”With a little understanding of the need for proper socialization and of course proper nutrition, it is not difficult to raise an orphan.”
such as sepsis or dummy foal syndrome. All orphans should be categorized as “high risk” foals. Unless a nurse mare is immediately available, the foal will
require some form of milk replacer after the colostrum has been consumed. There are excellent foal milk replacers on the market. Two that I recommend are Mare’s Milk Plus by Buckeye Nutrition and Land O’Lake’s Mare’s Match. I have found both to be easy to mix and well tolerated. I don’t recommend multi-species milk replacers, since mare’s milk is very different from other species’ milk. Mare’s milk is rich in lactose but relatively low in fat and protein. If no commercial milk replacer is immediately available, cow or goat milk can be used temporarily. Use two-percent milk supplemented with dextrose, a simple sugar. Dextrose can be found in the grocery store in the form of pectin (used to set jams and jellies). Add two ounces to three liters of milk. Alternatively, a teaspoon of white corn syrup can be added to every eight ounces of cow’s milk, but this is not as well tolerated. All utensils, bottles and buckets must be kept clean and sanitary to avoid problems with diarrhea. Switch to a commercial product or a replacement mare as soon as possible.
Options for a Long-Term Milk Supply Once the colostrum has been consumed, it is time to consider where the rest of the foal’s nutrition will be coming from. Foals ideally require milk for 16 to 20 weeks, but can be weaned as early as eight weeks if necessary. A newborn foal under normal circumstances will nurse up to six times an hour. The foal requires up to 25 percent of its own weight in milk every day. That’s about three gallons for a 100 pound foal every day and it increases as the foal grows. If this seems overwhelming, consider also that a foal does not only benefit from its mother because of the milk supply. The dam provides comfort and safety, plus the foal is constantly learning from her. By imitating its mother and responding to her cues, the foal learns a tremendous amount, such as how to get along with the other members of the herd, how to eat grass and feed, what is dangerous, where the water supply is and what role humans play. Nurse mares are the ideal solution and are often
available in “horse country” areas such as Ocala, Florida and Lexington, Kentucky. The leasing of a mare from a commercial nurse mare operation can be expensive, but, after considering the cost of milk replacer and the effort required to provide it for four months, it is actually a bargain. The first few days can be very labor intensive, but after acceptance is accomplished, the foal is raised like any other foal learning proper social skills. Be careful that the nurse mare is not in the later stages of lactation, as the nutritional value of her milk declines rapidly after the fourth month. Occasionally there will also be a privately-owned mare available that has just lost her own foal. Referral equine
44 November/December 2012
hospitals can connect the orphan foal owner with the mare owner. This option can work for both, as the mare owner will get free board and care and usually a re-breed out of the deal (where the foal’s owner has to get the mare bred back at their expense). The drawback is that you will not have a professional nurse-mare handler to ease the acceptance of mare to foal, and will probably need to leave both mare and foal at the hospital or breeding facility for a while. Also, this mare may be fairly valuable and you are taking on the added responsibility of providing for her well being. As with any lease agreement, a quick contract should be drawn up that spells out who is responsible for what.
Creating Your Own Nurse Mare If a lactating mare is not available, the second best option is to create your own. The candidate mare has to be open (not pregnant), have no foal of her own at her side, but have
A 2012 orphan colt with his nurse mare at the author’s farm.
had at least one previous foal. Retired broodmares work well for this. I have mares on my farm that will take any foal at any time. They are the supermoms of the horse world and they are abundant. Even if you are not sure about your mare’s attitude toward a strange foal, with a little work you will most likely still be able to get her to start lactating and accept the orphan. To start the process, place the mare and foal in adjacent
stalls where they can see each other and interact without fear of injury to the foal. The mare is started on a protocol of hormone injections and domperidone oral gel. The foal is fed with milk replacer. In three to five days, most mares will have developed a significant udder and will be vocalizing and showing anxiety when the foal is removed from her sight, a clear indication that she has already bonded with
Dr. Carolin Von Rosenberg
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