# NEVER leave halters on AND don't use closed front foal blankets!



## Eagle

I thought I would do a topic on dangerous things for the new mums.

Never leave a headcollar on a mare with a foal at foot. Stumbling little foals can get their little feet caught in the mares headcollar and it could be tragic. Cassie can tell you just how terrible it is.

ALWAYS remove headcollars after the birth.

Also please read what my friend Tami of Triple K just posted this morning on FB about her foal blanket:


Please horse lovers take a second to read this!!!! Last night we have a beautiful tiny perfect little filly born, she was born around midnight, at 5 am I received a phone call from my dear friend Judy from CA and Carol from FL, telling me to hurry and get to this little fillies stall, DO NOT USE ANY FOAL BLANKETS THAT ARE CLOSED IN FRONT, BE SURE THEY HAVE VELCRO , THIS LITTLE FILLY WAS BEING DRAGGED AROUND THE STALL BY HER DAM, THE MARE HAD GOTTEN HER LEG THRU THE NECK OPENING OF THE NEWBORN FILLY AND WAS DRAGGING THE BABY AROUND THE STALL, THE FILLY WAS LIMP WHEN i GOT TO HER, AND THE BLANKET WAS TWISTED SO TIGHT SHE WAS ALMOST BEING STRANGLED, WHEN i GOT THE MARES LEG OUT OF THE OPENING, THE FILLY WAS HARDLY ALIVE, THIS HAS TAUGHT ME TO be sure ALL YOUR FOAL BLANKETS HAVE VELCRO IN THE FRONT,the filly is doing fine, thanks 



 
 
All foal pj's must have velcro at the front.
 
Thanks for taking the time to read. Safe foaling everyone.


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## targetsmom

If you MUST leave a halter on a mare (we have one of those) then either use a purchased mini breakaway halter with a lightweight leather "fuse" or make your own. If you remove the piece of leather or nylon that connects the upper near-side ring with the buckle and replace it with a piece of ribbon, you will have your own safety halter. The buckle will look a little flimsy but should be fine once on the horse. Toffee's halter has been like this for months and the ribbon only broke once, which is of course what it is supposed to do when the halter gets caught! A ribbon will be even easier for a foal to break than a leather fuse.

Another thing I learned on this forum is to make sure there are no knots in the mare's mane. Foals love to rear and jump on their moms and if a little hoof gets caught in a knot in her mane it could be disastrous.

The story about the foal blanket above is also testimony to the value of foaling cameras and sites like Mare Stare even AFTER the foal is born.

ETA Picture: Just realized that one of the photos I took this week of Toffee and her filly shows the ribbon on her halter really well so you can see how easy this is to do. It is just a cheap pink ribbon tied between the ring and the buckle. Well, on this one there is part of the broken fuse still there, but it works either way.


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## Maple Hollow Farm

I want to add to that when putting halters or blankets on horses to make sure they fit properly!!! A lot of the foal blankets have much to large of neck holes and drop down in front of the shoulders leaving lots of room for legs to go where they shouldnt! Same with halters, a loose fitting halter and one attempt to scratch with their hind leg can be disasterous!!!


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## AnnaC

So glad you posted and pinned this Renee. I would also like to add a reminder about braided tails. If you must braid tails on the run up to foaling, then please release the braid as soon as the mare foals. Like Mary's post above regarding knots in a mare's mane, a tail braid can also become loosened in time and with the mare laying down a young foal could put a foot through the tail and get caught up. Not very lkely perhaps, but just another sensible precaution to take for safety's sake.


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## Eagle

Exactly Anna, not to mention how a braided tail hurts when swished. I often see little foals on MS getting hit as mumma gets an after contraction and swishes her tail.

Mary thank you for your excellent input. A clean horse is a happy horse


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## cassie

Totally agree Renee,

this is my friends story...



so very sad...

PLEASE make sure you do not leave a foal with a halter on... my friend had a horrible experience a few weeks ago, her absoloutly stunning weanling colt (full size horse) she had a halter on him and turned him out into the paddock.

She went to work came back in the afternoon, he had got his halter caught on the fence and hung himself





it was too late by the time she found him and he passed away. I know how much we all love our horses and our foals, please don't leave halters on your babies... I know there will be some Aunties who will agree with me on this, its just too risky!


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## chandab

cassie said:


> Totally agree Renee,
> 
> this is my friends story...
> 
> 
> 
> so very sad...
> 
> PLEASE make sure you do not leave a foal with a halter on... my friend had a horrible experience a few weeks ago, her absoloutly stunning weanling colt (full size horse) she had a halter on him and turned him out into the paddock.
> 
> She went to work came back in the afternoon, he had got his halter caught on the fence and hung himself
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> it was too late by the time she found him and he passed away. I know how much we all love our horses and our foals, please don't leave halters on your babies... I know there will be some Aunties who will agree with me on this, its just too risky!


Unfortunately, this sort of tragedy doesn't only happen with foals; a friend sent a 3 year old out to training (actually I believe it was two), one was worked and then put back in his stall to cool with halter on while the other was worked, the one in the stall reared up to look over the stall wall or something, got his halter caught high on the wall and hung himself. A tragedy that didn't have to happen.

I can't say I've never left a halter on, but rarely do it, and usually only if I'm around, even with the hard to catch ones. [i can usually catch them all eventually, and the difficult ones it usually takes cornering.]


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## cassie

wow yes definitley can happen to any age horse,

my friend who I go to shows with just yesterday had her three yr old riding pony filly get caught on the round yard panels by her halter. luckily they were home raced out there and got her free, she is sore today but is ok. Thank goodness!

I have to say that sometimes I forget to take the halters off my horses I try not to but its happened once or twice, now that I know more I definitley try to take them off as soon as I have finished with them. so scary, accidents can happen though no matter how many precautions you take, definitley doing these things will help reduce the chances but as horses are flight animals their instincts and brain just well you know.


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## REO

So true! It doesn't matter how much you watch them or how careful you are, they'll find *something* to get caught in or hurt on!

My saying is, if you can imagine it, it can happen. Often my husband poo poos my cautious fears so doesn't fix what I asked him to, then it happens and....nope I don't let him forget it.

Halters, blankets, tangled manes, dangling cords & ropes, GAPS, even of only a few inches-they can and do get caught under them!

WHEW!


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## LittleRibbie

Not sure if this is where I should put this but from what I saw this AM and could very easily be a potentail problem. For those that have just wire barn fence I think its called.

Be sure the fence is TIGHT especially on the BOTTOM. Luckily I was sitting out side and was watching but Sneeker was laying down right up against the fence ( that part was pretty loose ) looked away for just I few minutes and when I looked again there was Sneeker standing on the other side ( Peanut and my stallion were in that side )Holly had not even noticed he was not on her side of the fence yet and luckily the other 2 horses had their head burried in their hay and hadnt noticed either. I really have no way of knowing what would have happened. If I had my electric fence on at the time he wouldnt have been so close to the fence in the first place. Looking more closely after the fact...there are parts on my fence where the fence Has curled up on the bottom...another place to get a hoof caught ...even for the bigger horses ( even more so with bigger horses w/bigger feet ). Guess I need to tighten some fences today...need to keep foal with Momma so no one panics


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## Eagle

Thanks for adding this Heidi, many people don't realise that the fencing they have won't be suitable for a new foal so this post is very important.


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## targetsmom

LOL, we just spent Tuesday afternoon re-foal-proofing our fencing! We originally fenced for a big horse, with lovely 3 "rail" flexible vinyl on one side, with 2X4" non-climb wire on the other sides (to keep dogs and animals out). Last year we put deer netting along the vinyl but it didn't work out that well, as babies would find the holes and escape - even Clyde!!! Mom's and babies tend to get pretty upset when that happens.. So this week we added 2X4" non-climb to the inside of the vinyl. From a distance you can't really see it, so it still has the lovely look of the 3 white "rails".

BTW, deer netting DOES work pretty well if you get the heavier netting and attach it well. It seems to be very safe as even little hooves can't fit through it.


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## Eagle

Sounds perfect Mary but of course we will need a few pics to be sure


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## targetsmom

LOL Renee - I downloaded all the photos of Luna and Jake today but the ones of the fence are still on the camera!!! I expect there will be more photos taken tomorrow so another chance to download.

ETA: I found one that just happens to have Jake in it (and Mira on the other side):


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## targetsmom

Jake was so stand-offish for the first day that we wondered if somehow the foals got switched internally because Dancer is so friendly while Toffee has issues, and the foals were the exact opposite. But Jake came around VERY quickly, as you can see.

Anyway, back to the fence: From a distance you don't even notice the wire mesh but it is there, going all the way to the ground, to keep the little ones inside. And Mira outside... she has been known to squeeze through too, if the grass looks greener on the other side!


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