NOT all new beginnings go to plan and, as with humans, horses born prematurely may need extra care. By knowing what is normal behaviour for a newborn foal, those responsible for them can identify what is abnormal and when veterinary intervention should be sought.
A NORMAL NEWBORN
A HEALTHY newborn foal should be able to stand one hour after birth and be nursing from the mare by two to four hours after birth.
The milk the mare produces in the first hours of a foal's life is called colostrum. Colostrum is yellow in colour, thicker and stickier than milk and contains antibodies essential to support immunity in the newborn.
Foals’ immune systems are not fully developed at birth, so it is important that they ingest
