Does anyone else feel this is SO wrong???

[TrueColours]

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/26373/stormy-jacks-first-foal-is-born-at-barretts-sale-grounds

I know the article is from 2005, but damn - shipping a mare THAT heavily in foal to a sale and having her actually foal out there as well???

Wouldnt be high on my list of how to effectively and safely manage the foaling process ... :rolleyes: ... and making sure the resultant foal had the best possible start in life ...

Heck - with the cold January weather and the fact that in 99% of the cases the upper doors are shut once everyone leaves, I wonder if anyone even KNEW she was foaling until they opened the doors in the morning and 4 eyes greeted them instead of 2 ...

[tempichange]

It was Barretts in Southern California, I believe it's a bit warmer there in winter than anything else.

It's also not unusual to ship mares to a sale that heavily in foal. They do it in Kentucky regularly during their mixed sales. I also know for a fact that there is heavy nightwatch at those sales.

The mare was probably a last minute add as well. Also probably due a bit later and went early (as some maidens do). I've seen mares foal out in much worse conditions than deeply bedded sale stall.

[Laurierace]

It happens every year at all the major January sales. I have never seen there be any problem. They have a night watch so the horses are never unattended. They had to foal somewhere, why not there?

[TrueColours]

It happens every year at all the major January sales. I have never seen there be any problem.

Interesting! I thought this would definately be the exception and not the rule at all ...

[opel]

The ideal situation is for a mare to foal in the environment she's been living in--as her antibodies/passive transfer are primed for these pathogens. I can't imagine that stressing the mare by moving her and then having the foal born in a foreign environment with other horses/pathogens from many other farms can be ideal.

[sfstable]

It happens every year at all the major January sales. I have never seen there be any problem. They have a night watch so the horses are never unattended. They had to foal somewhere, why not there?

Yep. Every January sale I have gone to had at least one mare with a brand new foal by her side. Buyer get the mare and the foal for the "mare price". But it does seem that these mares go for more if the baby is real nice ;)

[Tornado Run Farm]

I agree with you TC. Just another reason I wouldn't make it as a TB breeder...:no:

[tempichange]

The ideal situation is for a mare to foal in the environment she's been living in--as her antibodies/passive transfer are primed for these pathogens. I can't imagine that stressing the mare by moving her and then having the foal born in a foreign environment with other horses/pathogens from many other farms can be ideal.

Yes, ideally.

Again speaking from experience, those stalls are usually sanitized and the horses arrive about a week to four days prior. If the mare wasn't comfortable or feeling settled, I doubt that a healthy foal would be born. Heck, even due to the state incentive programs going on around the country you have mares being shipped back into the state to foal out two to three weeks prior.

In short, mares-in-various-stages of pregnancy are frequently transported in that industry not only due to the requirement of live cover, but, state added incentives if the foal is "state"-born. While auctions are not ideal, they are watched, the stalls are clean and there are more vets roaming around that area at those times than on a regular farm.

Is it ideal? No, but I can think of much worse situations.