Any instances where you let the broodmare foal outdoors? If in a foaling stall, how long before you move the mare and foal outside?
Outside on a grassy pasture/paddock is/has always been ideal IF you can still keep eyes on her, and predators aren’t a risk.
How long before mare and foal go outside depends on - if the foal has contracture/laxicity issues and how severe, safety of outside paddock (ie is it ankle deep in mud), predator issues, etc. Generally - ASAP. As soon as the foal can get up and down and walk, theoretically he can go outside.
the questions should be - what’s keeping the foal from being safely outside.
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All our foals are born outside. I missed one as the mother was a sneak and dropped her at lunchtime whilst I was at work.
Very few mares in this region foal in stables.
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All of ours were born outside – a vet told me there’s no better place than a grass pasture. They liked foaling during the day, which was considerate of them.
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The large TB farm I worked at would take them outside if the weather was nice and foal them on the grassy patch outside the barn.
There are several reasons for it:
- Much easier to keep stalls cleaner when you’re not foaling mares in them
- No corners / walls / other issues to get hung up on
I’ll still foal outside if I have the option, but I don’t have a dedicated area like they did.
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Yep, vet told me that the grass pasture with sunlight was the cleaner place to be.
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and if it’s a nice grassy dry pasture, it’s cleaner/fewer pathogens for the foal to inhale or get into the umbilical stump, and to get sucked back into the mare as the foal moves out and in for a bit.
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I put mine right out the next morning as long as all was well and the weather was nice. They stayed out a bit until it got warmer then came in. I’m in Fl, so obviously if it’s snowy cold rainy etc I wouldnt do that , or even extreme heat
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Sorry I misread.
All of mine have foaled outside but it was by accident lol. Put one out for an hour so I could clean her stall, looked out to check on her just in time to see her water break .
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