Foals Living Out

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Fattie_Hattie

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Just wondering how many people have foals living out over the winter and how they cope with keeping weight and just in general?
Am considering getting a foal this year as something up and coming as realistically my girl isn't going to be going forever and have always wanted to have something from the beginning!
Thanks!
 
My friend got a 4 month old foal, didn't realize until it got there , as it was supposed to be 6 months, and they have had him living out all winter apart form a week or two in the bad snow we had, and that was only because her other horse had a Bad foot. No rug at all, just hay, grass and some foal mix with chaff, but he is a cob x ID so a good doer sort and he is looking rather porky lol I think it depends what type you have, if they have a shelter to get into maybe? Although my friend downs have any o that, just tall trees and hedges surrounding the fields
 
The year before last I had 2 foals living out all winter in a 2 1/2 acre feild with a shelter. They weren't rugged & had 2 feeds of fast fibre & spillers grow & win & about 3/4 bale of hay a day.

They both were fine & tubby as tubby :D

This year I have a yearling & foal living with my other 3, the babies sometimes come in in the day for a treat (they both love being in)they have same food & hayledge ad lib in day instead of hay.

They are both rugged this year as the weather has been so awful & were starting to look a little rain scaldy.

The key is shelter. If then have good shelter to get out of the rain & wind they will be fine :)
 
I had 3 foals born last June and 2 of the 3 have lived out all winter, unrugged but with lots of shelters, ab lib haylage and on a field with grass on and they have thrived... the one thats been stabled at night - not so much! (having said that she is now under the vet to find out if something else is going on with her!)
I think a lot depends upon the winter we have, their shelter and if they get ab lib forage, i am sure it actually benefits a lot of them.
 
As above.. This is my lad at a week old.. He was born inside but lived out naked at stud despite the snow and other elements at the time..

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He will be three next week and has thrived out 24/7 with hay/haylage and shelter at stud and at mine.. He has yet to be stabled properly.. He's only just been rugged as the wind is vicious where we live.. Strong, mature, happy horselet..
 
We have some cobs down the road and a foal was born around November time and has been living out naked through the snow etc and will continue to by the looks of things. They have trees for shelter and hay put in daily from what we have seen, looks like a hardy type of pony :)
 
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