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Author Topic: Do they foal near water often?  (Read 844 times)

Ozhorse

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Do they foal near water often?
« on: December 30, 2013, 02:35:11 am »


I have had horses for ages and a lot, BUT I have only had one mare I have bred and someone else looked after her for me.  Now I have another mare with a foal on the way, probably in January sometime. So not a newbie at horses, and not a newbie at calving cows (which is totally different), but I am a newbie at my pet darling babies having foals (and so are they).

She gets separation anxiety so I have settled her into an 80 acre paddock with her sister and some cows for company.  Ideally I will just let her foal in the paddock.  Only thing is I have had friends loose foals to the mare having them too close to water and they drown before they get on their feet.  Very occasionally our cows will loose a calf this way too.  I was told mares were worse at foaling next to water than cows are.  There are two dams in the paddock.  They are fairly shallow and not all that big and with shallow sides but could drown a newborn of course.

Am I just having an anxious attack?

There are millions more questions - like how much would a maiden 9yo mare be likely to bag up before she foals?  I dont know exactly when she is due.  She was put in a paddock with the stallion last February so the earliest foaling is probably later in January.  My gut feeling is mid January but that is only based on the fact I "THINK" they matted soon after she was in with him, and that she started showing about 2 months ago, that she is fairly big now but her udder might only be starting to swell the littlest bit in the last week or so.

Any other advice or things I should read or prepare?

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stablemind

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Re: Do they foal near water often?
« Reply #1 on: December 30, 2013, 05:33:23 am »

I would not let her foal in that pasture. Her tendency will be to slip away by herself. Not knowing the lay of your land, I would worry that she would find a secluded place near the water. When foals are trying to get on their feet, they flounder and flop all over the place. I just wouldn't take the chance.
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kckc

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Re: Do they foal near water often?
« Reply #2 on: December 30, 2013, 06:12:28 am »

I wouldn't take the chance either.  can you get her somewhere where she can be near her sister but not out in the pasture?  or can she and her sister be moved to a different location now that she might be close?
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gallatingal

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Re: Do they foal near water often?
« Reply #3 on: December 30, 2013, 07:22:53 am »

Do you have a place you can bring her in? I am sure mares have successfully foaled in large pastures with other horses, but I wouldn't do it. I have brought my mare into a small paddock with free access to a stall the last 60 days of her pregnancy for two reasons, to get her off the Fescue which can cause all kinds of foaling problems and to keep an eye on her. She can see the other horses over the fence. She has chosen both times to have the foal in the stall. I don't know where you live, so I don't know if the fescue is a problem there.
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Mona

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Re: Do they foal near water often?
« Reply #4 on: December 30, 2013, 10:29:11 am »

I also would not be taking the chance on this happening. Can you put up some panels to form a pen within the pasture?  I was going to say electric tape too, but that would not be a good idea in case she foaled at the edge of it and the foal was on the wrong side...disaster waiting to happen with that. 

As for her bagging up.  I just bought a maiden mare in April of this year...an open maiden mare...never bred.  On July 24, I noticed she looked to have a bit of a round belly, which she shouldn't have had, since I had them all wearing grazing muzzles. I went to check things out and I was sure I could feel a wee bit of udder development. My past experience with many years of raising minis, was that they usually started to show slight signs of udder development within about a month prior to foaling.  August 18 she foaled!!  That was a quick pregnancy for an open, maiden mare! ;)  So do not take your eyes off of her!  I was checking my mare's bag at least 3 times daily to make sure I never missed any changes.

Rather than loading this page with a bunch of pics, I just went ahead and loaded them all to a special webpage for you to look at if you want to.  Be prepared though, there are MANY!  Hopefully, the page will load OK for you.  Here is the link.  http://www.themoneypitranch.com/horses/dream/2013foal/index.htm

Good Luck with the safe arrival of your new foal!!

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Morson, Ontario.  Canada

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loneelk

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Re: Do they foal near water often?
« Reply #5 on: December 30, 2013, 01:12:55 pm »

Not much to contribute here, because it's been years since I had mares, and even longer since I dealt w/ a pregnancy.  But I'll echo those who say that you need to move her away from a body of water for foaling and for at least awhile while the baby is young.  My first (but not last) experience was w/ a mare who foaled w/o complications in a wire fenced pasture.  I hate to say, it was barb wire on t-posts (didn't know better at the time and the fence was just "temporary").  When the foal was a couple of days old, went to check on him and baby and mare were both gone!  As if they'd been airlifted out of the pasture.  The other 2 mares were still inside the fence.  After careful study, found where the baby must have gotten under the wire, and the mare had found a very tiny little gap in a spot where the fence went up a small hill--she must have gotten on her knees to crawl under the fence.  Followed their tracks almost a mile to the delightful lawn of a nursing home across dirt road and up a hill--they'd gone about 1/2 miles before we found them, and mama was happily grazing w/ baby at her side. 
When foal is very young, it just "goes"--doesn't necessarily know enough to follow its dam, and the mare will follow him around to try to keep him safe.  But she won't be able to keep him out of a pond.  And won't be able to get him out if he goes in.  Much safer to figure out a secure area for foaling, even if it's smaller than where she might normally be. 
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countrygirl

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Re: Do they foal near water often?
« Reply #6 on: December 30, 2013, 02:20:50 pm »

It'd be better for her to be separated from the others anyway.  That way, she won't be anxious about the other horses and the cows bothering the foal.
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Liz from Texas

Ozhorse

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Re: Do they foal near water often?
« Reply #7 on: December 31, 2013, 12:12:23 am »

Thank you for the advice.  Specially for the photos Mona.  I had a good look at them and going from your mare and her size I think mid to late January is still the best guess at a date.

I grabbed the camera today and went and took some photos of the mares in their paddock and near a dam.  I took one of Donna’s udder as well which is only a teeny bit swollen. 

How long before the foals get a brain and follow their mothers around instead of the mare following the foal?  Calves it is about two weeks, sometimes more I think, if the calf is slow. 

Donna will not tolerate being left alone.  She will have a hysterical hissy fit that can go on for days and days so I don’t want to stress her at this late stage so I have to leave her with her sister.  I am hoping that after she has her foal she will be OK just the mare and foal together, we will see.

I do not have a stable.  I could put her in a 100 ft square arena that is currently grassed over. The only thing I don’t like about that is that the site is very exposed to winds and she can’t get shelter The weather is good this time of year so it should be OK.  Photo of arena fence is in photobucket album.

I put some photos on photobucket. 

http://s968.photobucket.com/user/runninghorse-2008/library/Mares%20and%20Stallion%20Xmas%202013?sort=2&page=1

The Album is Mares & Stallion Xmas 2013.  If the link does not work let me know, thanks.

 There is Donna, the chestnut who has the obvious baby belly.  Her ½ sister Sally, black, who might be due mid August.  And photos of the stallion.

Re: Stallion.  I guess this is likely to be the first TWH Australian brumby crosses.  For lack of TWHs in Australia I was trying to get them to a gaited Saddlebred stallion, but after a number of years of that not happening, and lack of any other suitable stallions close, the neighbour loaned me his stallion, who I still have here.  He was caught as a foal at Kiandra and run in the paddock with the neighbour’s horses.  He is not handled but is very friendly for a horse that has only been chased away with sticks.  He is 5 and has never had his feet done and has perfect hooves.  The guy who loaned him to me asked me not to fuss with him as he does not want anyone getting hurt, which I can understand.  I got him in the yards and got a halter on him and worm pasted him without much fuss the other day.  Michael has bred three foals from him, all grey, and next door has a black filly from him – see photo.

Any links to good websites on what to do with foaling mares?
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G84me

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Re: Do they foal near water often?
« Reply #8 on: December 31, 2013, 11:31:04 am »

Your pictures are great! 

Gorgeous momma-to-be!  Like looking at my barn buddy's lovely saddlebred mare, who looks so much like your beautiful girl, with the flax mane and tail, but has darker legs - she is technically a frosted bay.

I have had mares but no foals, by choice.  Anal that I am, I would try to cordon off a section of the pasture somehow - I'd be too scared to have my beautiful momma lose a foal to such a tragedy.  Huge as your pasture is, if you have no way to set up a separate area, might your neighbors have a more foaling-friendly setup? at least for a couple of weeks?  Does your arena abut the pasture?  If so, maybe that would be a safer option.  Even setting up a windbreak run-in in the arena?  End of my ideas...

When the baby comes Gramma, PLEASE drown us in baby pictures, OK???

Joann
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Mona

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Re: Do they foal near water often?
« Reply #9 on: December 31, 2013, 02:32:56 pm »

That arena in the pasture might be a better choice than being in the big pasture to foal near the water. I see there is a barn in that one photo...is that yours?  Maybe you could assemble some of the panels off one side of the barn?  I am not familiar with your weather at this time of year, but being in that arena without any shade from the sun would be worrisome?? 

One thing to keep in mind, as mares get closer to foaling, they prefer to be alone.  They will instinctively keep themselves more separated from the herd.  If she was in that arena, could she still see the other horses no matter where they got to in the pasture?  She might be OK with that, at least once her date gets nearer.
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Morson, Ontario.  Canada

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Ozhorse

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Re: Do they foal near water often?
« Reply #10 on: January 01, 2014, 05:17:50 am »


I noticed Donna has bagged up fairly quickly in the last 24 hours.  It looks like I might have to get organised quickly.  I think I will put Donna in the arena, which is in the paddock both the mares are in.  I can lock Sally in the small section and leave Donna in the large area which is 100 ft square.  That should give Donna company if she wants it but leave her in the yard by herself. 

Our climate is as cool as it gets for Australia and unless it is a heat wave she should be OK without shelter for a few weeks.  If the weather gets too bad I will just have to let them out until it blows over.

Unfortunately the "barns" around here are shearing sheds with raised wooden grating floors.

I have noticed Donna has been much more tolerant of being alone in the last 2 months.  She had been with the stallion in a big paddock and she would stay under a tree while he would run off to almost a km away.  Usually she would be frantic to keep up with her paddock companion and not be left alone.  It looks like baby hormones may be doing her some good.
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Ozhorse

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Re: Do they foal near water often?
« Reply #11 on: January 01, 2014, 05:38:38 am »


I just looked up my records and I think the first day that Donna was in with the stallion was the 23rd February.  According to my breeding tables that would mean she is due about the 28th January. 

I find our cows here calve a few weeks earlier than the tables say so I should still keep a very close eye on her.
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kckc

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Re: Do they foal near water often?
« Reply #12 on: January 01, 2014, 06:13:33 am »

I'm glad you came up with a safety plan... one less worry  :-)
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stablemind

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Re: Do they foal near water often?
« Reply #13 on: January 01, 2014, 06:28:30 am »

If your mare seems unhappy once you separate her, you can probably put her buddy in with her, even through the foaling. Often mares do like some company, even at the time of foaling. Once the foal is born, she'll be ridiculously protective for a few days and not let the other mare near her foal. In a few more days, the maternal hormones start balancing out and she'll let the mare and foal get acquainted. After that, she may even wander off and let her friend do the babysitting.
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gallatingal

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Re: Do they foal near water often?
« Reply #14 on: January 01, 2014, 08:13:10 am »

The Stallion is handsome!
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