Motherly Love 

The little bundle of bony legs and inquisitive face sat up in the straw. It was 8pm and Bella our chestnut broodmare had just given birth. I can never quite believe how long their legs are and how those large knobbly knees could possibly have been curled up inside her tummy. It must be such a relief for her to have this little person out and, looking at him, I can only imagine how Bella must have felt getting him out!

The first two or three hours of a foal’s life are critical and various markers must be reached for the foal to survive and thrive. The foal should stand up within one hour and it should be suckling within the first two hours: the first milk or colostrum is extremely important as it contains vital antibodies. From Bella’s point of view, the placenta should be delivered within 3 hours.

Watching the little foal trying to stand for the first time – to place its long front legs in the right place and then try to tip up and forwards – is the best occupation. It tries a few swaying attempts and then sits back down, exhausted.

Bella keeps nuzzling and encouraging her foal, licking every inch of it and whickering softly. She is both drying it and stimulating it as well as building a strong bond between them. In nature, horses and especially foals would have been prey and so they had to make this huge transition from being in utero to being able to run away from predators in as short a time as possible.

Bella also has to cope with post birth contractions and you can see her discomfort. From time to time, she moves away from her baby to lie down and roll before she goes back to her task. She is tired but committed to getting her little colt up and on his legs.

It is a large stable, yet as Bella walks around circling her foal, I sometimes have to hold my breath as her feet seem too near to the legs of her baby in the straw. However, luckily her spatial awareness of exactly where her baby is lying is far better than mine.

He is a lovely little foal with a huge white star on his face and is full of determination. Another push for his quarters and he rocks himself up, standing swaying, front legs widely planted. After a few minutes he tries to move one of his front legs, shuffling a little to one side and stops again. Bella gently nuzzles him as if to say well done.

Quite often foals then collapse back into the straw, but not this one. Having achieved standing position, he is going to hang on to it and over the next ten minutes he tries a few steps as well. Bella circles him and stands quietly nearby as we all know he needs to feed, to find his ‘milk bar’ and latch on. Instinctively he knows what he should be doing although it takes some time to work out where to go, nuzzling his mother’s front leg and flank until finally his tiny muzzle is puckered up and he is latched on, his little tail swishing in satisfaction.

Afterwards it is time to collapse into the straw but after a short rest he is up again, looking for more milk. In another happy moment we can see him pass meconium (his first faeces). This is a specific term as it is composed of the remains of glandular secretions, swallowed amniotic fluid and other cellular debris. It is moved along the gastrointestinal tract and stored near the rectum and again is one of those early markers as it should be passed within the first three hours.

Thankfully, it has all been successful and happy. The foal is moving round the box, inspecting his human audience and already being cheeky to his mother all within his first three hours of life. Everything has happened as it should and we can now leave them in peace.

Foaling is ultimately a balance between our desire to take care of the event whilst keeping a low profile and not disrupting the critical bonds created between Bella and her foal or confusing the foal with unnatural stimuli.

A foal changes so quickly from a bundle in the straw to a little tummy on stilts learning about its world so quickly. It literally grows stronger in front of your eyes. Whilst handling foals can help our bonds with them later on, it is also even more important to respect Bella’s role and ensure she comes first. We all share however the desire to help her raise a confident inquisitive foal and at this point in its life, it is all about hope and horse racing dreams.