To those out there who breed and have foals in stables.

What do you use for bedding during the birthing and why?

I have always used straw, because I have ALWAYS used straw, but the lack of decent straw this year in these parts is making me think it is perhaps time for me to become more modern and use something else.

What are your thoughts on this?

I have always used straw myself as I find it gives a good, thick, cosy bed and I can bank the walls up high and thick. It is also much cheaper than shavings, particularly when you have very large boxes as I do. I am lucky in that I have access to good straw produced for feeding purposes rather than bedding so is clean and less dusty. It is also made in enormous hestons, the equivalent of 25-30 small bales, so is very economical to use. I have one mare on shavings but only because she is prone to allergic reactions on straw. Time is also a factor but if you have a horse that tends to paddle its droppings all over the box it often takes as long to muck out a shavings box as a straw one. I'm probably a bit strange in that I find it therapeutic to muck out straw boxes and the result is less 'clinical' looking than a shavings one. I don't think there is a right or wrong method, it all depends on your individual circumstances.

I worked at a top sport horse stud for a while, and they always bedded mares on really good straw for foaling, even if they were on shavings etc at home. Finer bedding can stick to the mare's udder and legs when she's lactating, making her a bit uncomfortable.

Bit of a challenge if there's not much good straw about, although last year's harvest was pretty good. If you really can't get good straw, what about paper?

Hi there many of you may think this is very odd but in Australia mares are foaled outside where nature intented them to foal in a small grassy paddock kept by for such a purpose. People may think well thats all right for Australia where it's warm but actually in Melbourne where we raised 5 very healthy foals out doors the weather is in fact no different from here. My girls invariebly choose the worst nights to foal in the freezing cold or the lashing wind and rain but the foals all turned out absolutley fine (after all it never did Best Mate any harm!) They all wore foaling alarms so we were there for every occassion should anything go wrong. I endevour to try and do the same thing here when we foal our first mare on UK soils next year and i'm not the only QH person i know that does it a guy down the road (swingley QH's) with a pally stallion also foals outdoors and says he follows friends in the US on doing so. Think of how much more clean it is to foal in a paddock thats regulary picked up of course.
I'd like to hear from any others who foal outside.


If i am forced to foal indoors through some terrible weather - i will diffenatley choose straw and a well scrubbed stable. It's much easier to keep clean and the straw can be quickly changed for a fresh bed once the foaling is over and the mare has cleansed. Shaving would definatley get in the way - i agree possibly irratating the mares nipples - also making examining the placenta a bit of a chore.

What a chore though if you can't find any good straw around - we are lucky to live in the middle of nowhere with tons of farms around us straws a plenty. Not sure what i'd choose instead - i'd agree maybe paper??

LOL your not on your own bluegirl i love doing my horses old fashioned straw bed every morning before work. My friend thinks i'm crazy that i muck out throughly and leave the bed up to air every day - this is the way i was taught as a small child and do it to this day - much cleaner and nicer for the horse i say!

I've always foaled outside and have never had any problems (touch wood!) We've never had very early foals i.e. from spring onwards, although one born in April did have to endure a snowstorm on his first day! We do make sure that the field they're in at the time has plenty of shelter.

After a few days, we do take the mare and foal into a stable or barn for a couple of hours at a time just to get the foal used to it.

(Though I suppose if we had one due as early as January or February, I would be inclined to foal inside).