foaling

[frostedpineminis]

Ok, so I am new to the miniature horses and had three to foal out this year. the first one foaled a foal still in the sack, the other one foaled last night, no sack, in a barn lots of straw and he was also dead, I am out every couple of hours and always seem to miss them. I was wondering if minis often foal without a problem on their own or if there is usually someone present at the time and if so how you tell when to be there. I desperately want a live foal but with the two hour checks and working 8-5 I dont know what else to do. please help!!!

 

[minimomNC]

Foal Alert systems and cameras from the foaling stall to your house. Its the only way to know what is going on and be there when you need to be. Yes mares can foal without help, but its better to always be there.

 

[Molly's Run Minis]

Ok, so I am new to the miniature horses and had three to foal out this year. the first one foaled a foal still in the sack, the other one foaled last night, no sack, in a barn lots of straw and he was also dead, I am out every couple of hours and always seem to miss them. I was wondering if minis often foal without a problem on their own or if there is usually someone present at the time and if so how you tell when to be there. I desperately want a live foal but with the two hour checks and working 8-5 I dont know what else to do. please help!!!

two hour checks wont do it, you need to buy a camera and set it up the mare's stall. you have to watch her all day and all night. and you MUST be there for the foaling because mini foals dont break out of the sack. why did you breed them in the first place? if you want a foal so badly then why not buy one, there are plenty out there!! breeding is a HUGE responsibility and isnt for everyone. did you do any reaserch before jumping head first into this?

 

[frostedpineminis]

I did lots of research on this breed. I love the miniature horse and am dedicated to my mares, I am an animal health tech and even have lots of education, sorry that I step on your toes by breeding but I believe that part is my own business. If there are so many out there why are you breeding them. I did not say it would not be a lot of work and am learning. Thanks for your reply I think. I also did not jump head first into this, I have owned minis for a while now and have bought mares with a foal on them and rebred. I sure am glad that there are people like you out there that knew everything the moment that you owned your first mini and everything worked out and you had no problems.

 

[minimomNC]

if you want a foal so badly then why not buy one, there are plenty out there!! breeding is a HUGE responsibility and isnt for everyone. did you do any reaserch before jumping head first into this?

First, young lady, you owe frosted an apology. Your the kid that let her mare get bred "accidently" and then didn't want to take precaution so she didn't get in foal. Your also the kid who just a week or so ago was asking all the breeding questions, how much to charge for a stud fee, etc..... because your going to breed your new stallion to your mares. Your also the kid who teased your stallion the day he arrived at your house by letting him eat at the hay pile with the mares. She didn't ask should she breed, she asked how to monitor the situation. But judging by your remarks to her, your not going to breed your mares now either because its a HUGE responsiblity and isn't for everyone.

 

[frostedpineminis]

Thanks for the reply I will definately look into those cameras, do you know how far they reach off hand?

 

[yellerroseintx]

sorry for your loss..I could NOT live without my cameras...and I have missed a birth even with them..healthy foal thank goodness..but they are a Godsend..

 

[Molly's Run Minis]

I did lots of research on this breed. I love the miniature horse and am dedicated to my mares, I am an animal health tech and even have lots of education, sorry that I step on your toes by breeding but I believe that part is my own business. If there are so many out there why are you breeding them. I did not say it would not be a lot of work and am learning. Thanks for your reply I think. I also did not jump head first into this, I have owned minis for a while now and have bought mares with a foal on them and rebred. I sure am glad that there are people like you out there that knew everything the moment that you owned your first mini and everything worked out and you had no problems.

i didnt mean to sound rude, but in your post you said you were new to minis. i have been in minis for 10yrs and next year i will be breeding my first mare and i am taking every procaution possible. breeding and foaling isnt easy, cheap, etc. i'm just saying that you shouldnt breed because you want a foal because they're cute, if you breed then you should breed them because they are quality. in your post you sounded clueless so i'm sorry that i'm not a mindreader.

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

I agree that cameras and foaling alarms are a great way to monitor but I also suggest connecting your camera to the internet so that others can watch your mare if you arent home! I just got my camera this year and the last couple years I would check the mares every 30 min. and I still missed them, they are sneaky and will generally foal at the most inconvenient time! My parents have had foals that didnt get out of the sack but they are not very often. In the couple years that I personally have been breeding I have not had to take the sack off of a foal yet, as far as that goes I think it depends on the individual case, even a horse that normally has no problems may have that problem the next year so you just have to always be prepared.

 

[JaiteraMiniatures]

First off, I'm sorry you lost your first two foals. We had to euthanize our first two, for vastly different reason...it's so hard to see something you've waited so long for die like that. Sometimes crap just happens.

Anyways, we use cameras on our foaling stalls as well as a beeper that goes around the horse's halter so when she lays on her side (foaling position) it goes off. MANY times the beeper will go off, because a lot fo mares just naturally sleep on their sides. Miniatures sometimes can foal without assistance, but they tend to have a lot more issues than larger horses (who usually foal fine without much assistance). Minis are more delecate than the large horses, and they're also "man made" in a sense. In my opinion it's our responsibility to be their for a mini foaling to the best of our ability...just so much can happen.

I really hope you catch the third foaling, and just be thankful both your mares survived even if the foals didn't.

 

[Molly's Run Minis]

First, young lady, you owe frosted an apology. Your the kid that let her mare get bred "accidently" and then didn't want to take precaution so she didn't get in foal. Your also the kid who just a week or so ago was asking all the breeding questions, how much to charge for a stud fee, etc..... because your going to breed your new stallion to your mares. Your also the kid who teased your stallion the day he arrived at your house by letting him eat at the hay pile with the mares. She didn't ask should she breed, she asked how to monitor the situation. But judging by your remarks to her, your not going to breed your mares now either because its a HUGE responsiblity and isn't for everyone.

she got the shots she needed and is no longer pregnant. unlike frosted i will be prepared for my mares 2012 foal. i'm sorry that i let him sniff my mares noses for two seconds to say hi and have a bite of hay because apparently he can breed their heads. i'm going to breed ONE foal, how many have you bred?

btw it WAS an accident and my mare wont have her baby for 2 more years so excuse me for wanting to have info on foaling before she has it. how DARE me!

 

[Genie]

Cameras are a huge help but even with them you can not have eyes on them 24/7.

If everything is going well foaling happens quickly. If you observe a problem on the camera it usually is a situation that needs immediate help and often the vet.

I know people with the halter buzzers which work well.

We had a terrible year this year and for the past 20 years have had very few problems.

Our vet said even had he been present at the onset of labour we would have had the same outcome.

If you have the camera set up and the either breeder alert or the halter buzzers you may be able to save or solve some of the potential problems that come with breeding.

Depending on the distance to your barn I know of a lady that uses the baby monitoring system....not sure how those work.

Sorry for you losses.

 

[Rocket's mom]

Harbor Freight has a couple of camera styles on their website, and I believe they ship with a cord that will go about 80 feet or so. Good luck with your minis and I'm sorry for your loss.

MiniMomNC, very well said!

 

[minimomNC]

In six years I have bred 7, three are still in homes they went to as yearlings and that was 5 years ago, one died after being born premature and redbag after 9 days. I still have my colt from last year and he will be gelded as my 30" &under sr gelding in 2012, his dam is a Res World Champion, his sire is a Res World Grand Champion. I have two colts on the ground right now out of a Res World Champion mare and a multiple grand champion mare, both foals sired by World Champion or World Grand Champion sires. I have one mare in foal for next year by my 2 year old World Champion stallion whose sire and dam are both multiple Supreme champion horses as well as his grand dam is a Res World Champion, the mare is a Res World champion whose dam was a mulitple halter champion and sired by a Res World Grand Champion. The mare with the colt now will not be bred this year. We keep all of our horses at home and my daughter conditions and shows all of our horses. I am not new to this, I am not a kid and I do know how to handle horses. I also know what it takes to win at the World and National level as we have proven it several times over. We are breeding for our use only in the show ring. So far we have been pretty lucky but then again we are starting with quality, proven horses. I didn't breed horses for several years until I knew I had proven horses that could produce what I wanted. But first they had to prove they could in show ring. So anymore snide questions I can answer for you.

 

[frostedpineminis]

Thank you guys, by the sounds of it these cameras are the way to go, and I have heard of the alarms but wasnt sure how well they worked, I have been searching the internet for them and think that I have found someone close to me that carries them. I just wanted to put out there that I am not getting into breeding mares, at least not right now, I just wanted a foal that I could work with from day 1 to get into the show ring, I had potential homes lined up with the other 2 foals if things went a little better. My mares are absolutely #1 for me and they will always come first. I have bought mare and foals, and they have all been from people that feel the same way about their horses as I do, I cannot and will not judge people about breeding and I will say good luck to them as I myself need it, but if and when I buy a horse, the sellers attention to health and well being are number one or else I am in the wrong profession.

 

[Relic]

Don't feel bad l am home 24/7 and still with all the gadgets and cams have lost a couple of foals over the years due to not getting out of the bag or just standing behind moms after a short nap...it happens and sometimes only takes a bathroom break shower etc ..investing in a cam is a great tool we have them in the barn and outside..some of my mares don't show anything when they know l go in to check on them in person and l swear they foal right after l shut the barn door or they hear the porch door shut..l also swear they know l'm watching them with that little eye above there stall as l actually have seen them look right at me while laying in bed..spooky old bags

l don't have a lot of faith in the buzzers as a lot of the mares here go flat out during the last few weeks anyway and found them to distracting after a while..hope the next one goes better for you.

 

[Witts Mini Horse Ranch]

Check out eBay, they usually have good buys on wireless and wired...that is where I have bought both times...1st one was 30.00 lasted 2 years..recently upgraded to the ones with sound and Internet capable. When we started we lost our second foal and we where present, nothing we could do cord was around the filly's neck so tight we had to cut the cord..found out later this was probable the result of the mare being too fat. Since then we have not lost one, I know odds are it could happen....and it is truly a heart break...so sorry

The halter alarms are on my wish list.

 

[Molly's Run Minis]

In six years I have bred 7, three are still in homes they went to as yearlings and that was 5 years ago, one died after being born premature and redbag after 9 days. I still have my colt from last year and he will be gelded as my 30" &under sr gelding in 2012, his dam is a Res World Champion, his sire is a Res World Grand Champion. I have two colts on the ground right now out of a Res World Champion mare and a multiple grand champion mare, both foals sired by World Champion or World Grand Champion sires. I have one mare in foal for next year by my 2 year old World Champion stallion whose sire and dam are both multiple Supreme champion horses as well as his grand dam is a Res World Champion, the mare is a Res World champion whose dam was a mulitple halter champion and sired by a Res World Grand Champion. The mare with the colt now will not be bred this year. We keep all of our horses at home and my daughter conditions and shows all of our horses. I am not new to this, I am not a kid and I do know how to handle horses. I also know what it takes to win at the World and National level as we have proven it several times over. We are breeding for our use only in the show ring. So far we have been pretty lucky but then again we are starting with quality, proven horses. I didn't breed horses for several years until I knew I had proven horses that could produce what I wanted. But first they had to prove they could in show ring. So anymore snide questions I can answer for you.

again with the kid thing, so what if i'm a kid? i can handle difficult and "bad" horses alike very easily whether they're big or small. my grulla filly is a granddaughter of Little Kings Supreme Dream and Bronco Billy. my bay filly is a granddaughter of Little Kings Supreme Dream and Wittmaacks Little Skipper. my stallion is a grandson of A Sweetbriars Crimson Connection and Tyrospot Patch. my grulla placed 5th against older fully matured mares at a local show and all are showing this sunday. yeah, my horses aren't quality AT ALL!

as for frosted, good luck with your last mare.

 

[Relic]

SMART BUTT..as usual

 

[kaykay]

Unfortunately miniatures tend to have more problems foaling than their larger cousins. It really is important to be there when your mare foals if you can. Our first foaling years ago I missed by 10 mins and I was going to the barn every 30 mins! Thankfully the foal was fine but after that we bought a camera. I have found wired cams work best unless you have a barn really close to your house. We bought ours for like 50.00. Then buy a dazzle for another 50.00 and sign up with marestare or wefoal. We have mares on cam now and I am so thankful for people helping us watch because no one can watch 100 percent of the time.

Im so sorry about the loss of your first 2 foals.

Also make yourself really familiar with the signs mares give before they foal as that can help tell you when to be extra alert. Crayonbox miniatures has really great pictures on their website of how mares look right before foaling and how to use milk strip tests.

Sending good thoughts for your last foal

Kay