help my mare wont lie down to sleep and keeps falling over

[copescoloureds]

our mare jazz is in foal to goshka ringo and the foal is due on the 28th of this month. we have started locking her in her foaling box at night as the due date is getting very close it is her stable normally but with a straw bed and the door shut as before it was a shavings bed and door was always left open for her to do as she pleased as our 2 geldings go in other fields and stables. when she isnt grazing she stands by my geldings door and just rests and when he is out of his stable he goes round to her side of the barn yet they hate each other or so they would lead us to believe! now for the problem we have installed a foaling camera and to our horror we have watched her stumbling around asthough she was drunk looking very uncomfortable and stands up falling asleep then nearly crashes to the floor just as she hits the floor she wakes up we have been watching at different times and have never seen her lie down it is very scary to watch just wish she would lie down to sleep instead of bashing the foal around. we are very worried that if she is doing the same when foal is born that she may squash him. any ideas anyone please. does anyone think we should turn her back out all sugestions welcome.

 

[mealrigghallstud]

She is either feeling insecure as she is not in a herd at night so won't lie down or she is just so huge that lying down is too much effort and too uncomfortable, I know our cob mare this year went 3 and a half weeks overdue and was enormous and if she did venture to lie down she had to lie flat out as the size of her foal meant she couldn't breath if she sat up, and when she did haul herself back up it took a good few minutes to catch her breath!!!
There isn't much you can do except make sure her bed is really deep so she doesn't hurt herself if she does fall, and maybe stable a buddy next door so she feels more secure. If you are worried get your vet out as she should be able to stabilise herself by locking her stifles as normal to sleep but it may be she is just too knackered! Figers crossed she doesn't go to far over!!!

 

[copescoloureds]

thanks i have noticed she is breathing very heavy over last few days so fingers crossed she is just to uncomfortable . im going to get my boyfriend to take the top off her door so she can see my gelding for a bit of companionship hopfully it will keep her settled.

 

[Clodagh]

Do you think she has always done it but not having watched her overnight before you didn't realise? I had an elderly pony with sore hocks and she couldn't lie down. When she dozed off she used to collapse as her tendons didn't lock or whatever they are supposed to do so they can sleep standing up.
Good luck with the foal.

 

[milliepup]

I have a 17.2hh mare that does exactly the same when she gets close to foaling. It's quite scary to watch but is all down to her size and baby bump as she foaled on Monday night and now she is quiet happy to lie down again. The only thing you could do is to bandage her front legs at night as protection.
Good luck for your new foalie.

 

[Tnavas]

Mine all lie down - look like beached wales! It might be an idea to have her back checked over by a Chiropracter as horses with back injuries a known not to lie down - to painful to get up again.

You really want her to lie down to foal - safer for the foal so getting her back checked over before foaling may be advisable.

The other question is does she really need to foal indoors? Foaling outside is really safe - all the racehorses in New Zealand foal outside - mine do too. They seem to foal far more happily. Though it's not as comfortable to watch for foaling signs sitting in a car as I do. Stud I worked in had a room on a tower with lights out onto the paddock - we than stayed inside in the warm and kept watch.

 

[mealrigghallstud]

Foaling's fine outdoors if the weather is fine and you have a nice small paddock for them to foal in without the rest of the herd, sometimes others in a herd will get very excited and stampede all over the place!, so better on their own. Also here the weather is not as nice as NZ unfortunately - it's blowing a gale at the moment and has been for a week and pouring with rain - we've never had weather this bad at this time of year!! And if anything goes wrong you can get the vet out no problem and don't have to go chasing a foal proud mare round a field to catch her!! Some of ours have foaled outside but in the day time and with us there, the odd one we have left foal out are older experienced mares and we have sat in a deck chair in the field all night - weather was nice and warm though!! Wouldn't do it as routine though.

 

[Tnavas]

Our busiest foaling time is August, September & October and can be just as gross as in UK, this years mare foaled two days after a tornado roared through a few miles away. She is my star though and chose a nice night to foal though.

What breed is the black horse in your signature - he's lovely.