Foaling down outside?

arwenplusone

arwenplusone

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I have several options for foaling my mare this year, one of which is outside.

She would be in a small, well fenced paddock directly underneath the window of YO's house (so I could stay over). This is next to the arena which is floodlit. (so there would be lights if needed.

Now, I have never foaled outside before & am worried about this option. She is due late May and I am worried about the weather, but also just generally concerned about the risks of foaling outside.

I know a few of you on here do this and some prefer not to? what do you all think?

Foaling in her stable is not an option this year as it is only 14 x 14. The other alternative (and original option) is to foal her in one of the large field shelters, (i'd be staying in my lorry) but there are no lights in the fields that have these.
I do not want to send her to stud to foal.
Thanks
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mine is foaling out side my vet said it much more healther
as long as the fields clean
i have no option in stabling due to not having any .and mare not liking to be stabled its more natural
more natural it is the better
 
My mare foaled in the field shelter one year (her choice she could have foaled outside if she`d wanted too ) . I hung a battery lantern in there (not too bright) so i could keep an eye on her from the house with binocs lol, just after midnight i saw her rolling grabbed my coat and went down to find a gorgeous bay filly and a very chuffed mum all within about 5 mins. This mare had had 3 foals prior to this one.
I have a maiden foaling within 2 weeks however she will be foaling in stable as its her first and the fields are so damn muddy .
Hope all goes well for you
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Personally, with the weather as unpredictable as it has been this year, I would foal her in the field shelter and do as 'merlod_cymraeg' says and hang some sort of battery powered lighting in there. At least this way, if the weather turns nasty, then the foal is under shelter where he/she can stay warm and dry. Is there easy access to the shelter if the vet is needed though?
 
My mares foaled in the paddock opposite my bedroom window. BEST decision I ever made! I was considering foaling them in my foaling stable, which is in a "get dressed and have to walk every time you want to check on them" place. Whereas in the field and the field shelter, all I had to do was turn my head on my pillow and look out of the window.

I had lights in the shelter and woke up every hour to look, then if all was well, went back to sleep. I became familiar with the mare's overnight patterns, so it was easy to recognise when their foalings were imminent.

I wasn't shattered like some others get when they are on foal-watch, as I never had to actually get up until I saw they were in labour. All went well with my girls.

Good luck whatever you choose.
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Mine always come in to foal but one arrived early last year and when i went to the feilds in the morning she up galloping around and her poor mummy was in a panic controlling this new baby!! I would foal outside except for the "not being able to see them issue" therfore they come in, but outside is cleaner and more natural just not easy for us people! I think your well fenced paddock outside the window is a good option for you
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Mine have a choice and its entirely up to them, small fenced paddock with a large field shelter. I use the solar spotlights with separate battery pack (B&Q), they are totally portable and give plently of light without blinding them! they are perfect as you can take them (there are 2 per battery pack) and stick the spikes in the ground and adjust them or hang them in the shelter.

I find mares are much happier and relaxed in this situation, They know the paddock is safe and secure and if the weather is not quite right they can use the shelter, there is much more room to move and it's much more natural, yet you can control the situation and see what is going on.
 
I would personally say you have an ideal paddock going but what you are saying I personally think mares are much happier and relaxed foaling outside, and through my experiences tend to foal within 24hrs of bagging up whereas have known mares to hold on after bagging whilst stabled, hope all goes well with whatever you decide
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ah, thanks folks! All good advice as usual
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though I have still not made up my mind - it is good to know that there are many positives on foaling outside.

My mare is a pro at foaling
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and much happier out than in. Just have to hope for some nice weather!
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my mare has had both foals out side and was fine with other horses in field as well both foals done really well (both in may)i would say let her have it out side
 
My mare is at stud and i got a call on wednesday at 2.00pm to say at 1.00pm my mare had produced a lovely colt foal which was happily delivered outside unaided. Well she was checked ten mins earlier when stud owner went in house to make lunch, owner came out as someone called at door she looked across at the paddock and there was a little foal standing up looking for the milk bar. Mare and foal healthy, mare had cleansed and they were then taken in to foaling block to be checked and observed. So under the circumstances mother nature made the choice, but hey seems good way to me.
 
Have heard of a lot of examples of this, horses no mater how highly bred have a strong natural instinct to "leave" the herd and find somewhere quiet to give birth, I think they find the confines of a stable a little restrictive and possibly dangerous as they can't run away with baby from a threat than can easily creep up on them outside!

It seems that some will override the strong instinct to give birth in darkness to give birth in a field!

A friend was sleeping out in her stable for the birth, but her mare, a maiden, foaled in daylight in the paddock when she knew the whole family would be out, a kind of up yours!
 
The first TB mare we had that foaled went to stud to have baby, every night she was hooked up to foaling alrm and watched on camera, stud owner rang us at 12 pm to say still no sign of baby and mare had gone out in paddock for a few hours as it was sunny, an hour later rang us to say the mare had had a filly, she had gone to get her in and the foal was there
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Interesting Arwen, as I face the same dilemma. My stable is too small so am putting up a shelter which will be 18 x 16 and I could put a temporary gate on front (with panelling obviously). I think I plan to give my mare the choice of small well fenced paddock with lovely overhanging trees for shelter and the shelter itself within that paddock. They are then near to the stable block with electricity and I can hook up a connection from there for lighting. I can also sleep in my trailer! However, paddock quite small and not tons of grass so don't want her hanging around in there for weeks before foal comes. Going to be a bit of a balancing act!
 
My mare heard me ring the stud to see if she could go that afternoon as it was two weeks before her due date. As soon as I went home for 15 mins to have some lunch she foaled in the field and there was mare and foal in field when I got back!! She was showing no signs, I just think she didn't fancy going back to the stud! She found a nest in some long grass and laid in the sunshine giving birth to her first foal.

Got to say I was in 10 times more panic than she was! She didn't even break a sweat.
 
Outside is preferable, they can walk around as much as they want, I used to get mine used to torches being shone at them, and no probs.
 
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