Vet advice or gut feeling? Dilemma...

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Gingernags

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Vet was out on Monday for jabs and teeth for the mare. He's happy with how things are going and said keep on as I am. Fine, have no issue with that... But we were talking about foaling boxes and he says she'll be fine to foal where she is, as really, she's a fraction more than a pony (14.3 and a half).

I'm not convinced. Its a decent size box as a stable, maybe a couple of inches under 12' x 12'... but at a 6'3 to 6'6 in rugs - she's not that small...

Otherwise we have the use of another "box" that needs boarding off (its a bull pen with bars so I'd have to board off one wall, the rest is brick) which is massive. More like 20' x 20' but I'll have problems keeping the cats out, and its isolated from the other 2 nags.

Not an urgent dilemma obviously, but I'm trying to plan ahead now.

So do I foal in normal box and move to other box once foal born and growing?

Or stick with the plan to move her to the foaling box and set it up say a month before she foals (she'll be out full time by then but can bring in to feed and acclimatise to the stable) and hope I can keep the cats out from messing/piddling in the bedding (can't use straw).
 
Hun, when I was in the states, I foaled down in boxes that were approx the size you have already. The mares were all top quality TB's foaling to top level stallions, Seattle Slew, Storm Cat etc.... We didn't use banks and never had a problem with space!

Before H was weaned, the new yard I moved to, was ATT converting a massive cow run-in-shed to 8 lovely boxes etc... However, the box I had at my disposal, was 15x9 and on the odd occassion (mainly down to weather) I had to use it over night - never had problem and H was 5 to 9 months old! So not little.
 
I don't know... she gets brought in on her own and ridden etc without the others, so I think if she's brought in and fed, she'll settle after a few noisy screams for the others, and obviously once she's had the foal - she'll have company...

Mind you, we foaled Byter in the same size I guess so though my initial though was for the bigger box, maybe I should just use her own, then when they come in for winter - use the other box then...
 
my mare foaled in a 12x12 box quite easily and shes 15h

Shes due to foal in a 15 x 12 this time round, but i would happily do it again in the smaller one, only moved cos the other horse was grumpy and pulling faces at her, otherwise she would still be in the same box

Just need to be around/keep an eye out in case she gets up against the walls and needs a hand moving so she can get the foalie out
 
Oh she'll be fine. If it is her stable then she will be completely aware of what size it is and will manoeuvre into a good position for foaling.

My girls all foaled outside last year and even in the wide open, then didn't move around. They chose their spot and that was where it all happened - to be frank it could have been an 8 x 8 area as that is all the space they used.

Don't worry she will be fine in a 12 x 12.
smile.gif
 
I agree with SN and Tia, my Vet was astounded when he came to check my foal last year, I had them in a 20x11' stable and he said what a waste of space it was! We just happened to have a double stable. He actually joked that I'd need an ATV and a lariat to catch them!

12 x 12' is considered big here for ANY horse. I have had 16handers in my 10 x 11' stables and they managed very well. Where I bought my big paint from the stables were 9 x9' for Quarter Horses! (Being fresh out from the UK I was shocked to the core, but you get used to it)

As for cats...they'll get in whatever you do. Apparently they don't like the smell of coffee grounds and won't pee near them, but I don't know what a horse would think of them! Probably end up a caffeine addict!
 
Our vet wasn't worried about the size of the boxes we have and Honey foaled in an 11x12, Molly in a 11x13, where Honey is 16.1hh and Molly 16.3hh.

They were amazing with regard to not standing on their foal, I don't know how they didn't and even when older, going in and out of the stables, we had more problems with who was going out of the door first than the inside of the stable!

I've heard the same about coffee grounds and cats, but never tried it - I wonder if it would work in our garden in the spring??
 
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