Good ventilation is important for the foal's respiratory health, but drafts are undesirable. It is good, though, to have air circulation higher up in the stall. In many cases, having the top half of the stall open is sufficient. Of course, you must also consider the weather. If it is very warm, the more air that is circulating throughout the stall, the more comfortable the mare and foal will be.
Fans can be useful in warm weather to keep the air circulating.
The stalls of all foaling mares should be bedded with clean straw that is as dust-free as possible. Stalls obviously cannot be made sterile. Therefore, you must make every effort to guard the foal and the mare against infection. Sawdust or shavings should not be used in the foaling stall because they are dusty and stick to everything. The foal's navel is the perfect target for many bacteria.