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 World 4D Champ
Posts: 28264
    
Location: PA | How many people breed horses, or have bred horses, that don't have a barn??? What is your set up for when they foal??? Small set up for the mare(s), out in the pasture, etc.??
I'm really wanting to breed my mare next year...but my hubby and I are on different ends of the spectrum as far as "where" she can foal. I do not have a barn...but I am planning on setting up an area with shelter and a run for her for when its time. We have plenty of room to do this, it just isn't done yet. My hubby thinks I need to wait until I get a barn, with a nice cushy foaling stall. I disagree...Yes, I'd love to have that, but she'd be perfectly ok in a shelter/run area also. It will probably be years until we get a barn, and quite frankly, I don't want to wait that long.
So...who all breeds that does not have a barn? Any pictures of your set up? |
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 Buttered Noodles Snacker
Posts: 4377
Location: NC | I grew up riding at a farm that pasture bred horses. They were bred and foaled in the pasture with the other horses. He was old school and never had any problems that I can remember. Honestly though he wasn't breeding very expensive horses and if something would have happened to a foal or even mare I don't think it would have been a huge hit for him.....
Edited by HorsesNHarleys 2014-11-26 6:54 AM
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  Shipwrecked and Flat Out Zapped
Posts: 16390
Location: DUMPING CATS AND PIGS IN TEXAS :) | If it's warm enough, I totally prefer a paddock or pasture. I watch them fairly close and they are ususally in a 2 acre paddock when they get close so I can check them through the night. I don't want to say this out loud, but I've never had a problem with them foaling. One mare did tear her uterus and bled for a few days, but the vet checked her several times, blood work, etc and said it wasn't that bad and it healed. She has delivered since with no problems. Also, if you watch them too close, I swear, they hold the colt longer!!! They will wait until you walk away and spit it out, even if you're checking every 1 hour. Good luck catching one foaling if you don't have them on camera or with a foal monitor lol. You'll be my hero if you do. |
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 Hugs to You
Posts: 7550
Location: In The Land of Cotton | Mine all foal in the pasture. Knock on wood never had a problem. The pasture is cleaner then a barn anyway. |
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World 4D Champ
Posts: 28264
Location: PA | I won't be able to pasture foal her unless I divide the one I have...but what I was thinking of doing, was just setting up a shelter and small run....like, a 12x24 shelter, with a 36x24 run off it or something like that...
We just moved into our house so its a work in progress as far as the horses go....I have one pasture right now, and working on a few more, but need to clear trees so it'll be a few years...I do have more open land I can pen off for her, but nothing substantial....
I'm just trying to show my hubby that I do NOT need a barn right this minute in order to breed her... |
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 Toastest with the Mostest
Posts: 5712
Location: That part of Texas | My mare had access to a really nice barn and lean-to shed when she foaled. She had access to the pasture area too and that's where she had her colt -- right smack dab in the middle of some hay that we had to move the colt out of before he could stand. My friend breeds horses and always has her mares out in the pasture in a small pen when they foal. I watched my mare give birth and was glad that she had the room to get up and get down and walk around a bit while the process was going on. We moved them into a stall a few hours afterward. |
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| You know my opinion. Breed her and then you have time to get something up for her. More Motivation I say!!! Let me call kris!!! |
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World 4D Champ
Posts: 28264
Location: PA | gunsmoke - 2014-11-26 8:41 AM You know my opinion. Breed her and then you have time to get something up for her. More Motivation I say!!! Let me call kris!!!
Call him!!! LOL..convincing him to let me breed her surprisingly isn't the issue!! haha...
Thanks everyone....keep them coming! I'm going to have to show this to him so he can see that a barn is not needed for me to breed her!  |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1034
| Not in PA!! I don't even do that and I'm in CA. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3782
Location: Gainesville, TX | Our mares always foal in the middle of a 40 acre pasture. We keep an eye on them pretty closely but they always manage pretty well by themselves. There is a shelter they can get under if necessary but are pretty happy managing it themselves. Amazingly they've been doing it that way for thousands of years and managed just fine. |
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | i have a barn and my mares have all foaled outside....way cleaner than a barn......
m |
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 Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | My first was born in the pasture, and my second was born in the barn. I prefer pasture. It just feels a bit safer. My foaling stall is 10x20, and I do like that mama and baby can spend some time alone before being ambushed by my other mare in the pasture.
Not having a barn would not prevent me from breeding my mare. Although when it's cold out, I much prefer having my barn. |
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 Expert
Posts: 4625
Location: Desert Land | Right now I just have a big pen 24' x 48' I put them up in with it's time to foal - it doesn't have a cover, but is surrounded by pine trees for shade/cover. My set-up has worked for me just fine - never had any issues. I do have a full covered mare motel I need to put up and then my foaling pens will be 20' x 40' fully covered.
I know lots of people who foal out babies and don't have a barn. |
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 Worst.Housekeeper.EVER.
Location: Missouri | BRcwgrl81 - 2014-11-26 7:24 AM I won't be able to pasture foal her unless I divide the one I have...but what I was thinking of doing, was just setting up a shelter and small run....like, a 12x24 shelter, with a 36x24 run off it or something like that...
We just moved into our house so its a work in progress as far as the horses go....I have one pasture right now, and working on a few more, but need to clear trees so it'll be a few years...I do have more open land I can pen off for her, but nothing substantial....
I'm just trying to show my hubby that I do NOT need a barn right this minute in order to breed her... The run and shed is how my mare foaled. I would prefer pasture, but we have fescue grass and I had to keep her penned up the last 60+ days of her pregnancy.
eta: my mare is one that loves being inside. I kept the shed bedded deep (with shavings, then straw when she got close) and she loved it! She foaled inside the shed.
Edited by just4fun 2014-11-26 9:38 AM
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World 4D Champ
Posts: 28264
Location: PA | Thanks everyone! Youve all pretty much confirmed my thoughts!
Now to convince hubby and decide on a stud!  |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| 3canstorun - 2014-11-26 7:09 AM
Mine all foal in the pasture. Knock on wood never had a problem. The pasture is cleaner then a barn anyway.
This is what a vet told me too. |
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 Making the post season
Posts: 7288
Location: your guess is as good as mine | All of mine were born either in a pen with a shelter attached or out in the pasture - I just made sure to time it so foaling time was mid-April or later so the weather would be warmer. I wasn't interested in doing the futurity scene so it didn't bother me having one born later in the year. |
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 Peecans
| I do not think you need a fancy foaling stall or anything like that, we do have a barn and I use it because i have it.
My grandpas mare foaled outside several years ago the same day sage was born, the foal was fine but we had to bring them in because the mare did not clean nor would she let the foal suck. Everything turned out fine.
You do need to be prepared and have spot for not ideal outcomes, IMO, but that dosent necisiarly mean a barn. Just somewhere you can keep them handy and safe if you need to help. |
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Expert
Posts: 1314
Location: North Central Iowa Land of white frozen grass | Let her foal in the pasture. Much cleaner and also lets the mare move around and have exercise that they need. My mares all foal out in the pasture with all my other horses of varyous ages and mares and geldings. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1229
Location: Royal J Performance Horses, AZ | i have 5 12 X 24 fully covered stalls set up against a brick wall.
When it comes time for mares to foal we typically set up 2 ft boards around the stall and bed them down with 6to 8 inches of straw. We havent had any issues or problems. If we have mares due in jan/Feb when its really cold, our shade covers over hang the stalls by about 3 feet so we just take heavy tarps and drape them over the front so it makes like a covered walkway in front of the stalls and breaks the wind. It works out great for us.
We also have cameras set up so we can watch them or check on them any where any time. |
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Expert
Posts: 1229
Location: Royal J Performance Horses, AZ | GLP - 2014-11-26 9:48 AM
3canstorun - 2014-11-26 7:09 AM
Mine all foal in the pasture. Knock on wood never had a problem. The pasture is cleaner then a barn anyway.
This is what a vet told me too.
I normally agree with this, but after having several emergencies that thankfully all were caught and handled with minimal damage I can never let mine foal unsupervised again. Much too nerve wracking for me. I'd rather foal watch on camera and when they start labor I head out to watch quietly and make sure all goes to plan. |
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 Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4553
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | HEHEHE Breed when you know when you'll be home and later in the season when the weather is warm. We made a little shed with a 24 foot pen. We started pulling her out of the pasture when she was too heavy to protect herself. I let her back out cause it just got to muddy in the pen. I watched her from the bedroom window I knew she was getting close. I said to him she will have that baby shortly should I leave her out or bring her in to foal. I was saddling up and walked out to get her she was happy to get to her stall. She sqweeled I walked in the house told him to come outside she was going to have that baby in a few minutes I went for a short ride and was just about to the house when she foaled. All was fine. He tried to get her up and nursing and was getting POed .I told him to leave and had her doing her thing in 5 min. So take you pick and have fun. |
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Expert
Posts: 1218
Location: Too far from home | My family raised horses and foaled out in the pasture for years. Now we use a Foalert and typically they mares still have no problems, but we've saved a couple because we were there. Can you foal in the pasture: absolutely. Can you save a few more by being ultra vigliant and having them up and monitored: probably. Either way works. |
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 Expert
Posts: 4121
Location: SE Louisiana | Absolutely amazing that horses managed to evolve for 100 thousand years without a barn to give birth in... My only worry in a barn is that some simple mare might flop down with her butt to a wall and try to foal like that.. |
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Expert
Posts: 2685
| So in Feb- Mar (in south OK) would you choose 10X20 foaling stall in barn or 40X80 pen with 10x10 shed on side of barn? Lights in barn. No lights in outside pen. I will plug my trailer in and sleep outside the barn regardless. |
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Expert
Posts: 4121
Location: SE Louisiana | RoaniePonie11 - 2014-11-27 3:36 PM
So in Feb- Mar (in south OK) would you choose 10X20 foaling stall in barn or 40X80 pen with 10x10 shed on side of barn? Lights in barn. No lights in outside pen. I will plug my trailer in and sleep outside the barn regardless.
The bigger the better..... |
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Peecans
| komet. - 2014-11-27 2:39 PM
RoaniePonie11 - 2014-11-27 3:36 PM
So in Feb- Mar (in south OK) would you choose 10X20 foaling stall in barn or 40X80 pen with 10x10 shed on side of barn? Lights in barn. No lights in outside pen. I will plug my trailer in and sleep outside the barn regardless.
The bigger the better.....
So Komet if there was a horrid spring storm Rollin through you'd pick outside ......
It depends on your area and what the weather is doing, not everbody has the luxury of foaling on green grass in pefrect weather. Just use some common sence, if its nice outside is great if not, inside is great too! What ever is best at that moment is what's best. |
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Breeding...without a barn....can it be done?