What is a Foal? a Brief Look at Young Horses

What is a foal? Foals are any baby equines like horses under one year of age. However, an eleven month old foal is a lot different in appearance, physical strength and resistance to disease than a newborn foal. But foals can begin training as soon as they are foaled.

Newborn Foals

Veterinarians refer to foals as newborns, sucklings or weanlings. Newborn foals are less than two days old. Although small and seemingly fragile, newborn foals are highly developed so that they often can stand within one hour of being foaled. Newborns are only ten percent of their future adult weight, yet have about 90 percent leg length.

Imprinting is done on many stud farms for newborns still wet from birth. This is a quick and gentle brushing of the hands over the foal's body, just to let them know that being handled by people is normal. A foal may be given its first halter at this time, but should only wear one under supervision. Foals can easily get a long leg caught in the halter.

Newborns are not born with a good immune system. They get many of their antibodies from their mother's colostrums, or milk made within the first 24 hours of birth. If a foal cannot get this special milk, it will miss out on natural disease protection. In order for mares to make colostrum, they need to be vaccinated when pregnant.

Suckling Foals

Sucking foals or nursing foals are about three days old to whenever they are weaned. Just when a foal is weaned from its dam differs for each foal, but in domestic horses a foal is usually fully weaned by the time it is six months old. From birth to two months old, foal diets will consist of just mare's milk. Foals can begin eating small amounts of feed and hay when they are two months old.

During this time, the suckling foal learns about people and how to behave with them by watching how its dam interacts with people. Unless there is a health problem with the foal, foals can be trained to accept a lead as soon as possible. One person can lead the mare while another leads the foal. Foals have a natural instinct to follow their dams. Foals can also be groomed, learn some basic vocal commands and used to having their ears, hooves and tails handled.

Suckling foals should never be allowed to develop bad habits such as placing their forelegs up onto a person's shoulders. It may be cute now, but after the foal gains another 500 pounds, this habit becomes dangerous.

Weanling Foals

By the time a foal is eleven months old, it is often half of its adult weight and most of its adult height. You can forgive someone pointing at such as large animal and asking, "What is a foal, again?" Between six and twelve months old, foals are about the most skittish they will be in their lives. Weanling colts especially will chew and bite just about anything his muzzle can reach.

Weanlings have short attention spans but can be taught some skills such as standing for a farrier or wearing a blanket. Keep training sessions short and full of praise. Weanlings approaching one year of age can begin wearing a bridle, harness or saddle but should not be ridden because they physically are not strong enough.

One way to help train weanlings is through lunging sessions and having a rider on a calm, steady horse lead them.

Conclusion

Foals are any baby horse, donkey, zebra or mule under one year of age. Slang for foals includes "colts", although technically colts are any male horse under five years old. While young and small, foals are capable of learning basic skills such as being groomed and having their hooves picked up.

Sources

Gore, DVM. Thomas, et al. Horse Owner's Veterinary Handbook. Howell Book House; 2008.

Hill, Cherry. How to Think Like a Horse. Storey Publishing; 2006.

Author's personal experience.