years old; and therefore the properest time for covering them is in the beginning of June, that they may foal the May following, when there will be plenty of grass, which will afford the mares a great abundance of milk for nourishing their foals. After covering, let her, for three weeks or a month, have the same diet as before, and be kept clean in the stable, with her feet well pared and thin shod; if she cannot readily bring forth, hold her nostrils so as to stop her taking wind; and if that will not do, dissolve madder, to the quantity of a walnut, in a pint of ale and give it her warm. In case she cannot void her fecundine, or after-burden, boil two or three handfuls of fennel in running water; then put half a pint of that liquor into as much sack, or, for want thereof, into a pint of ale, with a fourth part of salad-oil, mixed together, and pour it lukewarm into her nostrils, holding them close for some time. Otherwise, give her green wheat, or rye, the last of which is best.

If the mare has but little milk, boil as much as you can get from her with the leaves of lavender and spike, and bathe the udder with it warm, till the knobs and knots are dissolved. She should now drink only white water, which is bran put into water; give her also sweet mash; and a month after foaling, let her have a mash with some brimstone or sain in it.