Q: A young breeder asked me if she could take a mare from her foal for one hour every day. That young breeder would like to ride the mare; therefore she’ll leave the foal in the box. I am not a fan of that. I told her that it would be a significant daily stress for the mare and her foal. Am I right? —Kate

A: This is a great question that we haven’t addressed before in the column. I am happy to see that you are writing from the beautiful Prudnik National Stud in Poland. Our group here at the University of Pennsylvania has collaborated on horse behavior and reproduction projects with veterinary scientists in Krakow for many years. Whenever we visit Poland, our friends take us to see the beautiful horse studs. They are truly a world treasure.

Now, on your question about daily removal of a dam from her foal for an hour or so for riding: In general, many breeders and behavior experts would agree that daily separation of a mare and foal could result in significant stress for the foal and even for the mare. Many would judge the separation for the purpose of riding an unnecessary risk. So on the one hand, you’re right. But in actual practice, there are many instances when mares and foals are separated for more practical reasons, and the truth is that most typically do just fine with frequent separation with no serious separation anxiety at the time, and no apparent long-term adverse effects.

To get a sampling of professional opinions, I shared your question with a colleague here at the University of Pennsylvania–Patricia Sertich, MS, VMD, Dipl. ACT, who specializes in mare reproduction. In her work she often sees mares and foals separated for medical and breeding procedures; she has seen a broad cross section of on-farm practices in this regard. Her experience has been that most foals and mares do very well with repeated, brief separations. For example, she knows of farms that prefer to routinely leave the foal behind when the mare goes to the stallion for teasing or breeding. This can be at what we call the “foal heat,” which is the first postpartum estrus that occurs after delivery; the foal is sometimes as young as eight to 10 days