Foal Watch 2024

@EventerAJ @Laurierace @LaurieB can you advise @Arzny ?

I’m trying to think of everyone here who is experienced now, and I know there are many here that could advise. It has been too long since I have been working in the breeding world for me to give advice to @Arzny’s in what seems to be an urgent situation.

These work, but I don’t know if they make a small enough size:
https://www.hockshield.com/

Also, a foal might not tolerate them. And, they tend to leave white hair patches if used for a while.

Can you put down a thick bed of straw on top of the shavings? Maybe that would cushion the floor a bit more. I know - straw is not fun to muck out…

In addition to the duct tape and gauze squares, if straw is out for allergy reasons (I had a hunter who broke out in hives horribly on straw, and some straw makes me itchy too, which is why I mention that, not saying this is your situation) could you try paper bedding mixed in with the shavings or the pelleted bedding wetted down and see if that’s softer for him?

My colt had his foal wellness check yesterday and got a clean bill of health from the vet. He needed an extra enema on Monday but perked right up after that and seems to be doing great. He is absolutely enormous and seems so much bigger than my colt from last year but that colt was born 9 days earlier. It’ll be so interesting to see where they all end up size wise in a few years.

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I am too distracted by the lovely movement of your mare !!

Did you name baby Hazel after Watership Down’s hero Hazel?

How is the other mare doing?

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He must be on shavings for medical reasons - per the vet.

I also can’t wrap the leg for medical reasons as well. Trying to find mini sized hock shields might be my best solution!

Perhaps you could find a different company that makes shavings. Maybe a more fine grind?

Other mare is doing great. And that foal, Roslyn, is now ‘touch-compatable’ (i just put up a ‘scritches’ video on my OT)

and yes, Hazel IS named after Watership Down!

Mare is my dressage mare. She’s an athlete.

My favorite book. :heart: :rabbit2:

I am glad to hear that Roslyn is touchable. I was wondering how that pair was doing, I believe you mentioned that Rizada was a bit nervous once baby was on the ground.

Could you MacGyver something together, like cutting the toes out of sock pulling it above the hock and secure it in place with some elasticon?

Sorry to hear everybody’s poor luck foaling, as ever it’s tough. I wasn’t spared this year, as five days after my mare had her colt she colicked badly and I lost her. I was so grateful for a wealth of breeders networking around me that I managed to find a lovely nurse mare :heart:

“Cache” and his new mom

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oh mannnnn…
I’m so sorry. And she was SO BEAUTIFUL!!! edit: Oh, NEW mom! She’s lovely!

Breeding is not for the faint of heart.

We got out of sheep breeding because it was a month of trauma for us. We bred fifty or so ewes, so 100 ish lambs… and i think every day we lost someone. It was hard to feel joy when all that happened.

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I am so sorry to hear about your mare.

Breeding certainly has its ups and downs.

With the duct tape we didn’t wrap. Just put a small square of gauze over the open wound and then slap the duct tape on top. It stuck well enough to the hair and doesn’t have to wrap around. The sticky stuff wasn’t hard to get off later either. Gauze is only needed if there is an open wound or raw skin. If there isn’t you can just put the duct tape on directly. It’s like putting a bandaid on your heel to prevent a blister.

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I’m so sorry for your loss. :frowning:

They make these little things for bedridden people to wear on their heels to prevent bedsores that might work. They look like just the heel part of a sock but have extra padding and stay on better. I used them on my dog with no chew vet wrap to secure when she started to get a pressure sore on her elbow and it totally worked.

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Just throwing this out, too: they sell those gel joint protectors. I got mine on Amazon. They help shield your ankles during stiff boot break in. They are pretty sticky and stay in place.

My farrier had success with her gelding’s hock sore healing using the small gauze square/ piece of duct tape on top method.

Tried duct tape tonight and it fell off within 10 mins. Maybe I have bad tape?

I currently have rolled gauze, then vetwrap, then elastikon at the top. I hate using the vetwrap, but it’s the only thing sturdy enough to survive getting up/down/playing/putting his mouth on everytbing.

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Two purebred Arabians vs. one Half Arabian: https://www.facebook.com/52700902/videos/687934343366852/
:rofl:

Addy was having none of this cool, rainy weather today, and Arielle wasn’t much of a fan, either. Even Sydney was feeling feisty enough to come trotting in behind her sister and mother. It’s good to see her almost back to her own self again.

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I am so sorry for your loss, but glad you were able to find a great nurse mare.