b'Save ThatFOALCHRISTA LEST-LASSERRE, MAT hat tiny newborn foal, still wet and a little lost and confused in his new world, is the culmination of more than a year of planning, vet visits, and careful prena-tal care. But an uneventful arrival isnt necessarily a guarantee youre in the clear. The first few days of a foals life are critical. He has set milestones to reach with short deadlines, and missing them could spell trouble that can mean serious, sometimes lifelong consequences and even death. To optimize your newborns health, make sure you know whats normal and whats not. In this article weve provided the green lights and red flags of neonatal health. Youll also find guidelines about how to handle the warning Help your foal survive his signs and what to expect if your foals health starts going downhill. first few days in a great Standing and Movingbig pathogen-filled world Green Light Your new baby is a quick learner when it comes to locomotion. Within five minutes he should already be lying sternal (upright, with his chest against the ground), says Amanda House, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, clinical professor of large animal clinical sciences at the University of Floridas College of Veteri-nary Medicine, in Gainesville.Within one or two hours foals should be standing on their feet, she says. And by six to seven hours babies might already be galloping. Theyre really ambula-tory quite quickly, she says. While they might be slightly wobbly and unbal-anced, theyre essentially sound.Foals are extremely active little horses that need a lot of rest. Its often sur-prising to owners, but foals can spend about a third of their early lives just lying down and sleeping, House says. When theyre awake, though, theyre active and moving comfortably around the mare.Red Flag Babies that dont hit their locomotion milestones by these deadlines or spend most of their time lying out flat warrant rapid veterinary evaluation, says Sarah Louise Gough, DVM, of Rainbow Equine Hospital, in Malton, U.K. BIANCA MCCARTY PHOTOGRAPHYAny signs of lameness or joint swelling also raise concern. Bacterial infections can get localized into the joints and bones, she says. TheHorse.com|The HorseFebruary 202011SaveThatFoal V2.indd 11 1/3/20 11:38 AM'