I’m thinking of getting a mare to breed (friend has one she is looking to rehome, nice blood lines, not too old, can offer a lifetime home for the mare). But, I do not have a barn. I have my own horses at home in a paddock with a shelter, and have some land that I could build a separate shelter and paddock for the mare (and possible foal) when the time comes.
I am just wondering if this is possibly the dumbest idea ever, or if anyone else has successfully done it this way? I know breeding is always a crapshoot, and might not work or result in a complete failure, that’s not what I’m worried about. It is the lack of a barn that concerns me the most. Just looking for some thoughts here! Either talk me out of it or tell me it worked great for you!
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I think it will depend on the time of a year and the weather and how closely you can monitor things. If you have to build a new shed anyway, I would build one that can be closed off. That way you’ll have a stall if you need it.
We foal out our mares in a small paddock, but I am in Australia and our climate is much milder than some other countries. The mares and foals seem to cope well with this, but we also have the foaling paddocks under video surveillance, all the mares wear foaling alarms and the owner’s house is literally right next to the foaling paddocks.
There are also yards we can lock the mares and foals in if we need to (had to use them this year for one of the colts), so I would recommend having some kind of stable/yard/ect. in case you need to confine the mare and foal.
If the shelter is three sided and you can put a gate or something across the front to enclose it if need be it can be done.
Foaling is about how safe the foal will be, and that’s about protection from predators and weather. Whether it’s a full out barn, or a shedrow setup, or a shelter, doesn’t matter.
I would not foal out in Feb or March if in Minnesota in an open shed situation, but if in Miami then that’s fine. I wouldn’t foal out in an open shed situation any time of year if cougars or coyotes are an issue. A friend just has a few-days old filly lay down next to a fence line and get dragged partially through by what appears to have been some big cat (filly is fine, but nasty neck wounds 
). You definitely would not want to have that happen to a just-foaled foal who isn’t attended to.
Either way it’s set up, there needs to be a way to confine the mare and foal into, preferably, at least a 12x24 “stall” when needed.
What will you do for turn out when its time to wean? It will be difficult with the mare and foal on the same property if only one or two paddocks.
I started breeding (in New England) with exactly this setup. While not ideal, it’s quite workable. I had two paddocks – one with a run-in and one with a sort of free-standing extra-large stall. The stall was really a run-in with a half-wall and stall door.
Foaling outside is excellent, but it’s important that you can contain the mare and foal for inclement weather. There may also be times you need to treat them for one thing or another, need to curtail turnout, or need to contain them for the vet, so having a run-in that can double as a “barn” is helpful.
When it came time for weaning, I could use my closable run-in to keep the mare out of sight from the foal. The foal will need a turnout buddy after weaning.
I know someone who does this, but it isn’t ideal. If your shelter is BIG enough, and properly fenced/sided, it can work. I would want it to be at least 18x18, and 3 sides with SAFE fence in front. Babies roll and side under fence, so just putting up a pipe panel will not work.
Then - will you set up a camera, or will you be sleeping outside the shelter, or is it close enough to the house that you can go check on her every couple of hours through the night? Is there power or lights to the shelter in case you need to deal with something in the middle of the night?
Is it protected from the elements? You will need to be able to bed and keep it clean and dry.
Mare and foal will probably need their own private shelter and paddock - many mares get very protective of their babies, so a group setting is not a good idea, at least not for the first few weeks.
Thanks for the food for thought! I’m still debating this idea in my head! Sounds like it could be quite workable, would just have to do some real planning and a bit of building.
One cautionary tale - a friend who was a long-time breeder lost a foal apparently because of a shed that was matted with rubber mats. The amniotic fluid makes things very slippery so be sure NOT to use impermeable flooring in the shed, even if it seems cleaner. The best thing really is to foal on clean grass out in a safe field if that’s possible with appropriate visibility.
Other posters have covered most of the other things I thought about.
Mats are a separate issue from the logistics of a barn and “formal” stall. I have mats. There’s nothing wrong with mats in a shed. I used a thick layer of broken down pelleted bedding to absorb fluids, with a thick layer of straw on top.
For sure, a nice clean grassy pasture is the ideal surface, just not always the ideal setting (predators, weather).
The best of both worlds is possible, whether “outside” or in.
I know a former breeder of Haflingers, All his horses foals outside. This was in a northern climate. They did fine.
I agree - all my stalls were matted. I had a layer of pellets, then a thick layer of straw, and never had a foal slip on the mats. I have had a lot of foals over the year get tangled up in the straw and trip and fall - new babies fall, that is reality. In a non-matted stall, you can end up (quickly) with uneven floor base, which also contributes to trips and falls.
A clean grassy pasture is great in the daytime - and I’ve actually foaled a few out this way, but at night, it is way too hard to keep an eye on what is going on, PLUS the predator and weather issues. I always put my mares out during the day, brought them in at night. A few chose to foal outside during the day. I think one or two actually crossed their legs and held their breath until they were taken out. MOST foaled in the stalls in the middle of the night.
I had a neighbor who just left the horses out - they foaled when they foaled. They checked the horses every few days. And they lost more then a few babies and mares. One of the worst that I witnessed - the mare got protective, didn’t want the other mares nearby, and she and baby ended up tangled up in the fencing at the property line - so I was the one that found the mess:cry: But they had a lot of lost mares and foals using that method. I prefer to monitor the foaling.
PSA- not that you need another horrid story on new foals and danger but…
A good friend had her TB mare in a small paddock w/ shelter- no gate on shelter - foal was born during night, owner’s dog got into paddock and
chased and killed foal before daylight. Owner awoke to this tragedy as the sun came up.
Lots of predators are attracted to the smell of blood and birthing fluids, best to protect mare/foal w/ large stall.
It can be done. Use the same precautions as you would if she was in the barn.
I calve out 150 cows on pasture. Some I bring into a run in shed/dry lot with a camera. There are definitely coyotes and bears but I haven’t lost a calf to a predator. I check the herd just as often as a mare in a stall would be checked.
Given safe conditions (fencing, weather etc), and diligent observation I think you can safely foal outside.
I’ve always foaled out in a stall, although there was one mare that insisted that broad daylight in the paddock was the ONLY place she’d foal. Just be sure you have a plan in case of a problem delivery (access/ lighting) and disinfect the umbilical stump as close to immediately as possible…unless no one else in the world thinks this is a problem. I am sorry to say I saw a friend’s very lovely filly ruined because of an infection via umbilical stump.
Calving is NOT the same. The odds of a birth going wrong are much lower. A retained placenta is a non-issue. And there tends to be less risk of social issues between new mother and herd, which means the baby is safer (no coyote is going to take on 150 or even 25 cows protecting a new baby). We had cattle for a while, I am speaking for experience.
And if you want to look at the financial side of it - the loss of a cow is not the same as the loss of a mare, sad to say… Although we never lost a cow, I’m glad to say.
It is perfectly reasonable to foal mares in paddocks, provided the weather is good, the paddock is clean and safely fenced, and you have the time and the mental/physical strength to foal watch outside. What is your backup plan if a big storm is coming through? What is your backup plan if the mare or foal experiences a problem and you need electricity and shelter from the elements and the ability to safely confine the mare and foal to provide vet care? What are you going to do if the mare and foal experience problems post-birth and need to be confined for a period of time?
Down the road, you are going to run into issues related to weaning and turnout. You will need to move the mare (or the baby) off property for several weeks to wean the foal. Then, when you bring the mare back, where are you going to turn everyone out? It’s pretty risky to put a weanling out with a group of adult horses. Weanlings often enjoy having another youngster to play with. You are going to start needing more and more paddocks.
I think it is also worth considering that caring for broodmares and foals is an entirely different skill set than regular horsekeeping. It will be a very steep learning curve, with a high risk for complications when you are new to it. Even if you are highly motivated to educate yourself, you will still make mistakes or miss things. You may find yourself faced with really difficult choices regarding how far to go to save a sick foal or mare. Raising weanlings and yearlings is also another specific skill set. Handling young horses is not always easy. Some people do well with it, some people find themselves over faced by handling a rambunctious weanling or yearling.
My best advice for you would be to take a big step backwards and ask yourself what your goals are. I would strongly recommend considering buying a young horse to bring along vs. breeding one yourself as the costs are invariably lower to purchase outright. There is much less risk with this option as well. I would also ask you to evaluate more critically this mare you are looking at. A mare that is worth breeding is rarely in a position to be “rehomed.” Not every mare with good bloodlines is worth breeding. If she’s “not too old” but is not rideable for some reason, I would consider very strongly that whatever made her unrideable may be a trait that you do NOT want to pass on.
I suppose I agree in that one can keep track of EPDs and hopefully select for calving ease and low birth weights but there is a greater risk for twins in beef cattle.
I would disagree that my brood cows are of less financial value than the average mare being bred. Particularly when you can take into account donor cows versus recipient cows.
I think it really comes down to individual observation and management. You better believe I dip calves’ navals and they are ear tagged and castrated early on.
Thank you all (but especially this post for a good dose of reality!!) You have made some very valid points (and many that I’ve already considered, especially the need for more and more paddocks, another youngster for the baby to play with, etc.)
The owner is looking to rehome for her own personal reasons, not because of the mare, she is still quite rideable and really quite a lovely mare. I have the luck of working with her and seeing her personality, which I quite like. And breeding a mare has always been on my bucket list of something I want to do. It was the thought that this opportunity was being presented to me, and I have to decide if I go through the door or not.
I’ve had some experience with mare care, delivering and handling foals and youngsters within my various barn related jobs, so not a newbie to that arena. But they were never my own.
Building a barn on my property is not in the near future, but shelters and paddocks are not so unrealistic.
Being a jump first with rosey coloured glasses on is not always a good thing though. I just keep swinging back and forth, go for it, I finally am in a situation where it could work, and don’t do it, craziest idea ever!!
