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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 599
 
| I have purchased a mare due 5/5/19. I have no experience but do have a vet guiding me. I contemplated sending her to foal at a vet, but my vet says I can do it at home. I can rent a foal alert from one of her other clients.
What advice can you all offer? If I decide to let her foal at home, what should I know? I’m vaguely familiar with red bag and foaling position.... |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 885
| There is a wonderful book called, Blessed Are The broodmares. It's worth buying. Congratulations on your first foaling. There is nothing more beautiful than a foal being born |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 599
| okhorselover - 2019-02-04 6:39 PM
There is a wonderful book called, Blessed Are The broodmares. It's worth buying. Congratulations on your first foaling. There is nothing more beautiful than a foal being born
Just ordered that book - thank you!!! |
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
  
Location: Texas | I second the book! If you have a vet working with you, you should be OK. Just make sure you have a few on speed dial in case you need help.... in case its like 2AM and #1 doesn't hear their phone haha. |
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SHOOT IT
Posts: 1170
Location: TEXAS | I bought a wireless camera for my stall and hooked it up to a monitor inside my house. That way, I could check on her throughout the night; if she was having problems, I would know and could act accordingly. That camera was the best investment ever and they really aren't that expensive. |
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 Zeal Queen
Posts: 3826
Location: TEXAS | We had bought a kid horse not knowing she was bred. Anyway, she delivered way earlier than the vet predicted so she wasn't even in a stall. She was out in the field with 3 geldings. We woke up to the surprise.  |
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 Expert
Posts: 2532
Location: the land of dust & sticks | OP, sounds like youre in good hands.
i have one due around then too. To those talking about monitor systems.... Any recommendations on cheap monitor system that could be used? My bArn is about 100ft from my house. Baby monitors etc? |
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 Guys Just Wanna Have Fun
Posts: 5530
Location: OH | WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE---LOL.
Just kidding---you will find that there is nothing quite as exciting----TRUST ME !!!!!!!!!! |
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 Thick and Wavy
Posts: 6102
Location: Nebraska | barrelchasinmonki - 2019-02-11 11:52 AM
OP, sounds like youre in good hands.
i have one due around then too. To those talking about monitor systems.... Any recommendations on cheap monitor system that could be used? My bArn is about 100ft from my house. Baby monitors etc?
I just got arlo pro cameras. I haven’t used them for the mare yet but I’ve had a lot of fun putting it in the pasture and catching all the critters lol. I think it’s going to work out great. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 889
Location: Kansas | Watch the weather!! Mares will foal when it's the worst haha Just had one that wasn't due for three weeks...yep she foaled outside on one of the coldest days...20 degrees with a colder windchill. Make sure you have a nice large stall / area inside available for foaling. Don't worry to much. I have found that my mares foal just fine without intervention. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 599
| runnin hard - 2019-02-13 12:13 PM
Watch the weather!! Mares will foal when it's the worst haha Just had one that wasn't due for three weeks...yep she foaled outside on one of the coldest days...20 degrees with a colder windchill. Make sure you have a nice large stall / area inside available for foaling. Don't worry to much. I have found that my mares foal just fine without intervention.
I have two not good foaling options
1) 12 x 12 stall
2) Outside paddock with no shelter
More people have been telling me to let her foal outside. I’m in Georgia so bad weather just means rain in May (when she’s due).
What do you feel is the better option of the two? |
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Guys Just Wanna Have Fun
Posts: 5530
Location: OH | dRowe - 2019-02-13 1:49 PM runnin hard - 2019-02-13 12:13 PM Watch the weather!! Mares will foal when it's the worst haha Just had one that wasn't due for three weeks...yep she foaled outside on one of the coldest days...20 degrees with a colder windchill. Make sure you have a nice large stall / area inside available for foaling. Don't worry to much. I have found that my mares foal just fine without intervention. I have two not good foaling options 1 ) 12 x 12 stall 2 ) Outside paddock with no shelter More people have been telling me to let her foal outside. I’m in Georgia so bad weather just means rain in May (when she’s due ). What do you feel is the better option of the two?
Weather permitting I prefer for them to be outside but we have foaled many in 12 X12 stalls also---you will find that no matter how big the stall it seems the mare will foal against a wall in my experience anyways. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 575
| dRowe - 2019-02-13 11:49 AM
runnin hard - 2019-02-13 12:13 PM
Watch the weather!! Mares will foal when it's the worst haha Just had one that wasn't due for three weeks...yep she foaled outside on one of the coldest days...20 degrees with a colder windchill. Make sure you have a nice large stall / area inside available for foaling. Don't worry to much. I have found that my mares foal just fine without intervention.
I have two not good foaling options
1 ) 12 x 12 stall
2 ) Outside paddock with no shelter
More people have been telling me to let her foal outside. I’m in Georgia so bad weather just means rain in May (when she’s due ).
What do you feel is the better option of the two?
I had one who REFUSED to foal inside. I kept her in a stall with a run for weeks. Turned her out for 1 night and the next morning had a baby on the ground. |
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 Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12703
| Mighty Broke - 2019-02-13 1:54 PM dRowe - 2019-02-13 1:49 PM runnin hard - 2019-02-13 12:13 PM Watch the weather!! Mares will foal when it's the worst haha Just had one that wasn't due for three weeks...yep she foaled outside on one of the coldest days...20 degrees with a colder windchill. Make sure you have a nice large stall / area inside available for foaling. Don't worry to much. I have found that my mares foal just fine without intervention. I have two not good foaling options 1 ) 12 x 12 stall 2 ) Outside paddock with no shelter More people have been telling me to let her foal outside. I’m in Georgia so bad weather just means rain in May (when she’s due ). What do you feel is the better option of the two?
Heck - mine are in a 12x20 run in attached to a 40' round pen and they STILL get up against either a panel or wall. I've had one spit out half in and half out of the pen . . |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 889
Location: Kansas | lonely va barrelxr - 2019-02-13 1:34 PM Mighty Broke - 2019-02-13 1:54 PM dRowe - 2019-02-13 1:49 PM runnin hard - 2019-02-13 12:13 PM Watch the weather!! Mares will foal when it's the worst haha Just had one that wasn't due for three weeks...yep she foaled outside on one of the coldest days...20 degrees with a colder windchill. Make sure you have a nice large stall / area inside available for foaling. Don't worry to much. I have found that my mares foal just fine without intervention. I have two not good foaling options 1 ) 12 x 12 stall 2 ) Outside paddock with no shelter More people have been telling me to let her foal outside. I’m in Georgia so bad weather just means rain in May (when she’s due ). What do you feel is the better option of the two?
Mares are pretty good at having babies and usually do just fine. I wouldn't have issues with a 12x12 stall or turn out (weather permitting). If you are sheduled for torrential downpours I would leave in, but otherwise horses have been having babies forever outside and are just fine. Don't over think it. I know that may be difficult if it's a first foal, for you. Mother nature (mares) are good at doing what's best.
It will all be okay. Listen to your vet. Ask all the questions you might have to keep your mind at ease. Enjoy the upcoming arrival. |
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  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4553
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | you dont need a camera , you need to know at what time of day the mare was bred. if bred at 10 am every day. your foal will be born at 10 am if bred at 6:05 pm foal will be at 6:05 . you must realize sperm swim very very fast. when the mare is pacing and rocking and walking in circles and you have milk running on the ground you are very close to foaling sometimes it is all of these or just one of these. be sure to give vitamins and free choice hay to have a stand up healthy baby. |
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Guys Just Wanna Have Fun
Posts: 5530
Location: OH | cow pie - 2019-02-17 2:31 PMyou dont need a camera , you need to know at what time of day the mare was bred. if bred at 10 am every day. your foal will be born at 10 am if bred at 6:05 pm foal will be at 6:05 . you must realize sperm swim very very fast. when the mare is pacing and rocking and walking in circles and you have milk running on the ground you are very close to foaling sometimes it is all of these or just one of these. be sure to give vitamins and free choice hay to have a stand up healthy baby. I have been doing this for 20 years and have never experienced this, the if bred at 6:05 they foal at 6:05 thing.
Edited by Mighty Broke 2019-02-17 1:39 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 599
| The mare arrived this weekend and I love her!
After learning that she had a difficult birth with her last foal, I’ve decided to have her foal out at a vet facility. If all goes smoothly with this birth, I’ll keep her at home for the next birth!
Thank you all for your advice (and “welcoming me to the jungle” Lolololol)!!!!!!!!!!! |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Mighty Broke - 2019-02-17 1:37 PM cow pie - 2019-02-17 2:31 PMyou dont need a camera , you need to know at what time of day the mare was bred. if bred at 10 am every day. your foal will be born at 10 am if bred at 6:05 pm foal will be at 6:05 . you must realize sperm swim very very fast. when the mare is pacing and rocking and walking in circles and you have milk running on the ground you are very close to foaling sometimes it is all of these or just one of these. be sure to give vitamins and free choice hay to have a stand up healthy baby. I have been doing this for 20 years and have never experienced this, the if bred at 6:05 they foal at 6:05 thing.
I have had a few foals born on my place in my lifetime and never had this happen either, the mares were even bred on my place, lol..
And a few of my mares never really had much of a udder when they went into labor it was untill after the foal hit the ground did they get their milk flowing.. |
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 Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | This will be my 20th year of foaling mares. All but 3 were born in pasture. The 3 born in the corral/stalls, all 3 got sick and had severe diarrhea. Saved 2 with kaopectate and naxcel but the other ended up with jont ill after dr'ing on him for a month solid. We thought he would come out of it but put him down last month at 2yrs old. We've had them foal in a 3 day downpour in May and have no issues. As long as it isn't cold they should be fine but where you know your mare had trouble before, I personally think the vet is the way to go. Good choice. I am so scared to get early foaling mares due the problems above. 2 of the mares were ones we bought at the Heritage Sale and they were born in Jan and Feb which just doesn't work for us here in WY. Last night we were -14 and that doesn't factor in a wind chill. We love those May babies! |
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