Mare gone mummsy over colt foal - normal?

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DuckToller

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My mare (7) has not had a foal as far as I know and her udder is small so it's unlikely. Recently a friend acquired a little colt foal and he is in my spare stable for now.

Over the last few days my mare has become totally obsessed with him. At first I thought she fancied the pants off him, but now think it is more a maternal thing. He only has to make that shrill little whickering noise, and she comes rushing over from the field to call back to him, and when I let him into the field next to her, she won't leave him, standing next to the fence pacing up and down, sticking her head over and through the fence trying to lick him and nuzzle him. If he moves away, she calls him and gets quite frantic. Woe betide any other horse that comes near the fence, as she rushes at them teeth barred, and then runs back to sniff him. He is equally adoring but it's all getting a bit intense.

Do all mares fall in love with foals? She is a bred in the purple selle francais x tb, and he is a bit of a runt, tbh. Has she got appalling taste in men or do all mares fall for that high-pitched foalie noise?
 
As the owner of only one youngster and one mare I could not say what is normal but this did happen with our 2.

Our 26yo connie x arab was introduced to the 8month old TB x and immediately went completely silly. He was gelded by then and not colty so I don't think it was lust:D She just looked at him and went all soppy. Whickering and whinneying and grooming him. Now 2 and a half years later she is, I believe, convinced she gave birth to him herself. She protects him and worries about him. He will leave her quite happily but she screams and sweats and gets very agitated when he is taken away. She has never had a foal but just went all maternal over him.
 
Geldings will also be very protective of foals and weanlings so its not just mares being mumsy some boys want to have babies as well :D
 
I had a mare that went like that over another foal, she had miscarried twin foals five years previous, so maybe your mare had been in foal at some time, my mares udder shrunk back to normal after a few months of losing the foals.

I ended up buying a youngster just to give her a baby of her own to love, it all worked out really well. I kept the baby until he trotted over rainbow bridge and yes she was distraught so I had to move her to a different yard to help her get over it, that help big time
 
It's not uncommon for mares and geldings to adopt foals. In a herd situation, particularly where there is a single foal, many of the older horses can become quite protective over the foal.
 
I posted about similar when my mare did the same with my 2.5yo I was surprised as shed been fine when my 3.5yo was introduced the prev year but despite my 2.5yo already being 17hh (WB) and my mare being 16hh (ISH) and as far as we know never having a foal, she was determined she was hers. She soon settled down however and now merely keeps a little more of a protective eye on her than the others (shes herd leader). Its apparently quite common, and I do understand it with yearlings was just surprised in my case with an older baby. Hopefully your mare will settle down soon too :)
 
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