My mare foaled yesterday, a beautiful colt. I have heard that the foal needs to stay dry and warm for at least 4 weeks. I have never been one to be paranoid about my horses and I don't blanket. The paddock is not muddy or flooded, but it is damp and somewhat muddy. When can I safely turn them out and for how long? I could use some straw to make a bed area that would be dry for him to lie down, but I'm not sure if he could use it. Maybe I should wait? It's nearly 50 degrees today.
Tracy Conrad
Posted on Tuesday, March 20, 2001 - 05:06 pm:
When my mare foaled the last time, I had them turned out the next day. Granted it was June, but I am a big turnout proponent. If you have an indoor arena, put them in there. Better for the little guys legs to be out and about. JMHO
Jos
Posted on Wednesday, March 21, 2001 - 12:42 pm:
"Warm" for horses is not the same as "warm" for humans!
The comfort zone for horses is actually in the range between just above freezing and about 70 degrees F. Therefore, there is no reason why you cannot turn them out immediately.
The combination of rain (or dampness) and wind are the horses's worst comfort enemy, so don't put them out on those days.
And a little mud, as with any kid and within reason, is a play friend! J
Hi My mare foaled on the 7th. Mom and baby were out on the 8th for about 2 hours(with our vets ok) and we gradually added more time each day.It has been around 35-45 degrees. It has worked out great. They are out pretty much all day now. I have a question too though! When is it all right to start conditioning and light riding my mare again. She is a show horse and we would like to start getting her back in the "swing" of things again. We plan on weaning our filly in July. Thanks for your help!!
I have a mare that has foaled one month early and her foal has a limb deformation on one of her front legs, the vets have told me not to put her out but other people I talk to say it is best to put them out and let the legs sort themselves out (she is 2 weeks old). The leg looks quite bad, does anyone have any experience of whether they usually straighten on there own without the need for surgery.
Kelly (63.172.47.216)
Posted on Thursday, May 24, 2001 - 11:08 pm:
Sue, sometimes foals are born a bit "over" at the knees. Is this what you are seeing? Many foals will straighten out within a month or two of foaling. It is not unusual for an early foal to appear crooked legged. It may need a little more time to strenghten and straighten.
The legs are very pliable at this time. Moderate exercise is good for the foal as long as there is no true deformity that requires stall confinement.
I have seen legs that looked quite bad and within a couple of months, were fine. If there is a true need for surgery, it is best done before 3 months of age. I would suggest that you have a leg specialists have a look if you are confused by the other vets opinions. Not all vets are good with legs!
I would make sure that the turn out area is limited in space and level. Mud or deep footing should be avoided. You might want to keep the mare and foal separated from other horses at this time. You should see improvement in the next 2-3 weeks.
It is hard to see a little one that is all legs anyway, with a crooked one. Remember, their legs are still very soft and can change dramatically. Keep an eye out for any changes.
Hi Kelly. No her front leg is definately a bit twisted, she was born at an animal hospital because they thought she would be born early with blood poisoning because her mother had placentitis, however she made it and is OK, so the leg deformity is due to being early I think. As well as the front leg that is kind of twisted from the knee, the lower fetlock is slightly out of alignment, she is also standing a bit over at the knee which as you say usually straightens so I am not particularly bothered about that. All the vets I have spoken to say keep her in as the bones are very soft and she could bend the leg worse is she runs around. We have tried leading her out to the field with her mother so her mother can stretch her legs but like all foals she does'nt really understand the use of the headcollar and gets a bit silly. I think I will keep her in as her legs look very fine and I am afraid she may go over on it, but I don't know how long it is going to take before I start to see some improvement as to whether it is going to straighten on its own? They both look so fed up stuck inside!!
Anonymous (216.209.108.154)
Posted on Friday, June 01, 2001 - 07:29 pm:
I have a foal with limb deformities which probably helped to cause the dystocia that killed his mom and required us to get a new "mom" for him, a nurse mare. My vet looked at him and said he needs all the turnout he can to get strong. Well, that was 30 days ago and believe it or not it actually got much, much worse until I consulted a surgeon when he was 24 days old, who told me in no uncertain terms that this sounded like a major case that required stall confinement because in certain limb deviations by trying to run or walk, there is excess pressure on one side of the joint allowing the other side to grow at an abnormal rate, contributing to a more severe deformity. I brought him in a very small pen with his mom last week and already the limb has improved until we can get him in to surgery on the 8th, where I am told they are going to strip the growth plates on one side of his knee and staple the other side to stop it from growing. We have corrected a few with this technique with great success in the past few years. I understand the concept of "windswept" foals, down at the pasterns or slightly clubby foals need lots and lots of turnout to strengthen what is a case of weakness and nothing like the deformity I have in this foal. My vet has admitted that advising me to turn him out was wrong, because he was both windswept and quite crooked, he needed to be kept in. The only reason why you need to wait at least 26 days or so is that they should not be put under anesthetic any younger and esp. with knees there is a large window for correction unlike an ankle. Hope this helps, definitely get a second opinion!!
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