Foaling out outside with a shelter?

[TrotTrotPumpkn]

I’m in the upper midwest. I don’t have a barn (yet). I have two dry lots, two sheds (one is matted and 12x18 with a gate) and a pasture. My water and electricity are right there and the area is well lit. I breed in late May, early July for a mid-May foal.

I ship my mare to the vet clinic to foal out. I leave them there for 5 days or so, until the vet is giving me grief about needing the stall. Then I bring them home. Also, my horses live with two donkeys, who hate dogs and coyotes and my paddock is all hot (my dogs will not cross it, so I imagine others won’t too).

I had to do stall rest for a mare and foal two years ago and you may too, so I highly recommend a couple shelters and the ability to make one into a stall. It is not uncommon for a foal to be born windswept or with some condition requiring limited turnout.

I wean by boarding the mare off-property. For my last foal, I had a very nice elderly thoroughbred mare that I was fostering for a rescue (who had also had foals) and she was the perfect babysitter. She also taught the filly the manners her mother hadn’t bothered instilling.

[BeeHoney]

@RoughOut

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.

Although I don’t know what you are intending with your post, it’s not a good idea to compare horses and cattle. The two species have very different management needs related to giving birth. It’s not about what they are worth or how much you care about them, it has to do with the fact that they simply are different species with different needs and a very different birthing timeline. There are many excellent books and articles that spell out clearly why horses are very different from many of their farmyard companions when it comes to giving birth.

FWIW I raise other types of livestock in addition to horses and I can say from my own experience that managing pregnant and birthing animals of other species is like taking a relaxing beach vacation after dealing with broodmares. Your experience may differ, I simply do not want the OP to have a false idea about what it is like to foal mares at home is like. Things can go to @#$% fast. Horses are large and have the ability to move and behave with much more speed and violence than many other farm animals. Managing a horse that has a complication such as a dystocia, a bleed, or some kind of abnormal behavior towards their newborn can require an incredible amount of skill and strength and can also be quite dangerous.

[RoughOut]

@BeeHoney

Although I don’t know what you are intending with your post, it’s not a good idea to compare horses and cattle. The two species have very different management needs related to giving birth. It’s not about what they are worth or how much you care about them, it has to do with the fact that they simply are different species with different needs and a very different birthing timeline. There are many excellent books and articles that spell out clearly why horses are very different from many of their farmyard companions when it comes to giving birth.

FWIW I raise other types of livestock in addition to horses and I can say from my own experience that managing pregnant and birthing animals of other species is like taking a relaxing beach vacation after dealing with broodmares. Your experience may differ, I simply do not want the OP to have a false idea about what it is like to foal mares at home is like. Things can go to @#$% fast. Horses are large and have the ability to move and behave with much more speed and violence than many other farm animals. Managing a horse that has a complication such as a dystocia, a bleed, or some kind of abnormal behavior towards their newborn can require an incredible amount of skill and strength and can also be quite dangerous.

I was simply intending with my posts that the mere fact that the mare and foal would be in a shed rather than a barn.

I wasn’t speaking to the OP’s experience level or differences in calving and foaling. Just simply (though perhaps not clearly) trying to explain that an animal can give birth outside.

[Foxtrot_s]

Since hearing of a mare that rubbed herself up against the stall walls and killed the foal, I’ve been quite happy to foal my mare out in a soft paddock with in/out shelter. A small, clean grass pasture is ideal. Depending where you live and the climate. I think the owner should be at all births because complications cannot wait, even if it means a few sleepless nights. Or she could be birthed at a center where they have experienced staff. 99% of mares that are not maiden have safe births.

[Foxtrot_s]

…further - you have some experience. Everybody had to have a first foal before they gained experience. Don’t underestimate the expenses, because foals are always more expensive than you thought. Having foals at home has been the most satisfying thing and I loved every minute to the young horse experience. But I live very close to a mumber of top vets if needed.

[roseymare]

@RoughOut

I was simply intending with my posts that the mere fact that the mare and foal would be in a shed rather than a barn.

I wasn’t speaking to the OP’s experience level or differences in calving and foaling. Just simply (though perhaps not clearly) trying to explain that an animal can give birth outside.

I didn’t get the idea from your post that you were saying horses and cattle were the same. So it was clear to me what you were trying to say.

[JB]

@Foxtrot's

Since hearing of a mare that rubbed herself up against the stall walls and killed the foal, I’ve been quite happy to foal my mare out in a soft paddock with in/out shelter.

And well-meaning but anxious mares have stepped on foals in their pasture and broken legs and necks. For every “they hurt themselves in a stall” situation, there is at least 1 way to hurt themselves in a pasture. People say horses should be turned out because stalls invite injuries. I have a horse whose 5-6 injuries have all come while in his pasture. People said I shouldn’t have had him stalled at night when he was 2/3 because he regularly got cast. He rolled into his fence - twice - while in a pasture.

A small, clean grass pasture is ideal. Depending where you live and the climate. I think the owner should be at all births because complications cannot wait, even if it means a few sleepless nights. Or she could be birthed at a center where they have experienced staff. 99% of mares that are not maiden have safe births.

I totally wish everyone had the environment - weather, fencing, security, monitoring - to allow mares to foal out in a clean pasture. Most don’t I 10000% agree that all attempts to be there once the show gets going need to be made. When things go South, they can go quickly, minutes might be all you have to make the difference.

[RPM]

What do you mean by foaling “out”? Why not just say “foaling,” which is the correct term?
I mean, horses don’t foal “in.” At least I hope this one won’t!

[RegentLion]

We have sheds/stalls that would be appropriate for Foaling, IMO, although I don’t breed.

They’re 12x36 with a small overhang. There is a door on each end of the long side so a horse can go in one door and out the other. Less chance of a horse being trapped but also has 4 solid sides of shelter. Both doors can be closed. I use stall guards but you could use 2 sliding doors you could pin open or lock shut. I actually have a gate in the center I can open or close so I can have 2 12x18 stalls or one big shed, depending on my needs.

With 4 sides and a proper door, you’d basically have a free standing stall in your field. Which IMO would be workable for both weather and predators.

[JB]

@RPM

What do you mean by foaling “out”? Why not just say “foaling,” which is the correct term?
I mean, horses don’t foal “in.” At least I hope this one won’t!

Very common term in the horse breeding world.

[BeeHoney]

The important thing isn’t whether or not the mare foals inside or outside, it’s that you are able to monitor the mare 24/7 as she approaches birth (often easier at night in a stall), and that you have a clean indoor place for her to foal if the weather is terrible, or to confine her and the foal if there is a veterinary (or weather) reason for such confinement.

A clean, grassy paddock is wonderful for foaling, but be aware that a foaling mare might choose the muckiest, dirtiest spot of an otherwise clean paddock to lay down to give birth.

@RunningwaterWBs is right, everyone has to start somewhere, and if you have a passion for it I wish you well on your journey. I do think you really need to have a passion for it because it is such a commitment–time wise, finances, physical involvement, etc.

[Foxtrot_s]

…not to mention the heartbreaks

[JJ_sLuckyTrain]

A repro specialist I know has always said the best place for a mare to foal is in a pasture. Obviously there are lots of variables that others have mentioned.

On turnout companions for youngsters – I have had two foals born at my farm 8 years apart. Their companions as babies and once weaned have been mom and older horses. I think the notion that young horses need other young horses around is completely ridiculous. Having a good group of sane role models, especially if it includes a benevolent lead mare, is invaluable.

[Seagram]

Thanks everyone for the advice! I’m still on the fence about breeding the mare this year, but I’m going to try her out and if I like her as a riding horse, I think I will take her. I know already that I like her as a horse (which is probably the most important thing), and maybe put breeding on the back burner till next year. We shall see what happens. I may also win the lottery and be able to build a fantastic barn with state of the art monitoring, watering birthing center, etc…hahaha!!!

[OneTwoMany]

@Seagram

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!

With the right planning, you could certainly undertake what you are proposing, but do consider @BeeHoney’s first post. She’s made a lot of excellent points.

I will make one suggestion. If you think you want to breed this mare, and your life situation allows it, do consider working at a breeding farm for the better portion of a year. I would suggest look for a position where you will be exposed to many aspects of care. If you can find the right situation, you’ll learn a lot about what is involved in breeding, caring for the mare and foal, weaning, handing youngsters, etc. and you will quickly come to appreciate the responsibility involved and the skills required.

[Herzig]

The ONE time I decided to foal out a mare outside was the time she had dystocia. It was the middle of the night, dark, and I’m chasing the mare around so I can get an arm in there. Then once I got the baby out I needed to get them both indoors. It was a nightmare. (literally)