Your Views----Mares foaling in a mixed field??

[JosieB]

I wondered what peoples views about mares foaling in a mixed herd with colts in it are? I would never dream of letting a mare do it but apparently it does happen. In the wild they would do it ,however I do know of two mares who did just that , one managed to protect her foal although the other one was being chased around by a colt with blood running down her legs whilst her newborn foal was being 'adopted' by an ex broodmare in the field. All very sad as the foal died the next day.

 

[BobbyMondeo]

I wouldnt be very happy about it to be honest!
I have heard a lot of storys about geldings or colts attacking foals and them getting badly injured or killed. I always have a mare foal in a box or in her own field

 

[Jake10]

In the wild they would do it .

I thought mares in the wild separated themselves off from the main group for the birth and a few days after?

Wouldn't want geldings or colts to be in the same field tbh

 

[bj_cardiff]

Seems silly to me.. maybe if it was a group of mares and a stallion I 'know' is safe with foals, but, personally I'd rather foal mine inside, anything goes wrong and its a years hard work and money up the spout as well as a dead foal and possibly mare too!

The argument that it would happen in the wild doesn't stand up I'm afraid, mares in the wild aren't contained in fields and will usually wander off alone and foal somewhere they feel safe and secure

 

[Enfys]

Bad planning and asking for an accident (such as those related) to happen, but...things do happen, mares foal down early, or when they are not thought to be in foal.

I don't keep geldings with in-foal mares at all and having lost foals and almost a mare, mine foal indoors now, with electricity and anything else a vet might need. Plus, it can still be minus silly temps, not foal watching outside in that.

 

[soot]

We don't let them foal with gelding or colts, even though our stallion is fine with mares foaling and will protect the mare + foal against any other inquisitive minds inc his colts ... They do tend to be more relaxed if they have their own space for a few days before and after!

 

[JosieB]

depends how old the colts are..over 2, then no.
under that i dont see a problem TBH

And i certainly wouldn't trust a gelding either.

ETS...the second mare in your story..i hope she received Vet attention..

Yes she did. The foal however did not take to bottle feeding and I am unsure whether they tube fed it. It was left with the ex broodmare.

Can I ask why under two would make a difference? At that age a fair proportion have their 'bits' and are quite capable of fathering foals and exhibiting stallion like behaviour?

 

[Nettle123]

We had planned for our mare to foal in her nice big stable, all was prepared. she was having none of it and foaled in her paddock within feet of our three geldings. The boys stood next to the rails and were fascinated by the whole thing.

When the foal was getting to her feet the boys were whinnying quietly to her. It was really touching as they are all strapping hefty cobs.

 

[Kenzo]

I suppose it all works very differntly in the wild though, a heard that have lived together some time will have developed a strong hierarchy for years and there will be groups of ages and sexes within the heard which will be kept at bay from mares while foaling, with domesticated horses, I don't think that develops enough to prevent problems from happening.

 

[JosieB]

i was assuming they are the previous off-spring of the mares in the field.

No they are not. All unrelated. That was why I wondered about the 2yr old statement.

 

[Beatrice5]

What a terribly sad story. That poor mare who lost her foal. How a little bit of planning could have avoided such a loss.

My mare lives with my little 3 yo New Forest. She foaled in my corral in the field shelter with him stood on century duty but the gate. He was very calm and quiet but I would not have risked him actually in with her. Mares in the wild go off alone and find somewhere quite where they will not be disturbed and only rejoin the herd when they feel it's right. These poor mares had no choice and it makes me very sad.

 

[JosieB]

Yes I agree, it wouldn't have taken much to section off at least part of the field for them, worrying thing is there is at least one other in foal there still out with the herd (which is a large herd) and the concern the colts are covering the mares out there.BTW the herd is mares, geldings and a few colts.