Does anyone have a newborn in this heat???

[talloaks]

Gosh, I really worry about my new foal born in this heat. She is only 3 days old now and last night she was all sweaty. Are others of you hosing off your foals???

[VirginiaBred]

Mine isn't that new (he's one month) but he gets hosed (every day) and they have two fans in their stall.

[pintopiaffe]

Do you have a fan? Or two or three? I think the air MOVING is actually as important as the standing air temp. Sweating is good IF it can dry and do the job...

But I've had very young foals in heatwaves before, and it IS scary. What about nice cold water in a bug spray bottle? Kill two birds with one stone. ;)

[avezan]

Mine is 3 days old this morning too. What a time to be born! Today is going to be the worst, then it looks like the temp will break tomorrow and Wednesday should be back to normal. I have mine locked in a stall during the day with a fan. I let them out for an hour or so early this morning, but the foal was getting sweaty. I leave the stall door open so that they can go out in the paddock at night. I don't trust the mare to stay in the stall during the day and I think it is definitely too hot for this young foal to be out during the day. I've been hosing my older foals when I hose the mares, but I haven't tried it with this youngun. My barn has great circulation and the horses are not sweating at all in the barn. I am as I clean stalls, though! Good luck to all to get through this little heat wave.

[VirginiaBred]

I believe if you do more of a sprinkle, you should be fine.

[STF]

We do....
Horrible, hot with heat index over 100 to 107 some days.
We keep them in, under fans and watch them close.
Im use to it as this is typical weather here, just be careful.

[Altamont Sport Horses]

We have one born on Saturday morning. She is in a foaling stall in a shedrow which is quite open for circulation. There are about 5 fans running 24/7 in there. I wouldn't let a wee baby out in the sun if it's really bad. My 3 week old colt is turned out in the a.m. until it gets too hot and then they come back in to the fans. He got a bit of a hosing yesterday for the first time and wasn't quite sure what he thought of it so he didn't get very well doused. We might have to do that again today. It's *only* supposed to reach 93 and there is a small chance for thunderstorms. Please, please, puhleeeeeeeeeeez bring on the thunderstorms.

[talloaks]

She's still at the foaling farm but has a stall on the north side with an outside door, so the top is open. Fan is on and the barn is at the top of the hill so it gets good circulation. Mare has been washed down and last I heard the foal was dry so don't know if they did her or not. Hubby and I were going to go over and wash them down but the word came back they were already done. Other mare, due on same day, is waiting for the heat way to pass before having hers, she is usally 2 weeks late anyway.

[europa]

Mine is a week old today and I have been spraying mom off at least twice daily and sprinkling the baby. Poor tyke is soo hot I hate it for them both.....not to mention the flies. I have predators and feel like I have thrown money down the toilet. Mine are in an outside paddock with shade and most of the time they stand in the blazing sun.....I just don't get it.

[classicsporthorses]

I have one that is about 24 hours old and one mare ready to pop at any time. Both are inside and have fans going on their stalls. baby does not seem phased about it at all.

I hope my other mare goes as it is brutal out today.

[Orkney96]

My mare is now 343 days and it has been 100*F for the last 3 days, i keep washing her down, but the poor girl is miserable! She is a big girl anyway and now to be this far along with this heat - I am a nervous wreck!!!

[Signature]

We had a colt born Thursday last week during this heat, and we had 4 fans on in the stall. Vet said it is very hard on them. Unfortunately we lost him (septicism due to undetected placentitis), but it had nothing to do with the oppressive heat...

[talloaks]

We had a colt born Thursday last week during this heat, and we had 4 fans on in the stall. Vet said it is very hard on them. Unfortunately we lost him (septicism due to undetected placentitis), but it had nothing to do with the oppressive heat...


Oh my gosh, I am so sorry to hear this!!! When did you loose your little one? I am so very sorry for you. Lots of cyber hugs!!

[Elfe]

I guess I'll stop complaining about the weather.....
In the Pacific Northwest it's been unseasonably cold and rainy, we still have to have the heat on in the house ! 40's at night, 50's /low 60's during the day, and rain, rain and more rain !
Good luck to all of you baking in the heat, I remember those Virginia summers all too well !

[monami]

Oh my gosh, I am so sorry to hear this!!! When did you loose your little one? I am so very sorry for you. Lots of cyber hugs!!


Thanks Talloaks! Jennifer and I have had a really tough year and thankfully we are done. This one was born on Thursday and we (the Vets and us) just thought he was a bit dysmature and hypoxic. We had him at NC State by the time he was 14 hours old and we discovered he also was septic due to the placentitis that we were not aware of until post foaling (mare did not present normal signs of placentits).

It was a drop dead gorgeous colt by the Hanoverian Stallion Pommery. He had ton of bling and the best head and neck you have ever seen on a newborn....such a shame :-(

[talloaks]

Thanks Talloaks! Jennifer and I have had a really tough year and thankfully we are done. This one was born on Thursday and we (the Vets and us) just thought he was a bit dysmature and hypoxic. We had him at NC State by the time he was 14 hours old and we discovered he also was septic due to the placentitis that we were not aware of until post foaling (mare did not present normal signs of placentits).

It was a drop dead gorgeous colt by the Hanoverian Stallion Pommery. He had ton of bling and the best head and neck you have ever seen on a newborn....such a shame :-(


I'm so very sorry for you two, it seems as if the best die young! Cyber hugs!:cry:

[STF]

It was a drop dead gorgeous colt by the Hanoverian Stallion Pommery. He had ton of bling and the best head and neck you have ever seen on a newborn....such a shame :-(

Oh gosh, Im sorry!!!! :(

[Leena]

I am sorry for your lost too...It is such ashamed.

Heat is tough here too. We keep the newborn in for the moment until temp drop, which should be on wednesday.

Good luck to everyone !

[Fenway]

Signature and Monami, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. We lost one over the weekend as well. Breeding can be so tough.:no:

[talloaks]

Signature and Monami, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. We lost one over the weekend as well. Breeding can be so tough.:no:

So sorry to hear of your loss Fenway, what happened??

[monami]

Oh no fenway!!! What happened ?

[Fenway]

Twins that the vet missed on the u/s. The colt was stillborn and the filly died at Blue Ridge at 40 hours. We and they tried everything but she just couldn't fight anymore. It was awful, poor babies.

[Signature]

Oh my, I am so sorry and feel your pain. Seems like this year has been tougher than most... breeding always comes with ups and downs but I think we can all say we are ready for ups now... !

[showjumpers66]

We have two new foals and a third due July 19th. We don't usually have to do anything in regards to the heat other than monitor them. It is tougher if they become ill during the heat and we keep them under fans.

[ahf]

I have a 5 day old that seems to be doing very well, inspite of the heat. She is an Ever-Ready Bunny. She and her dam are in a broodmare stall with window open, and a fan during the day. Out at night in a run-in stall with the fan on.

I have to say that this kind of weather makes me so very thankful I did all-grill stall-doors. It really helps the heat dissapate at "foal-level".

[Fairview Horse Center]

Foals can't regulate their body temperatures for the first few weeks. I would make sure they are in a cooler environment even if I had to hold a fan on them. The couple of times I did have a newborn when this hot, I kept the stall door open and blocked it with a commercial fan sitting low. Then I sat there to make sure they left it alone. You need to circulate the air at ground level. Foals are very much in danger, and you can't trust their moms to stay where the foal needs to be.

I always use multiple rubber stall guards with my foals, and that will improve the ventilation if you have a solid door.

[Oakstable]

My mare Mariah is at 356 and counting. We've got July temps here and it is early June.

[Home Again Farm]

Fenway, Signature and Monami, I am so sorry. My Rubizza is due any day now and I am a bit worried about having one so late. :(

[Sunny's Mom]

So sorry to hear of your losses. They are so sweet when they are first born, so precious.

From what I'm told, its hot as hell in TX and my baby just wants to run over every INCH of the pasture, with his poor mom chasing in full pursuit. His name is "Tank" oh my.

[YankeeLawyer]

Tractor Supply carries the very large, round fans that you can put in an aisleway. I would not leave one unattended but they really help to cool the barn on very hot days.

[Sugarbrook]

We have been HOT here in Central Fl. But thankfully we have gotten a few rains to cool things off. My youngest foal in 5 weeks old now and is out during the day and in at night. He and his dam are fine in the heat. Lots of shade trees and the kid and mom are watched all day long in case they look stressed.

I have 3 more to foal, including my now blind mare. The two pony brood mares are out in the pasture and dont seem to be bothered by the heat. They are due soon. All of these are "Florida" born and bred ponies. I really believe they adjust.

My newborn foals do NOT go out in the heat of the day for a few weeks until their system can adjust to the heat.

[monami]

AHF- I am totally with you on the all-grill stall-doors!! They make a huge difference and we even bungee box fans to them for the foals!

[talloaks]

WE have the all screen doors on the broodmare stalls and it is really great that the foals can see what is going on down the aisle, besides the air circulation of course.
Sorry for all the losses this past week with all the heat but the weather is supposed to break this afternoon with thunderstorms, some servere, later this afternoon. I pray for no more lightening strikes!!! Thankfully, it has only been trees and not any buildings or horses, humans or other living critters.

[Oakstable]

Note, there is a thread in Horse Care related to appropriate use of fans in barns, and the need to be vigilant about wiring to avoid a barn fire.

I bought the screen doors for my foaling stall and will have them installed on Friday.

Mariah still has not foaled, day 358.

[talloaks]

The sweltering heat wave has broken!!! It is lovely in Virginia right now and I will bring my foal home tomorrow. Wonder if the other mare who was due on the same day will finally foal or wait for the new moon on the 18th!!:confused: