Foal proud

Fairynuff

Fairynuff

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my mare is very territorial in her box and is quite apt at using her teeth and pulling the most horrific faces to anyone who goes near it. She is due to foal at the end of December and Im wondering if her territorial attitude makes her a likely candidate for foal proudness. Anyone had any experience? :)
 
This type of mare is better if you are present at the birth. This also gives you a bit of time, before she gets up, to quietly run your hands allover the foal, spray his navel, and talk to them both. Once she's up, back away and don't look at them too much. If you go out of the box, she may not let you back in. Foal proudness doesn't usually last more than a few days and the foal's inquisitive nature will mean that he will come to you even if his mum says no. Hope the foaling goes well.
 
Can't comment on your mare's behaviour but I have some experience of foal proud Highland mares!

I suppose it may be something to do with them foaling outside and foal proud being a survival feature but they clearly don't want human interference soon after foaling. So I just leave them alone and don't worry about it.. It all comes right after weaning, anyway, so I have ceased to worry. Dealing with it this way seems to settle them and they gradually become more trusting. If you are foaling inside, I'm afraid that is probably not very helpful!
 
hayinamanger said:
This type of mare is better if you are present at the birth. This also gives you a bit of time, before she gets up, to quietly run your hands allover the foal, spray his navel, and talk to them both. Once she's up, back away and don't look at them too much. If you go out of the box, she may not let you back in. Foal proudness doesn't usually last more than a few days and the foal's inquisitive nature will mean that he will come to you even if his mum says no. Hope the foaling goes well.
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Thankyou for your advice. Ive only ever dealt with outdoor foaling and never with an opinionated mare. As she will foal in December and I live half way up a mountain, I will probably send her to the stud about the end of November. I will try to be there for the foaling but Ill take a back seat on the action and let the experts do their job.
 
Our mare (not a maiden) was foal proud for a week. She foaled inside a barn with us present, she was fine whilst left inside (only 24 hours), allowing us to handle the foal lightly.

After 24 hours she was let out into a small paddock with open access to the foaling barn. As soon as she was let go she took the foal off and would not let us by it. Ears back and always positioning herself between me and the foal. I have no idea if she would have kicked out because I did not pressurise her into letting me get to the foal.

We left her to it and seven days later she marched over to us and almost said to us 'here, you can have it' we had no problems after that.
 
Dry Rot said:
Can't comment on your mare's behaviour but I have some experience of foal proud Highland mares!

I suppose it may be something to do with them foaling outside and foal proud being a survival feature but they clearly don't want human interference soon after foaling. So I just leave them alone and don't worry about it.. It all comes right after weaning, anyway, so I have ceased to worry. Dealing with it this way seems to settle them and they gradually become more trusting. If you are foaling inside, I'm afraid that is probably not very helpful!
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I wish she could foal outside. Maybe next time :)
 
We had a mare this year who was a spiteful cow, at 9 months onwards. She'd go for anyone in the field with her teeth, or striking out with a front foot, and she meant it. Apparently, she was a bit hormonal! As soon as she foaled, she was fine. We had another, an otherwise delightful creature, the year before last, she foaled out, she was fine immediately afterwards, but within 12 hours, she'd drive anyone off who went near her, or her foal. She'd settled down after a couple of months, and she was fine. I don't mind a foal proud mare, there's generally a way round them!

Alec.
 
My mare is similar to yours and was incredibly foal proud....till she realised I'm the one who served dinner not foalie and then got over it! What was fascinating was when she was weaning him (at about 16weeks she had enough of him) she went "Amy proud" and wouldn't let foal near me! He was a cheeky monkey back then and the two of them were delighted to see the back of each other but she went very over protective of me guarding me from foal, dog, oh & calves in field next door!
 
We've only had one foal proud mare. She is otherwise a friendly, easy going sort but after she foals she changes... She is manageable at home where she is comfortable, I would agree with the others, she is not too bad immediately after foaling so get done everything you need to then and then she gradually gets more grumpy. We once had her foaled away at stud and she was the worst mare they had ever had to deal with so try to keep everything as normal and familiar as possible.
 
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