Normal Mare and Newborn Foal Behavior

Find out what to expect as your mare goes into labor and during your foal’s first hours of life.
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Normal Mare and Newborn Foal Behavior
After delivery, a mare usually looks toward the foal, vocalizes, and licks the foal. She should pay attention to her new arrival, but she also might be tired and spend time resting. | Photo: iStock

Q.My mare is due to foal in a few weeks, and this will be the first foal I’ve raised. Could you tell me what to look for in regards to normal mare and foal behavior? Are there any abnormal behaviors I should watch for?

—Via e-mail

A.Congratulations on expecting your first foal! You have plenty of reading to do and questions to ask of your local professionals. But here are some of the things that I feel are most important regarding normal and abnormal mare and foal behavior, focusing on the perinatal period. I can only touch the surface here, and so we can discuss more specific issues another time

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Prior to attending veterinary school, Dr. Nancy Diehl completed a master’s degree in animal science while studying stallion sexual behavior. Later, she completed a residency in large animal internal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center and worked in equine practices in Missouri and Pennsylvania. Diehl also spent six years on faculty at Penn State, where she taught equine science and behavior courses and advised graduate students completing equine behavior research. Additionally, Diehl has co-authored scientific papers on stallion behavior, early intensive handling of foals, and feral horse contraception. Currently she is a practicing veterinarian in central Pennsylvania.

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