Foaling/Mare & Foal Stable Size

devilwoman

devilwoman

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Due to a recent turnaround of events the foaling stable I was promised is now no longer avaialble to me, SO I now have only my mares own usual stable 12 x 12 for her to foal in and be with her foal, she is 15.2hh herself so the stable is not huge - i'm rather concerned now and wonder if she would be better off foaling outside ? and after the foal is born how will be cope in that size of space, i'm worried she'll lay on the foal or tread on it if it is sleeping, foal not due until September so she'll be in there with it for the whole of the winter (out daytime in at night)
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Do you have access to a small paddock close to the stables? If so then that would be a good option, that time of year appears to be becoming an extended part of summer and certainly this year was no exception with it being very mild well into November in the south.

Mine foal out if they are due in the summer and if they are foaling early then I bed down a field shelter in the paddock so they have a choice and somewhere for mare and foal to go if the weather turns nasty, which it is now inclined to do in the spring!

My last March foal had to contend with snow at 5 days old, she didn't like it much and stayed in the shelter most of the time! But she was fine and mum was happy as she hates being confined but likes her shelter.

I have lighting around the paddock and find that solar lighting is very good as it is not too bright but gives you plenty of light to see with. I find they are much more relaxed out but I can still keep an eye on them and assist if necessary, but they have plenty of room to reposition themselves without fear of getting cast.
 
Hi thanks for the reply, yes we have a little paddock right outside the stables, she could foal in there, i'm sure my YO will let her, I can leave the outside lights of the stables on which willl give a dull light into the paddock so its not too bright.
 
My mare, 16 hands, foaled here at home in a 12 x 12. I know that it wasn't ideal but there were no problems and he was a big foal. There was always someone around to keep an eye on them.

Don't worry too much - I'm sure it will be fine.
 
Sounds ideal and if she has been out all summer she should be in tune with the weather. Mine are really good at weather forecasting and wait for the right time to foal when the weather is just right.

The maiden this year was quite fidgety and a bit worried but in the paddock she walked around a bit rolled a few times then settled down and pushed! Her mum was by the fence giving her some encouragement!
 
Thanks again Karyn and Doris, what about after foalie is born and they are in overnight together - will they have enough room - i'm expecting foal to be a big un - probably just fretting about nothing - i'm a first timer but mare is not, I should more than likely just let her do her thing.
 
my maiden 15.3 foaled in a 12x14 with no probs last year ( i actually missed the birth & she managed it by herself!) Shes also quite a dippy mare but she learnt to move around him quite quickly. Due to the wet weather they spent the first day in & every night for a few weeks. He also learnt to sleep against the wall.
I was also a worrying first time breeder so i know where your coming from, and mine coped better than me! lol!
 
You can have the biggest box in the world, and you can guarantee the mare will wedge her backside in the corner anyway! So I am not too worried about foaling box sizes, as long as you have room to work and the mare can easily lie down.
They very quickly learn not to stand on their foals too!
 
Not all mares will happily foal down outside, some will become very agitated and want to be in a box, also if your mare becomes foal proud it would be an awful lot harder for you to physically get at both of them after, not to mention in a paddock you have no electricity or light so if there isa problem and you need the vet to intervene you could be in huge trouble, they do often foal during darkness.
As long as you are prepared to be there 24/7 toward the end of term you have the best of chances, it is manageable in a 12x12 but not ideal. Is there a stud nearby who will foal down for you? You usually need to have the mare at stud a month before the due date for foaling down.
Please don't leave things to chance there is alot that can go wrong.
 
Just because a mare is in a paddock does not mean that she is at a disadvantage at all, I have plenty of light and much more room to assist a mare in a small paddock. Certainly my mares have plenty of room to roll and do minor repositioning themselves without fear of jamming themselves against a stable wall.

A friend of mine lost a foal in an attended birth in a 14x12 stable when the mare got up during a difficult birth panicked swung round and smashed the foal's head into the stable wall.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods but over the years I have found the more natural method works the best for me I find my mares far more relaxed in a purpose built paddock.
 
I foal mine in - purely for convienience for me. Until I built my foaling box (12x16) I used a 12 x 12 with no problems, the mares seem to sort out their position, its just more difficult to walk around them!

I then had my 16.3 mare in the same box with her very large foal until it was dry enough to leave them out 24/7 (we are on heavy clay :-( )

Some nights - if I needed the mare in for vets etc, they would still spend the nights together in the 12x12 until he was weaned at 7 months - he is now rising 2 and stands well over 16hh.

I also often put 2 youngsters in the same box whilst weaning, as they seem to cope better with a friend - just VERY messy boxes though!!

Good Luck, I am sure as long as you are aware and watching out for your mare she will be fine whatever you decide!
 
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