Foaling Among Peers

We have a 20-year-old Paint mare due to foal soon. Her pasturemate is a 15-year-old open mare who has had previous foals. Do we need to build a pen to put momma and baby in, or is it okay to leave mare and foal in the pasture with the pasture buddy?
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Q:We have a 20-year-old Paint mare due to foal soon. Her pasturemate is a 15-year-old open mare who has had previous foals herself. Do we need to build a pen to put momma and baby in, or is it okay to leave her in the pasture with her pasture buddy? Do you think her buddy will be all right with the new baby?

Kelly Kilgore


A:I am almost certain that everything will be all right. My experience has been that it is very rare for any problems to arise when a new foal is born within an established pasture group, especially small groups. So I would not worry about it. The buddy mare is likely to either ignore the parturition and the neonate altogether, or she might help the dam with parenting as a harem stallion and other mature band mares might do under natural social conditions.

Some pasture companions, whether mares or geldings, are interested in the foaling itself and gather around and sniff and lick birth fluids and the foal. They might appear to be standing watch or even nervously guarding the mare while she is laboring, tending or actively guarding the foal while the dam is down passing the placenta and recovering her strength, and/or retrieving the foal if it strays

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Sue M. McDonnell, PhD, is a certified applied animal behaviorist and the founding head of the equine behavior program at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine. She is also the author of numerous books and articles about horse behavior and management.

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