what is everyone doing with their foals at night?

arwenplusone

arwenplusone

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Tucking them in with a hot mug of cocoa?
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Seriously, it's pretty chilly now... are they stabled and rugged, out and rugged, in a barn/stable not rugged or out and not rugged!? Just curious.
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The yearling & colt are still out & sorry but they are unrugged! The yearlings old rug is too big for the colt yet, but neither seem to be suffering. They are fed twice a day, have hedges for shelter. The plan is to bring them in at night about Christmas time when I can keep an eye on the colt, as his stable will be next to his dams. He was not happy the last time I tried to put him in a stable without mum. If he does not settle then its looks as if he & the yearling will be sharing.
 
Well the majority of ours are away to their new homes. Of the ones we have at home, I have two fillies who are outside during the day (as long as the weather is nice) and it at nights. The ones at home are in all the time and get out to stretch their legs in our outdoor school.

We are -4 at nights just now and our fields are very wet, so not ideal conditions for young foals to be out in, especially just off the North sea.......
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I can sleep easy at nights knowing they are all tucked up in their beds with their cocoa....
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-10 celsius for the most-part here and all are still out 24/7 unrugged. Once it goes below this figure consistently I will be looking at rugging some of them.
 
My four oldest are in - as just weaned. The youngest is in - with Mum - because he managed to cut his leg and it needs treatment - and because I thought he needed a bit of coddling.

The other 5 are out with their Mums with mountains of haylage and Horselyx blocks - and a good layer of dry mud to keep them warm!
 
Ours are newly weaned and are out by day and in by night.
With rugs if it is wet or cold outside but unrugged at night as two foals in each large stable and they keep each other warm.
Normally wean our foals into a barn but not on our own yard this year and number of boxes dictates two foals to a box that said they are very large and they seem uber calm and not whinging for mums at all.
Ad lib haylage when in and two small feeds.
 
Mine are all in a barn with a turnout area outside and will spend the rest of the winter way, they have a large hayring of hay inside and a large horsehage one outside and they get 2 feeds a day, the foals are not rugged but a couple of the mares are, if the winter does go as cold as they are predicting they may well end wearing something to keep the cold of their backs.
 
Mine have been in since changing fields on 1st December as the NF foal was impssible to catch and I had the vet coming to microchip him and vaccinate them both. I decided they could stay in until I could catch him. They've been going out loose in the yard in a morning while I muck out and he's been very good so I'm planning on turning them out on Saturday morning. He's got a coat about 5 inches long and so thick you can't get through it to find skin (vet had fun doing chip and vacc). Faith is fine without a rug when it's cold and dry but doesn't have enough coat to withstand rain so I'll put her "mac" on when it's wet.
 
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-10 celsius for the most-part here and all are still out 24/7 unrugged. Once it goes below this figure consistently I will be looking at rugging some of them.

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Same as Tia.

I have two mares rugged as they were feeling the cold a bit, but the foal has a coat so thick that after a recent ice storm she just had a layer of ice on top of her back, it was snow this morning. She doesn't like the rain though, but is a sensible girl and is the only one that consistently uses the shelter. I won't be rugging her as her new owners don't want her rugged, so as long as she is happy that's OK.
 
my boy is still with mummy untill after xmas as he was a late mummy, he does wear a rug as well he and mummy go out during the day weather permitting and in at night in a large stable
 
my yearling is out naked, in a huge field with hedge boundaries. He will be out for a few more weeks and will prob come in to the barn around xmas for the next 8-12 weeks when the grass is pretty poor. Hes got a fab furry coat and is looking great apart from the mud!
 
My yearling is out 24/7 but with a medium rug on. He'll come in if it gets too cold and wet and windy (though if only one of the three he'll stay out). He does have a thick coat though as he was out naked until a couple of weeks ago and has go the coat to prove it.
 
All my youngsters live out with good rugs, and ad lib quality forage and a bit of balancer, they are all muddy and scruffy but happy and relaxed. They have a shelter, which they never use in winter! and a lovely big hedge which is where they can be found when it's wet and windy.

Depends really on your circumstances, the land they are on is well drained and up to living out 24/7 360, but other soils aren't. I do make a point of bringing them in now and again as part of their education and in case I need to stable them at all.
 
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