People new to the breeding and raising of horses probably have never experienced the challenge of raising an orphan foal or feeding a foal whose mother is producing little or no milk. The solutions to both problems can be time consuming and somewhat of an ordeal. A foal can become an orphan after losing its mother to sickness such as colic or uterine hemorrhage. Also, the mother might reject her foal. Other problems can occur that result in the mare’s inability to produce adequate milk for the foal, such as mastitis, metritis (infection of the uterus), and other serious illnesses. If the mare eats certain kinds of fescue in late pregnancy, her milk production can be blocked if the grass harbors a fungus called Acremonium coenophialum. Although her foal is not technically an orphan, another source of milk must be found immediately.

This chapter will address raising and feeding orphan foals. It also will discuss the supplemental feeding of foals whose mothers cannot produce enough milk to meet a foal’s nutritional needs.

Newborn Orphans

Newborn foals rely entirely on their mothers’ milk for nutrition. If a foal is orphaned at birth, it is critical to find another source not only of milk but of colostrum, too. It is imperative that the colostrum be administered as soon as possible because, as stated before, a foal can only absorb the immunoglobulins from the colostrum for approximately 18 hours