Thoughts on foaling stall size...

[TB Dreamin']

Hi all...I am in a bit of a situation and wondered if I could hear everyone's thoughts on foaling stall size. I just moved (w/my pregnant mare in tow) and am renting a place w/some acreage and 12 X 12 stalls in a barn, while we search for a place to buy. I am scared to death to foal out my mare in such a small stall and feel sick to my stomach about it. I wondered if anyone had any mares foal out in smaller stalls and if the mare figures out how to place herself if she's in it for a month before she foals? My husband wants me to walk her outside on the grass to foal, like they do at Winstar (or used to). Any thoughts on that? I'm hoping you'll say it can be done safely in a 12 X 12 or that we'll find our dream farm soon....

Nervous-nelly,

Amy

[Cathy D]

It can be done. I know of a couple of poor mares that foaled successfully in 10 X 10 concrete block stalls, but that doesn't mean I would recommend it! 14 X 16 is a better size for foaling, and even then, some mares, like mine, always positions her butt right up against the wall no matter how big the stall is.

Is it posible for you to take down a partition temporarily to give her a double stall? If you can't do that, you might want to consider boarding her at a farm set up for broodmares.

[TB Dreamin']

Hi Cathy D.,

I didn't really think about taking down the partition...it's made of wood, vertical boards and maybe it could be taken down (I'm not the mechanical type, can you tell??! ) but as soon as my husband comes home, we'll go and check it out...that would alleviate my worries. Don't know if my landlord would like it, but if it could be put back together satisfactorily, no worries? right?

Thanks,

Amy

[gemini]

amy,

in my experience, the real key is being there when they foal in case the mare goes down with her tail too close to a wall. that can happen even in a 20x20 stall, but obviously the risk is higher the smaller the stall (and the bigger the mare). is this her first foal? can you open up a wall between 2 adjacent stalls?

[TB Dreamin']

Hi Gemini,

I like to agree w/you on being there is key. No, she's had 7 foals and the farm where she came from told me that she's a good ol' girl who knows her business and that they've never had any trouble foaling her out. I know she did need some help w/big foals, however.

We've set up one of those NightHawk cameras in her stall, too, for added peace of mind.

We'll look into moving the partition tonite.

Thanks-
Amy

[griff]

Five acreas

[majxmom]

When I used to foal out mares regularly, I had a 20x20 stall, which seemed like a very good size. We never had any problems. When I built my barn on the new property, I went for all 12x12 stalls, because I wanted to maximize the size and wasn't really planning on having any more broodmares. Naturally, the very next year I bought a pregnant PMU mare from UPF. She foaled out in the 12x12 with no problem.

But I did lose a mare once when her uterus split open at the very beginning of labor and her intestines came down the birth canal ahead of the foal, in a 24x12 stall. The mare was panicked and thrashing, and I made the very bad decision to move her out of the stall before the vet came, because even that stall didn't seem big enough to deal with the desperate situation. A lot of bad things happened after that. I lost my mare, which was inevitable as soon as I saw the first two inches of intestine, I suppose. But I had to jump on her neck to keep her down while the vet was injecting a tranquilizer, and man, I can still hear the wind whistling by my ear from her flailing hooves. So, for personal safety, if you are planning on foaling every year, I'd get the bigger stall.

[BJ]

[Gerry]

All of our stalls in the broodmare barn are 12x12 and the walls between stalls can be taken down, but I have had a few mares foal out in the 12x12 just fine. The most important thing is that you are there when she starts to foal.

[Mood Swings]

I agree with the other posters in that you will be fine in a 12x12 (for obvious reasons bigger is better, however not always attainable). At a standardbred farm I used to work at we foaled mares in 10x12 without any problems. The most important thing - as has already been mentioned, is that you have someone there to assist your mare if needed. Happy foaling to you

[TB Dreamin']

Hi and thank you to everyone who wrote in about their experiences w/the foaling stall in different sizes! I'm relieved to know that many DO foal out in that size of stall. My husband thinks we can take down the partition in the middle, but it will be alot of work...and then the stall will still be 12 length but 24 (obviously) long, so I guess the main thing is to be there...always, which I know.

I came from California and we used to foal outside in small paddocks, so I've never used a stall before for foaling. Then I see the luxury foaling stalls at all the KY farms around...and mine looks smaller and smaller...

I am relieved that many, like me, are in similar situations. Now, when she does put her butt against the wall, do I pull her by the leg, yikes, or tail, to move her? Or get her up and move her? I guess I should start a new q and a session...

Thanks-
Amy

[Toccet02]

I have heard of a rope being used to pull a mare over when she had cast herself right after foaling. Gently looped around hind leg.

[gemini]

amy,
if she's too close to a wall and just went down encourage her to get up. pulling a horse around is dangerous for all concerned.
honestly, you may be worrying for nothing. mares usually get it right even without us.

[Toccet02]

yeah, I hesitated to post that because it was a cast, not too close to wall from foaling. It seems like they will get up and move on their own if they sense the humans are nervous and want her moving!

[madelyn]

Well some will back up to the wall and push their butt against it to counteract the feeling of the foal pushing up the birth canal. It is one of the warning signs of an imminent foal. If the mare goes down right there she can snap the baby's neck. It is at this point it is important to have a halter on the mare. I will usually get the mare up and move her around until she settles down with at least 5 feet of space behind her butt. But my foaling stalls are probably about 14x15.