It must be exciting to know that foal, an equine up to one year, can stand up within two hours after birth and gallop within 24 hours!It’s not a wonder the foal inherits the qualities of its parents, the horse, and mare, early on. Foals are playful, cute, quick learners and steal our hearts with their energy and sweet personalities.They are born with almost 90% of the length of their adult legs. This helps them survive in the wild when they need to defend against predators. Wild horses are often on the move for food, water, and protection from predators. Hence the foals need to keep up with them, and their long legs come in handy to stay with the herd and go long distances.Foals have no immunity when born and need to be protected against potential infections. The first milk the foal gets from the mare, the female horse, is called colostrum, and it boosts the foal’s immunity. Colostrum is a thick, yellow, and sticky milk, produced only in the first 24 hours after giving birth to the foal, can be about a liter, and is crucial for the foal’s survival. It provides foal the required antibodies and helps the foal pass the first manure, called meconium. The communication between the newborn foal and mare is very silent and amusing. They bond very specially and quickly in a manner that is invisible to the human eye.Mares generally give birth to foals in spring or summer, during nighttime, between midnight and dawn. It is an effective way of protecting themselves from predators. Mares conceal their foals in the dark and feel safer. The grass in the spring season is rich and aids the mare in producing milk full of nutrients imperative to the health of the foal. The foal starts to eat grass after about a week of birth. They also start on hay, along with grass within two weeks. By two months, they need more nutrition than what they get from mare’s milk. They wean between 4-6 months of age when they get more comfortable venturing away from the mares. In this stage, some human interaction can make the weaning process go smoother. Though a foal may be capable of reproductive activity within 18 months of age, it is advisable to initiate breeding only after three or four years of age.A colt is the name given to a male foal until it is three or four years old. A female foal is called a filly until it reaches the age of four or five years. Mare giving birth to healthy twins is extremely rare. When they are introduced to other horses, the foals have a young horse talk, resembling chomping movements. This is their way of conveying that they are only foals and not a threat to them. They are born weighing between 150-200 lbs (68-91 kg). They can put on as much as three pounds a day until they are six months. By then, they would have grown significantly in terms of height and weight.If you like these foal facts, you can also learn more fun facts in our articles: how far can a horse travel in a day? And how long are deer pregnant?Why is a horse pregnant for so long?The breeding typically starts in spring or summer but can be year-round. The normal gestation period for a horse is typically 11 months, though it can extend to 345 days in some cases, a year of gestation is not problematic. The belly of the pregnant mare starts to grow after six months.Foals born in ten months of breeding can be unstable and not likely to survive. They have very weak immunity at birth, so reduced gestation is further detrimental to the foal. The pregnancy of a horse has three stages. The first stage is from conception to three months. During this stage, an ultrasound within two weeks after breeding can confirm pregnancy. It will also show the embryo, a tiny horse fetus in a sac, and its heartbeat. The signs of pregnancy can also be confirmed by physical examination by the vet, by inserting his hand into the rectum and feeling the uterus, amniotic sac containing embryo, and ovaries.By about three months, the appearance of a fetus resembles a small horse. If the ultrasound shows twins, the vet pinches one of them to ensure the other foal is born healthy. The second stage starts around the third month until the sixth month. During this period, the fetus grows in size, and some mares start to show a growing belly at this stage. The veterinarian does frequent deworming in this stage as well. Various tests are done in the first two stages for vaccinating the mare, based on the location and condition of the foal. The third stage is the last trimester, from the sixth month until the delivery. A couple of weeks before the foaling, the horse’s udder starts to swell, and a thick yellow fluid, which is the first milk for the newborn, may start oozing. After day 315, the owner needs to closely observe the mare for signs of impending foaling, the muscles near the tail head start to relax, and the udder begins swelling, to prepare for uterine contractions. There are several test kits to estimate the final date with a deviation of about 24 hours.Variations In Gestation LengthThe standard gestation period for mares is typically 11 months, unlike humans who are pregnant for nine months. Mares can extend pregnancy up to 345 days or even a year on some occasions. Until a year of gestation, it is not worrisome.But, if the gestation period is less than ten months and premature foaling happens, the foal is highly likely to be very unstable and will find it tough to survive. The pregnant horse needs to be taken care of well. Regular exercise and proper nutrition go a long way in mare care. Moderate exercise is essential to stay healthy but, if the mare is reluctant for the movement, it is best to leave it. Good food containing grains, hay, supplemented with vitamins, minerals, salts, etc., is important until the last trimester and can ensure good health. Adding roughage to the diet can help in avoiding ulcers and gut issues during the gestation period. Riding the mare when pregnant is not advisable, especially after the sixth month, when the fetus starts to grow. It is best to avoid riding a mare when it is carrying at any of the stages. Also, avoiding transporting it during pregnancy is preferable. Keeping it away from other horses helps prevent infections and gives the horse more peace and calmness during pregnancy.Factors That Can Affect Gestation LengthGestation lengths can vary, which can be natural and artificial. Artificially influencing the gestation period, will require professional help from a vet. These methods can postpone or advance the delivery by about ten days.Some of the natural factors are breeding season, sex of the foal, weight, and structure of the pregnant mare. In mares breeding in the first three months of the year, delivery can get delayed by a week. If the mare is bred in summer or spring, the delivery can happen about a week earlier. In either case, having a vet nearby to perform regular checks should ensure safe foaling.A colt may arrive about 3-7 days later as compared to a filly. Even though there is no proof for the above statement, in reality, the sex of the foal is also an impacting factor.The weight and structure is the third factor that needs to be considered. If the mare is lightweight, it takes longer to give birth to a foal. The heavier mare generally goes into labor faster.How common are twin foals?Mare giving birth to twins is very rare. Breeding twins is one in 10,000. Even if the mare conceives twins, generally, one of them dies at birth. Hence, it is pinched within the first few weeks to ensure the other foal is born with good health. There is a record of a mare giving birth to twins on very rare occasions, and both survived too.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for how long are horses pregnant? Then why not take a look at how long are rabbits pregnant? Or how long do horses sleep?
It must be exciting to know that foal, an equine up to one year, can stand up within two hours after birth and gallop within 24 hours!
