rugs and naughty foals

[valentine]

hi can anyone help not sure what to do should i rug my mare with foal at foot. Really worried about the foal getting his feet caught they are in during the night. Mare was shivering from all the rain we had the other day so i am having a dilemia.......
any advice would be greatfully recieved

 

[Tia]

A lot of people on here do not believe in having the mare rugged when she has a foal at foot, but I have always done it and have never had a foal get caught or anything untoward happening in the slightest. So long as you use a fillet strap rather than leg straps and you make sure your surcingles are snug you should be absolutely fine.

 

[S_N]

I am a recent convert to rugging a mare with foal at foot. B has a MW TO on atm, the x-surcingles are tight and I have removed the leg straps and made a fillet string a piece of weakened baler twine. Works a treat!

One word of advice though - make sure your foal is accustomed to the mare in a rug before you turn them out!!!! You don't want him panicking because he can't find her under the rug - which in turn may panic her.

 

[valentine]

did you get yours used to it by putting a rug on in the stable? how long did it take them to get used to feeding from the mare. i did put a rug on her this morning then got worried and took it of. He was mouthing at her just worried he may not suck as he is only 4mths

thanks for your help

 

[Tia]

Oh he will suck, have no fear about that. He can smell her milk and will eventually figure out that if he stick his head under then he will get the milk. You could help him by holding the rug up for him a little till he gets used to it.

 

[S_N]

Are you bringing them in at night? Do you have a thermatex or similar? I introduced the rugging with a thermatex overnight in the stable (without any fillet string), he was fine, found the milk bar fairly easily, though he is bold! She was rugged at night from when he was about 3 weeks to 9 weeks old. He remembered where to find the milk bar and that she was underneath when I put the TO rug on a couple or so months ago - though I did leave them in for the night with her rugged, just to be sure!

 

[bellaboo]

My foals mum was rugged and it made no difference to the foal at all. She had a bit of a sniff at the rug, tugged it abit with her teeth then had a nice long drink!!! Mare and foal lived out 24/7 so mare needed to be rugged and like everyone else has said, take off leg strap, replace with a fillet and snug surcingles, foalie will be fine.

 

[amandaco2]

i have had my mnare rugged and her filly was fine.
the only thing was she was abit scared of the rug as it had been in the loft for 8months so i got it smelling like mum and she was fine then.
it was a fly rug hoody.
she had no issue with getting her head right under.
obviously no leg strap though, just fillet string if it was windy.all fastenings were secure and snug too.