The Mare-Foal Bond

One of my favorite parts of attending a mare when she foals is when the mare and foal first recognize each other. They sniff each other and frequently one or both of them nickers and the bonding begins! Maiden mares can be humorous because they frequently don't know what that thing in their stall is and they are frightened at the struggling movements and noises of the new foal. They will look away or even move away from it at first. Their curiosity soon gets the best of them (and I suspect their maternal instincts) and they will turn back to the foal and sniff - ding! - a light bulb goes on - and they nicker and sniff and nicker and sniff some more until you can see that she knows somehow that this is her baby. The struggles of the foal attempting to stand seem to strengthen the bonding process as she begins to lick and nuzzle her baby. A more experienceD mare knows her baby almost as soon as it is born. Some mares are more attentive to their foals than others and some quickly become very protective.

Once the foal is standing it will begin to search for the food. They don't see very well for the first few days, so they try to suck anything that they can get into their mouth. Experienced mares typically guide the foal back to her udder by gently nudging them with her nose, but the first time mom sometimes moves away from the foal's attempts to nurse because she doesn't know what it is doing back there. Putting her against a wall and holding her still until the foal finds the udder and starts nursing usually works, although some will kick out at first at this intrusion.

Mares are usually the most protective in the first few weeks after the foal is born and then become less so as the foal becomes more independent. You will see two mares grooming each other out in the field with their foals on the outside of each one. They will not allow the other mare or foal to come near their foal, but they are great friends otherwise. As the weeks go by the foals start peeking around at each other and sometimes the braver of the two will tentatively try to sniff the other, but the mares quickly separate them. Some of the more curious foals can get in trouble with a protective mare, but their mom will stop at nothing to run interference. Usually there is no damage done and the foal gets a lesson in staying out of the space of other horses. Over time the mares start letting the foals interact and soon they are romping and playing.

Around the time the foals are four months old, the mares are paying less and less attention to their babies and even walking away when they try to nurse. The foals are eating grass, hay and grain and drinking water - it is time to wean. I prefer to separate them at once and not drag it out. The foals go into a stall that has been bomb proofed for a few days and the mares go out to the furthest pasture. The mares don't usually put up much of a fuss - they are ready to be free! The foals are more upset and usually yell themselves hoarse, knock water buckets off the wall, spread their hay all over the stall, and attempt to run you down when you open the stall door. This, also, is over soon. When they are settled enough - usually 2 -3 days - it is safe to go in the stall, halter, and lead them to a safe paddock with other weanlings.

If in the future, if the young horse is put back in the same pasture with it's dam, there is usually no problems providing enough time has passed (at least a month or more). I don't usually do this as I prefer to keep the broodmares separated from the rest of the herd and if possible to keep horses close to the same age and the same sex together. Nature seems to have installed a safety valve against inbreeding in horses. Not only would a young colt be run off by the older stallion, but I have noticed that the mares are frequently very unfriendly to their own colts or geldings, but not with their own fillies.

The mare-foal bond is a precious thing to witness, it is also a powerful force of nature to be respected. A sweet, gentle mare can quickly turn into a biting, kicking monster. The foal might be able to stand and run within two hours of birth, but it is the mare that will have to be reckoned with if her foal is in danger - or even perceived to be by it's dam. Don't mess with MOTHER EQUIUS!