The Essential Foaling Kit for the First-Time Mare Owner

 you've inserted the thermometer so that should they expel it, it will not fall to the ground. Although the modern digital veterinary thermometers I've seen do not have a hole you can use for this purpose, you can use that ever-handy duct tape to affix the string. Heck, if you want to just stand at your mare's rear and hold that thermometer in

 place for three minutes, go for it. Otherwise, rig a string and a clamp!

Scalpel or Sterile Knife

In most cases, you won't cut the umbilical cord. Leave it to break on its own. On occasion, a mare will pass the placenta before the cord has broken, though—and that's where your scalpel, knife, or shears will come in handy. Make sure any sharp objects in your kit have a holder or container to prevent you from cutting yourself.

Baling Twine

As the mare is passing the afterbirth (placenta), it will often hang from her body for quite some time. Since you'll want to collect it and inspect

 it or keep it for your veterinarian to inspect, you don't want her to trample it and tear it. Use the baling twine to bundle the afterbirth into a tidy package above the mare's hocks.

Clean, Dry Towels

Under unusual circumstances, there may be times you need to rub down the foal with the towels to assist with shallow respiration. On a normal basis, you want to avoid this; the mare will clean the foal herself (an important part of their bonding process) and—if you thoroughly clean the foal—she may even reject it.

You'll also want towels on hand for your own clean-up, to wipe mare or foal's eyes or nasal passages, or for other drying and cleansing. I go

 heavy on the old towels in my kit as they're always handy, whether for sitting on or drying my hands.