Stupid Rug Question re Pregnant mare

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Tibbycat

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Sorry to be the stupid question of the week - My mare is due 26th March - shes been in a heavy rug all winter - (shes a warmblood)

March is generally cold - last year she foaled (first time) 2 weeks early

I realise i need to strip her - when and how should i do this without making her freeze?

She goes out all day - in at night
 
I would just remove the fillet string/leg straps off her rugs from about a month before due date and make sure the other straps are tight enough (but obviously check daily as you don't want her to be uncomfortable) to limit any chance of a foal getting tangled up should she foal significantly early and without you noticing any signs. Then I would take everything off from when she starts "getting ready".

If she had a foal before, you should have an idea of how she behaves - mares ** tend ** to behave similarly from foal to foal. Expect the baby to be born roughly within the same gestation lenght as last time. If she is in at night, she won't "freeze". Plus if you've ever been pregnant, you'll know that in the last couple of months, you're more likely to overheat than get cold ;)
 
I would be starting now. Her hormones will be keeping her warm anyway and so if been in a heavy rug I would start putting out in a M/W on cold days and a L/W on warmer days and gradually reduce so that out in nothing...esp if she comes in at night as if she gets wet she will have that chance to dry off.
 
When I left Dixies rug off, and she really feels the cold, I put an infra red heat lamp in her stable, it just made enough difference for her to be happy.
 
I would keep the day rug on while she is out and just increase to a much deeper bed inside at night. She will adjust in time I think. If you want to make it gradual, go for a rug with a single belly strap rather than crossovers etc.
 
Maybe drop down to a med weight now and take any fillet strings/leg staps off in about a month. Then when she starts to show a few more sgns whip it off as as said horones will keep her toasty :)
 
It all depends on your mare and how closely you will be watching her. My mare is a real woosy and she is rugged all year, she was still rugged at night when she foaled in june last year. How ever I was watching her on the camera in the house all evening and had changed her stable rug for her cooler that evening when I knew she was going to foal, when I saw her waters break I took her rug off. Once she had foaled and she was back up on her feet she had her cooler put back on as she was sweaty and lives in a barn designed for cattle so very open sided and I didnt want her catching a chill. The next night she was back in her stable rug which doesnt have leg straps or a filet string anyway. My foal coped really well and as he had to duck his head under it to drink isnt fazed by having things draped over his head.

Its each to their own but if your mare feels the cold then why let her get cold which will make her lose condition when she will have a foal to feed.
 
This thread must have been well hidden! I used a normal heat lamp that I use for the chickens, I don't know what wattage it is. I just hung it high on on the central cross beam.
 
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