One of my daily readers read my post on Common Causes of Foal Rejection and asked for more information on foal rejection and what to do with rejected foals or foals that have been orphaned. I’m going to focus on foal rejection today and add another post on orphaned foals within the next few days.

A bit more on foal rejection:

Foal rejection usually manifests as the mare’s refusal to allow the foal to suckle  and as aggression toward the foal. Aggression toward the foal may take the form of kicking at the foal; biting of the foal’s neck - usually at the withers; grabbing the foal with her teeth and throwing it in severe cases; baring her teeth and lunging at the foal; killing the foal. Non-rejecting mares usually perform a series of behaviors, including licking, sniffing, vocalization, and protection of their foals. They will also allow their foals to nurse.