Fly rugs on mares with foals??

[Beatrice5]

Well as we all know the flies are out in force at the moment and nother i seem to put on my mare seems to help. So today in desperation I dug out the fly rug. But now I am worried. the straps are crossover belly straps and are quite snug to prevent foal getting head stuck but the fillet string is quite loose? Foal is 4 months old and quite a big strong lass and already stands 13hh and quite stocky. After an awful week where we have lost 3 newborn puppies as I had popped out to collect some work from the office as working from home and bitch was showing no signs of labour I am now on total overdrive regarding anything more potentially going wrong. I cannot cope with anymore heartbreak this week.

So please advise me ? Fly sheet or no fly sheet and if not what else can I do for my poor bitten mare and foal?

 

[flaxen]

My mare wears a rambo sweetitch hoody during the day when its nice as she is very thin skinned and doesnt like the flies, she is still wearing a lightweight stable rug at night as she feels the cold and I dont wont her dropping weight. She has a 2.5 week old foal at foot and I havent had any problems with her rugs and she has worn them all year. I have 3 sircingles on her rambo and these alone keep it in place when she is looning round the field, my stable rug has cross sircingles and a fillet string but the fillet sits high up and it tight so it doesnt dangle and flap about.

Both my mare and foal get fly sprayed as well and as soon as he is big enough he will get a fly rug, when it rains my mare wears a nz and foalie wears a greyhound coat( which he is rapidly growing out) so he is used to wearing a rug too.

Saying that my foal does seem quick to learn, at less then 2 weeks old he was leading in a head collar to the field, I can groom him all over, pick his feet out and he has already met the hose when my mare had a bath on saturday so he ended up getting a leg washing lesson. When he is playing in the field and leaping about he keeps his front legs tucked in tight so they stay away from her straps.

 

[emlybob]

Rugs or no rugs on mares with foals at foot is a huge debate. TBH it really is up to you whther you take the chance or not. I know plenty of mares that wear rugs with foals at foot and have never had a problem. I think you have to weigh up the pros and cons. Some people will argue putting a rug on a mare is an accident waiting to happen for the foal. BUT plenty of mares do get rugged up with no problem

 

[bj_cardiff]

Rug the mare and she'll stand in a part of the field and watch while the foal is bitten over and over.. you also have the risk of a foal getting stuck in the straps, its just not worth it IMO

The files are terrible this year - why not bring the mare and foal in for the day?!

 

[Holly831]

I have given in and put my mares Boett rug on during the day.

So far so ggod - like you I worry but it's either that or let my mare rub herself raw. Also with the foal being that bit older I do think he could get himself out of trouble now! (fingers crossed!!)

 

[Jamana]

Rug the mare and she'll stand in a part of the field and watch while the foal is bitten over and over.. you also have the risk of a foal getting stuck in the straps, its just not worth it IMO

The files are terrible this year - why not bring the mare and foal in for the day?!

Agree with this totally.

The risk of rugging a mare with a foal is huge esp a young foal. I personally hate rugs on foals of any description (unless of course the foal is ill, but that is different) and the thought of of putting a fly rug on a foal...................!!

People seem to totally over-rug these days, no matter what the weather is they have a rug for it. How on earth did horses cope for the millions of years before rugs came into mass production?

On our TB stud the mares wear rugs only in the winter and will have them off immediately if they are due an early foal. One mare was rugged all winter but produced a foal on jan 24, rug off from that day on. Both mare and foal look smashing, but the most important thing is correct feeding NOT rugging.

I accept that if your horses live in electric fence land then they have few options for shelter from sun/flies but I would think it better to have them in for the day and turn out after flies have gone than to risk rugs and straps.