Orphan foals- do foster mums improve chances of survival versus hand rearing?

[Cancara]

An acquaintance of mine recently lost a long battle to keep an orphan foal alive. The poor mite had experienced multiple digestive issues including I believe ulcers and colic, ultimately dying overnight at 4 months old.

I know the care given was absolutely dedicated but I have no details. However one friend of mine has since claimed that it’s more common for foals to pass when still babies when they are hand reared than when they can be matched to a foster mare- something to do with stress levels…?

It’s not something I’m aware of, always thought a foster mare was preferable mainly because of the ease of raising the horse to ride later if it knows it’s a horse, but this did interest me as I thought that if true, stress could manifest itself in digestive issues.

Is this something anyone else has heard of or can advise on? I’m no breeder and I am sure there are more knowledgeable people here who can share thoughts…

[Marla_100]

have read studies that have shown serious heart defects of orphaned foals, human raised,
and interestingly the deadly symptoms didn’t show up until around 4 months of age. many times the initial symptoms were eventually fatal.

if you or your friend are into research, there is valid info of studies online.

[Highflyer]

Ulcers in foals that are stressed in any way are very common, so it’s not surprising that orphans would have issues. And certainly the more naturally they can be raised the better-- either with a replacement mom or in a group with other orphans.

That said, when we were breeding a lot we had a number of orphans and I can’t think of any that were healthy and eating well at the start that didn’t survive and go on to be race or riding horses.

[NancyM]

It’s always a calculated risk, one way or the other. There are definite advantages to getting a nurse mare, if possible. But not just ANY mare will make a good nurse mare.
I had one foal orphaned at 2 days old. We hand raised her. She was fine, and easy to break, and healthy. After losing the mare, I couldn’t face the prospect of having her rejected by a nurse mare, and having the foal injured or killed if it didn’t work out well. I was offered a mare, but it was a mare that I did not know, and did not trust the owner of that mare that she was what she was purported to be, in terms of her accepting another foal.
I had another orphan a few years ago, but 3 months old when her mother died. So it was an early weaning. She was adopted by a dry mare who has excellent mothering skills, and it was the best thing for her. No milk, but was raised by this superstar mare, cared for, taught the things that a mare can teach a baby. She is fine.

[Cancara]

Marla 100 I’d be interested in studies if you can direct me to any please- my google search after this discussion didn’t find much. I tried scholar too.

ETA- where are my manners- thank you everyone!

[Marla_100]

unfortunately it’s been 5 or 6 yrs. since seeing the research so have no idea where it would be found.

started my search when, started working on a breeding farm and a young colt
mysteriously died overnight, had been hand raised by farm owner but introduced to similarly aged youngsters at 3/-4 mo. believe a necropsy had to be done to see the heart defects. unfortunately in this case there was no necropsy.

will do a quick search later to see if it’s still available

[GrayMare]

I’ve raised multiple orphans–most did very well, but, weirdly, I did have one die at about four months from heart failure due to valve issues. I had never heard of this being a “known issue.” At the time I assumed it was some kind of a congenital defect.

Personally, I think that it is possible to raise orphans quite well with a bucket and a motherly old gelding for company. A nurse mare is great if you can afford/get one, it certainly is the traditional route that TB farms go when a foal is orphaned or rejected.

I do not think is is possible to raise an orphan foal without a proper full time companion. I think that another orphan is another possibility for a companion, but I think that a protective pony or horse is the best and least stressful option, whether it produces milk or not.

[Fairview_Horse_Cente]

Using an igloo cooler for on demand feeding, an orphan foal can be turned out with a group of other mares and foals. It is more costly to keep them on milk replacer for 4-6 months, but IMO was WELL worth the $ spent, as the foal was normal, and had comfort of other foals, protection and herd behaviors from the moms.

[GrayMare]

[QUOTE=Fairview Horse Center;8964370]
Using an igloo cooler for on demand feeding, an orphan foal can be turned out with a group of other mares and foals. It is more costly to keep them on milk replacer for 4-6 months, but IMO was WELL worth the $ spent, as the foal was normal, and had comfort of other foals, protection and herd behaviors from the moms.[/QUOTE]

I think that it depends on your other mares…many mares are mildly hostile to a foal that doesn’t have a mother’s protection, some mares even worse. IMO, in many instances it would be risking a orphan foal’s life to turn it out unprotected with a group of other broodmares and foals. Obviously this worked well for you, but I think there are instances where it would not be advisable. A newborn foal obviously would be very vulnerable in such a situation, whereas an older foal that had already been out with the herd for a time before losing its mother would have a much better chance of doing well.

One think that I have observed anecdotally through my own experience (this is not a statement of fact) is that a lot of mares reserve their motherly instincts solely for their own offspring. Whereas, I have had several geldings rise to the occasion and be wonderful adoptive parents to orphaned foals or other young stock in need of companionship, protection and discipline. Other people may have varying experiences.

If anyone finds a link to the research on heart defects in orphans, I would be very interested to read it.

[Marla_100]

[QUOTE=GrayMare;8964697]
I think that it depends on your other mares…many mares are mildly hostile to a foal that doesn’t have a mother’s protection, some mares even worse. IMO, in many instances it would be risking a orphan foal’s life to turn it out unprotected with a group of other broodmares and foals. Obviously this worked well for you, but I think there are instances where it would not be advisable. A newborn foal obviously would be very vulnerable in such a situation, whereas an older foal that had already been out with the herd for a time before losing its mother would have a much better chance of doing well.

One think that I have observed anecdotally through my own experience (this is not a statement of fact) is that a lot of mares reserve their motherly instincts solely for their own offspring. Whereas, I have had several geldings rise to the occasion and be wonderful adoptive parents to orphaned foals or other young stock in need of companionship, protection and discipline. Other people may have varying experiences.

If anyone finds a link to the research on heart defects in orphans, I would be very interested to read it.[/QUOTE]

/- haven’t found it yet, still looking…

agree w/- your experience w/- some mares with foals. also we have a gelding who’s been an uncle to several foals and is great with them except he will
not share his feed tub which many mares will so he has to be separated at feeding time.

[McGurk]

This is entirely anecdotal, and not to be confused with actual scientific studies.

But, when I was working for a breeding farm, we had a fair number of orphan foals, because the farm persisted in breeding from lines and mares that carried the trait. (Yes, I do believe, again anecdotally, that rejecting foals runs in families.)

I don’t remember ever losing one. But all had IgGs drawn and were tube fed colostrum or transfused if needed, and all routinely got ulcer meds while being formula fed.

My observation of these horses as they grew is that they were on the neurotic side, and difficult to train because they lacked respect and boundaries; they never learned how to be a horse without Mom. That may also have been a result of not being turned out in a herd, not just the being raised as an orphan.

So I think the damage done was more behavioral rather the physiological, but again, I am working from a small sample size.

ETA - We did have a rejected foal that we put on an extremely grateful foster mare who had lost her own, and that foal did not have the pushy obnoxiousness of the bottle fed babies. She also grew up healthy and strong. Don’t know if she was ever bred or rejected her own babies.

[Fairview_Horse_Cente]

[QUOTE=GrayMare;8964697]
I think that it depends on your other mares…many mares are mildly hostile to a foal that doesn’t have a mother’s protection, some mares even worse. .[/QUOTE]

All of my mares are mildly hostile to another foal. That said, my truly dominant mare had the oldest foal (2 months), and even luckier, a filly. I pulled that mare and foal out of the herd, and put the 1-2 week old orphan out with them. The filly was fascinated, followed the orphan everywhere, like her own little doll. The orphan just learned to keep the filly between him and her mom. The mare was not going to go over her baby to get the orphan. A truly dominant horse is also more confident, and actually not as likely to be hostile. The lesser without the confidence, bullies are the ones that usually go overboard. A large herd truly is so much safer as the dominant one is not just on top by default.

Once the connection to the lead mare’s foal was established. I put them back with the main nerd of 6 mares and foals.

[shall]

You should consider that horses are adaptable and can learn beyond the nursing stage. My orphan went to a breeding farm at 4 months and was out with young horses his age. As a pushy 2 year old, he was put out on 30 acres with a mixed herd. He sought out the livelier thoroughbred geldings for companions. I never worried about him as he has always had eyes in the back of his head. He’s the opposite of accident prone. He’s a lovely guy at 7 and is safe+sane under saddle.

[Fred]

I have raised two bottle/bucket babies, and both turned out to be exceptional individuals.
It was a lot of work, but worth every minute of lost sleep. Neither of them had nurse mares, one had a goat as an early companion and when the other colts were weaned, he went out with them. He was socialized and had no psychological damage.
I remember at the time another breeder said that I should just put him down, that “orphan foals never turn out to be anything”.
This colt went on to be an Advanced eventer and then a winning Grand Prix jumper.
I think he turned out to be something very special indeed.
The other colt had a lovely mare as a companion, but not as a nurse mare. He too turned out to be a wonderful and much loved horse.

[Fred]

Sorry, since I can’t edit for some reason, here is a picture of the one orphan,bottle raised foal, Grand Prix jumper.

https://www.facebook.com/119405697399/photos/a.120097717399.110941.119405697399/10154562292777400/?type=3&theater

[DressageFancy]

I’ve raised a number of orphans. All have done well and grown into healthy well adjusted horses who went on to to being good useful riding horses. The stress thing is the killer of these foals. They need loving company of other animals. Human babies deprived of interaction with loving (human) company fail to thrive too. So my babies always had companion animals with them. Horses directly on other side of stall/fence if said horse was not good babysitter. If good babysitter than foal was allowed out with said adult horse. Also had a goat or two in the stall with baby. And lots of people time teaching things like brushing and feet cleaning and how to quietly follow me around. (not on lead and halter because their necks are too tender if they suddenly pull back, just by butt rope and praise.)