[DustysMom]

Well my pony has not foaled yet and Im about to lose it! She was checked by my vet in March and he said that she would go between July 1 and August 1.
So I figured it would be here by now. I do not know exactly when she was bred but I do know it was before January. So now im stressing over having a young foal during the winter. Heres my question.....I have a barn to keep them in at night when it gets chilly, but since the foal will still be a baby during the colder months here, do I need to get it some sort of blanket for when its out during the daytime hours? How cold can they withstand? and will I need a heater in the barn with them when the are up? I swear this is driving me up the wall waiting! This will be our first foal and we took everything into consideration to make things as prepared as possible. Now we are going to have to factor in that she may not foal till it turns cold. I thought I was seeing signs that she was getting ready a few weeks ago, but I guess I was just to anxious and was seeing things .One more thing, if I take pictures of her udder, will you all be able to tell if its developing? Because i thought it was, but maybe I was wrong My other mare is old, so hers is kinda hard to compare to. As you can tell, im a train wreck right now waiting to happen....lol. Need some help ladies!Thanks

[QHGirl]

Define turning cold? I will post in a few... I say don't worry, they survive in Jan and Feb up in Indiana. Keep them in, NO heat... if you feel more comfortable, get them one of those foal blankets but I was told by my vet, the stall is considerably warm and momma and baby will stand together and be warm.

Define temps....please!

[DustysMom]

well being in SE Georgia, it doesnt get too cold here. Usually around upper 30s- low 40s at night through late Nov. into Dec. January is usually coldest and we go well below the freezing mark sometimes.. Just didnt know how cold is too cold.

[Blistering Winds]

Horses ideal temps are from 35 degrees to 72 degrees. Anything below 35 and they start using energy to keep warm. Foals are a little higher. if you have a stall where there is a wind break, that is the best thing you can do.

be ready for a cold winter. I feel this winter will be nasty all around!!

As for the foal, have an ultrasound done. That is my best advice. The pony may need some help, or she may not be ready to foal out yet.

[cassidy]

aww you no what you should get a foal rug they are so adorable!
you can get them fo indoor an outdoor!

also as long as the stable has lots of bedding in i am sure mum an baby will be fine!

good luck for when it arrives an post pics we love the littlens

[PawNHoofPrints]

Since you are 6 - 10 weeks out from your vet's expected due date, I would have your vet out to reevaluate the mare. However 12 - 13 1/2 month long pregnancies can be normal. I'd still have him recheck his time line, make sure she still is pregnant, and no other abnormalities can be detected that are causing her to carry this pregnancy extremely long.

[QHGirl]

I would also say to have the vet check the mare, I am thinking negative here, what if it is still born, and she is just holding it in, eventually it will come out, but she may need help... or surgery! I would say have the vet come out and re-evaluate the mare with ultrasound to try to evaluate the mare better.

As for weather, make sure it has shelter, get a foal blanket... and be prepared.... keep an eye on them. What does you vet have to say in reguards to that? They are the best to ask..... Find out from him/her what they think!

[DustysMom]

Thanks ya'll. My previous vet checked her internally(sp?) and guessed her due date due to the fact we didnt know exactly when she was bred. I will give my new vet a call and see if he can get out here soon to check her out again. Getting kinda worried now. We do have shelter for them. We have a barn, and they also have run-ins in the pasture. I will also look into getting a foal blanket.I'll let you all know what he says.

[QHGirl]

Stateline has one, do a search on Google for Foal Blanket... it will bring up a lot. Ebay also had a ton!

The ones they show are expandable, make sure you get one of those....

ALSO they have a type that is more soft and clingy to the body, forms to them more rather than normal blanket... but I can't find any online in a quick search!

[Sandra-A1]

Weather-wise I think the foal will be fine. The temps here in the deep south are not cool enough to warrent a blanket right now. By the time it does get pretty cold the foal will have enough size and coat that I doubt one will be needed unless we have a spell of below freezing weather. We have had Decembers where people could wear short sleeves and no coats. Right now it is 86 F!!!!!!
As long as the foal is not out in the freezing rain and has a nice dry stall come into to lie down it should be just fine. I doubt it will need a blanket and would not put one on unless the weather was going below freezing for several days or I saw the youngster shivering while in the stall. If it is shivering outside then by all means I would put the baby and it's mother in their stall.
If you want to get a blanket to get it used to that sort of thing you can go ahead and buy one, but I would probably wait a bit before buying one as it will quickly out grow a baby size one.