LAST IN SERIES
TO be called to a foaling mare in the late afternoon is unusual. Most mares foal in the dark, presumably a practice that evolved in their primitive ancestors as a defence against attacks by predators, when both the mare and the foal are at their most vulnerable. Similarly, the necessity to move away quickly from the place where the mare has foaled has resulted in the remarkable innate drive of the newborn foal to stand quickly. Hence the “1-2-3 rule”, well known to stud managers, determines if the foal is normal - an hour
