Do they remember their babies?

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When Troy was first turned out with Hannah in August following 11 months on separate yards no where near each other, she reacted so very dfferently than I expected her to.

She is a very dominant mare and is a bit handy with her hind legs if something gets too close and she doesn't want them to, and really asserts authority immediately with something new. However, she stood and whickered at him and let him suckle straight away!!!!! This only happened for the first two days and then I did not see him suckle again (reminded me of bitty on Little Britain
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Do you think she remembered him? I have never seen her like that before.
 
My old mare remembered her first baby.
They hadn't seen each other for 5 years. We were at a show and they snuffled and you could see the expressions on their faces as they recognised each other. The mare did the little soft wicker and then they were obsessed with each other. LOL!! It made the show a little difficult!! LOL!!
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Definitely - my mare's just been reintroduced to her 2yr old daughter. They haven't been together since weaning. First off no messing mother gave her pushy daughter two double barrels to the chest and finished off with a kick on the jaw
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. Now that she's asserted full matronly authority (lots of champing later) she won't leave her alone - grooming, nickering etc and has entirely forgotten about her weaned foal in the next field
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. I'm sure she thinks her colt foal has just grown a lot since they've been weaned 3 weeks ago!
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We turned Dell and Hugo out together for the first time since weaning (Hugo is now 3 and has been living at the other end of the country) and there was no doubt Dell regonised him and was very gentle and wuffely towards him
 
Hmm - maybe. Portia (a grand old good-natured mare) is normally bottom of the pecking order - hell, normally other mares' foals push her off her haylage! But this year she ended up in the same group as her 4 year old daughter Pride, and very definitely made Pride bottom of the pecking order!
 
Yes- I bought back my mare's daughter when she was two, as her owner had lost her grazing. I had since moved yards myself, so familiarity of place wasn't part of it. Mare & daughter clearly recognised each other & were happy to see each other, & ran up & down the field with the mother- normally undemonstrative- play-biting her daughter's neck (very gently; only pretend!) like a big foal herself.
 
I think you answered your own question lol
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..yes they definitely do
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They even have a special bond with their grand children I have found.
I have just lost my old mare, she was pts Tuesday aged 34yo and I had her 28years
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She has always been a wonderful nanny to all the foals but definitely has a stronger bond with the foals of her daughters.
The very first experience I had of this was when her first foal had her first foal.
My old mare had been away at stud to be covered and her daughters foal was one week old on my old mares return home.
The daughter was very foal proud (not with people just other horses) and stood in the middle of the field glaring at any othe horse that dared even look at her foal..even her best friends were not allowed to come near her baby!
I walked my old mare down the ramp of the horsebox and straight over to the field fence to show her first grandchild..her daughter came cantering down the field to see her and show off her new baby
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..ears forward and very proud
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..even let granny sniff her baby
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..made me cry
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she stood and whickered at him and let him suckle straight away!!!!! This only happened for the first two days and then I did not see him suckle again (reminded me of bitty on Little Britain
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LOL!! we had a shetland come in for breaking at 5 years old that had not been weaned and was STILL suckling - really disturbing!!!
 
I've even seen siblings who have never seen each other react differently to each other than to "strange" horses, particularly when it comes to vocalisations. From observation it seems many horses inherit or at least recognise their dam's "voice" and I've seen siblings hear each other call and react with a great deal more interest (or panic, if the situation warrants it) than they do to a strange call. I've even seen grown horses respond very obviously to other adults which were part of their social group when they were foals. My gelding called and called when the mare across from him was foaling and then had a lot to do with the colt afterwards. It was very clear they had a "family" relationship and the foal always answered him when he called. Even after a separation the colt, who became rather a lad later, showed my gelding far more deference than he did any other horse. (Or person for that matter, although I had handled him as a foal and again when he was being a prick and there was now doubt he "remembered" me the second we met up again.) I've seen unrelated horses separated for years apparently recognise each other, particularly if they were "close" previously.

Not too surprising. After all, nature does bond family groups/herds for a good reason so while those bonds may change they must be hardwired in on some level. I think people would like to think horses don't have those sorts of connections because it makes up feel easier about moving them around as we do. But they are very adaptable and just because they might remember doesn't necessarily mean they care.
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she stood and whickered at him and let him suckle straight away!!!!! This only happened for the first two days and then I did not see him suckle again (reminded me of bitty on Little Britain
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LOL!! we had a shetland come in for breaking at 5 years old that had not been weaned and was STILL suckling - really disturbing!!!

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I can even go you one better - NINE year old mare, still with her dam. The older mare didn't really produce milk but the daughter would still suckle from time to time. Made all the more comic because the younger mare was at least a hand taller.:)
 
I know that when horses fly together they make really solid bonds, even if they have never met before. My theory is that when put in a stressful situation they pull on each others strengths. Once they arrive at their destination (Dubai) they scream if their best friend goes out of sight. We have found that the bond never breaks and they always remember that special friend who helped them get through a difficult situation.
 
Yes they do remember their babies - my old mare hadn't seen her offspring since weaning(7 and 9 years) .
She had been living at the other end of the UK all that time and when she came off the lorry into the yard at home the response and sounds between them was something I had never witnessed before (or since) - it was beautiful, and something that I certainly did not expect.
I didn't think that they would know each other at all and that their dam arriving would just be "another" horse - but each of their responses confirmed that this was not so, they definitely knew who they were!
 
I think they definitely remember babies, old stable companions and even previous owners.

One of my broodmares hadn't seen her breeder for years.the breeder called to see me so I took her to the field....definite recognition there.and we moved many times and many miles away from where I bought the mare.
 
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I did not see him suckle again (reminded me of bitty on Little Britain
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LOL !
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I walked missy down to her dams stable at bamoral to see if she would remember and she whinnied at missy and they both had a sniff at each other , I could have sworn they knew each , I don't think they ever forget .
Missy was 14 mths old at the time .
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