Has anyone ever known a mare like this?

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LauraWheeler

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Lucy is such a strange little mare. She is obcessed with babys. As far as i know she has never had a foal but the first few years of her life she was wild on the welsh hills so maybe she did. Years ago we put her out with a mare and foal and she stole the foal off the mare. The next day she was put in the field next to the mare and foal and she jumped in and stole the foal again. Since then i have kept her away from foals till they are weaned then she can mother them all she wants. (She hates other horses unless they are babys.) She has a yearling in with her at the mo and tonight she was letting him share her dinner. If any other horse tryed to do that she would tell them to push right off!
Lucy acts like a stallion most of the time and in the twelve years i have owned her she has only come into season once!
But the strangest thing of all is she isn't just obcessed with foals. It's anything thats a baby. She will stand and stare at Lambs, Piglets, Ducklings while out hacking, she even stuck her head in a pram once. A few weeks ago there was a cow and calf in the cattle run next to Lucys field. The gate to her field opens into the cattle run. She opened the gate and got in with the cow and calf. She chased the cow into her field and went and stood with the calf.
Has anyone known a mare like this or is Lucy a little strange? ;):p:D:D:D
 
Yes! We own a 16’3hh ID mare who is out on loan to a lady who keeps her horses in big herds. Gem was in with a mare and foal, and the loaner told us that the foal spent more time with Gem then it did its own mother. However Gem had, had a foal before, and actually lost her own foal (born too early) last year. She did become a surrogate to a race horse foal who had lost his mummy, which was lovely. She has always been very maternal though, bossing and mothering the geldings.

Not sure what Gem is like with other types of babies though as we have never tried, they are funny!
 
My daughter's pony was quite similar in behaviour. We know that she had had one foal before we got her. She was fine out with other horses although was never overly friendly with them but if there was a foal Bonny was there! She was out with a Shetland mare and foal and spent more time with the foal than its mother did and at a show once there was a mare and foal class in the collecting ring next to her and I think she thought she'ld died and gone to heaven - too many babies to choose from!
 
LOL
That would be Lucys idea of heaven to. I find it a bit worrying that she actualy steals them. As in she won't let the mother near them.
 
My pony tried to adopt a calve a few years ago, one of the cows had twin calves in her field and she decided she wanted one. She git herself in a state chasing mummy cow and the other horses away from her baby and she was licking it and positioning herself trying to get it to suckle!! The farmer had to move the mummy cow and her twins into another field.
 
hairymolly. It's not just Lucy who loves other babys then. I was starting to think she was a freak :p ;) :). Has your pony ever had a foal?
 
YES!
Our old dun pony Juno (now 24) is the mother of all mothers! She has never had a foal before - we have her full history. A few years ago, we had about 50 sheep on the farm. At the time the fencing wasn't great, so sure enough the lambs wondered away from the ewes into our field - yet couldn't get back, and the ewes couldn't get to the lambs (stupid sheep!)
There in the field was a young Meg and our old pony Miri (bless his heart) grazing together and the other side of the field was Juno on her knees! She looked like she was having a heart attack in all honesty but what she was doing was trying to suckle 2 lambs. One was under her, the other was lying in front of her. She was so gentle, she didn't move until we moved the lambs - then she just stood there. We put the lambs into the ''right field'' and left soon after but the next day Juno had 1 lamb between her front legs and was running a clear milky stubstance from her teat, although no bag. She really was trying to look after lamby who loved having a different mum!!
She is also very good with the children, I always joke that she is a baby sitter as she wouldn't hurt them. (quite a feat for a normally ''scatty araby x welshy mare!'')
 
hairymolly. LOL. Maybe they are both weirdos. I can't work out if Lucy has had a foal or not.

Ruthnmeg. Lucy is so good with children to. I posted a video on here the otherday of Abby the 6 year old i nanny sitting on her and doing around the world while Lucy grazed. I tryed to sit on her the otherday while she ate her tea and she threaterned to buck me off. LOL
 
This is sooooo cute and so sweet. My loony mare often looks at (human) toddlers with the sort of "Mummy, I want a mini-human like that" look. Never thought it was anything to do with this though. Now, I wonder...
 
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