LOL!! You lot! Now not nice to make fun of the crazy Anna!! I hate and will not tolerate droppings in a stable of any horse - except overnight on normal 'working/stabled' horses. During the day droppings are collected either as soon as they are done or as soon as you return from wherever you happen to have been (exercising horses/shopping/school runs etc. This is not STUPID nor being over fussy - knowing how many piles your horse does and when they are normally done can give you an early indication of something being wrong, like colic etc.
With our foaling mares, we are out there collecting droppings at least three or four times a night, and any mare showing imminent signs of foaling has someone beside her collecting the mushy poos as she does them, so when she goes down for a roll or two or to actually start foaling, she has a perfectly clean bed, plus when we are kneeling behind her to assist if necessary, we do not have to worry about putting our knees or hands down in anything nasty!!
All our mares get used to all this coming and going during the month before they foal and happily stay down snoozing/snoring while we go in and out of the stables. No tid-bits are fed so the mares expect nothing (except another handful of hay being added as we leave) and therefore take no notice of us. When it comes to actual foaling, the mare is well used to us being around/in her stable and is perfectly relaxed about us being there. In my opinion, too many folk stay away from their mares 'in case they might disturb them' and then when it comes to foaling, the poor mare gets stressed because someone is suddenly hovering around or rushing in to help when it is not the normal routine!
So there is method in my 'madness' and good reason for it too IMO!!
(now you all know that I AM actually quite crazy!
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