Re: that profile pic. This is a tiny point, but for ever and ever and ever, I was always told to bed foaling mares on straw, not shavings, because the shavings stuck to the umbilical stump and contributed to navel ill.
I remember having straw shipped in to a small barn with one foaling mare for exactly that reason.
Is that no longer a thing?
Also, regardless of bedding type, who thinks that’s adequate bedding for a foaling stall?
I worked at a barn and we bedded on sawdust, we always got straw in for foaling season and the only time I saw a foal born on shavings/sawdust it was an early pregnancy where the mare didn’t exhibit signs of foaling, foaled overnight unexpectedly, and even after birth they were moved onto straw for the first week. That picture shows very little bedding in the first place!
It’s never going to be. Look them up from the previous states. This is almost a year.
That is not why you should not foal out on shavings but yes you should not foal out on shavings. Some people do and never have a problem just like some people turn their horses out in barbed wire and never have a problem. Until they do.
The reason you don’t foal out on shavings is klebsiella
Did you see how many straws of frozen semen she has listed for sale? Some are partial straws (and very much so), yet still. It seems like she was planning a lot of future jumping harness hunters.
Non kwpn registered parents can have foals in the register b book.
Good lord, I was first noticing the foal being foaled on a barren stall on shavings and didn’t even notice the horrible feet on that mare.
Uhhh, all I can say is, YIKES. That foot in the bottom left corner looks awful. Surprised she’s intentionally foaling out on shavings. And a very thin layer of shavings, at that. You can see the pooled fluids between the foal and dam, there aren’t enough shavings to absorb it. I have very limited experience with breeding and foaling out, but it is my understanding that a deep bed of straw is safest.
Here’s the photo, in case anyone is wondering (it’s currently her profile photo on Facebook):
The Amish have very very serious breeding programs and care a great deal about bloodlines, import horses frequently, and sell for a lot of money. A sexed embryo recently sold for 75k from and into a Amish breeding program of fine harness Morgans. Their harness horse breeding programs (several breeds not just DHH) are entirely different from what pulls their buggy or what they might have around the farm for general riding or use, or what winds up at the sale barns. What someone buys from them is a different story.
Yes. The shavings stuck on the foal are making me antsy just looking at that.
Straw is safest and farms that usually use shavings typically switch out to straw when foaling is imminent. If a unexpected foal lands on shavings, people certainly don’t take pics of it AND they swap the mare and foal to straw immediately. I personally hate straw so always liked when the foal was old enough to be switched back!
I hear you and understand that.
My question in the post you were replying to though is how KWPN registration works when an approved and licensed KWPN DHH stallion is crossed on a mare who is not DHH. I really don’t know much about harness breeding rules. Is it possible to get a nice, registered Hackney or Morgan mare approved by KWPN (the way people can with certain breeds for sporthorse purposes ), and the resulting foal could get foalbook or register A papers? Or is this not allowed by KWPN?
It does seem clear that the ADHHA would give those foals full papers, given their 50% rule.
Anyway… it’s just curiosity about registry rules on my part. I’m not trying to slam all Amish breeding. There definitely are very high end breeders who produce very nice harness horses. There also are Amish beeeders at the other end of the spectrum, who produce more random crosses. The Amish do utilize auctions for horses that no longer serve a useful purpose, and thus limit their financial losses associated with these horses. It is what it is.
Yes, there are quite a few Hackney, etc stallions approved KWPN. For example, Cambridge Cole is a famous Hackney in Ulandro’s pedigree.
A Harness type can be bred with a Dressage or Jumper type and registered in that breeding direction. That is what Kate is doing.
A barn I boarded at once did have a mare foal on bedding other than straw. She had allergies and couldn’t tolerate straw. All other mares I ever saw foal there were always on straw. They switched to straw in a timely manner.
Everything was fine with the mare that didn’t foal on straw, and I understood their reasoning behind it.
Can you give me some more details on this? A quick Google didn’t give me much equine specific info.
Maybe I heard “risk of infection” and erroneously concluded navel ill?
PS - This is why I love this board, I love learning from the experts here.
Hmmm. That’s interesting. So you think these foals do have full KWPN papers, as a result of studbook rules?
I guess this is a matter of buyer beware then.
I don’t just think they do. They absolutely do.
Well, she might look into CDE buyers for that.
I witnessed a young stallion decide the way Out of a water obstacle was to jump one of the solid gates.
He got onto the top, Marathon carriage stayed in the water, miraculously, both got out unscathed.
Back to regularly scheduled programming…
Oh. I didn’t realize this. Thanks for clarifying.
It’s a matter of moist wood being a favourable material for proliferation of Klebsiella. Keep bedding dry and clean, and the ubiquitous monster should not gain any more purchase than any other bedding. FWIW, inorganic bedding (sand) tends to allow better proliferation of the streps than wood bedding.
I personally wouldn’t worry one whit about modern kiln dried bedding - pellets or shavings. Green sawdust (from a sawmill - not from woodworking) is a whole other catastrophe waiting to happen. It’s my favourite bedding because it’s absolutely non dusty and easy to clean, but it harbours frickin’ everything including its own oils which can be a problem for some horses with allergies/sensitive respiratory systems.
ETA - Klebsiella is most known for pneumonia but can also cause sepsis - so yes, to your navel ill question - it is a concern.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
