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year. Therefore, some young horses are capable of reproduction prior to full physical maturity, though it is not common. Two-year-olds sometimes are deliberately bred, though doing so, particularly with fillies, puts undesirable stress on their still-growing bodies. As a general rule, breeding young
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between four and six months of age, though under natural conditions, they may nurse for longer, occasionally until the following year when the mare foals again. Some foals can nurse for up to three years in domesticity because the mare is less likely to conceive another foetus. A foal that has been
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Mare's milk is not a significant source of nutrients for the foal after about four months, though it does no harm to a healthy mare for a foal to nurse longer and may be of some psychological benefit to the foal. A mare that is both nursing and pregnant will have increased nutritional demands made
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A foal may start to eat solids from ten days of age. After eight to ten weeks it will need more nutrition than the mare's milk can supply, requiring supplementary nourishment. It is important when adding solid food to the foal's diet to not feed the foal excessively or feed an improperly balanced
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In either case, foals that have not bonded to their mothers will have difficulty in pasture. The mare will find it more difficult to teach the foal to follow her. Other horses can have difficulty communicating with the foal and may ostracise it due to speaking a different "language". It can be
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Healthy foals grow quickly and can put on up to three pounds or over a kilo a day. A sound diet improves growth and leads to a healthier adult animal, although genetics also plays a part. In the first weeks of life the foal gets everything it needs from the
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with the wide foreheads and small stature, their body proportions are similar to that of an adult horse. Pony foals are proportionally smaller than adults, but like horse foals, they are slimmer and have proportionally longer legs.
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are put under saddle as "long" yearlings, in autumn. Physiologically young horses are still not truly mature as two-year-olds, though some breeders and most race horse trainers do start young horses in a
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and occasionally confused with foals. However, body proportions are very different. An adult pony can be ridden and put to work, but a foal, regardless of stature, is too young to be ridden or used as a
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foal, and are used until the horse is three or four. When the foal is nursing from its dam (mother), it may also be called a "suckling". After it has been weaned from its dam, it may be called a "
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that can cause lifelong soundness problems. On the other hand, insufficient nutrition to mare or foal can cause stunted growth and other health problems for the foal as it gets older.
171:. Foals, whether they grow up to be horse or pony-sized, can be distinguished from adult horses by their extremely long legs and small, slim bodies. Their heads and eyes also exhibit
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is pregnant, she is said to be "in foal". When the mare gives birth, she is "foaling", and the impending birth is usually stated as "to foal". A newborn horse is "foaled".
143:". There are no special age-related terms for young horses older than yearlings. When young horses reach breeding maturity, the terms change: a filly over three (four in
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at that age. The most common age for young horses to begin training under saddle is the age of three. A few breeds and disciplines wait until the animal is four.
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animal, and more often at night than during the day. Labor lasting over twenty-four hours may be a sign of medical complications. Unlike most predators which are
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regardless of age; however, colloquially, the term "gelding colt" is sometimes used until a young gelding is three or four. (There is no specific term for a
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A foal will nurse for at least four months before being weaned when under human management, and have been known to nurse for up to a year in the wild.
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period of approximately 11 months. Birth takes place quickly, consistent with the status of a horse as a
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much younger, though care must be taken not to over-stress the "soft" bones of younger animals.
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A foal will be able to run alongside of its dam within a few hours of birth.
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to help her produce milk for the foal and may benefit from supplementary
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in milk that is produced within the first few hours or days following
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Foals need to lie down more often and rest longer than adult horses.
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difficult to lead a foal that has never even been led by its dam.
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After a horse is one year old, it is no longer a foal, and is a "
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horses prior to the age of three is considered undesirable.
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are generally too young to be ridden at all, though many
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It is typical for foals under human management to be
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In spite of rapid growth, a foal is too young to be
19:"Foals" redirects here. For the English band, see
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303:foals are weaned sometime in the autumn in the
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492:Primedia Enthusiast Publications, 2002.
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39:This article includes a list of general
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505:Imprint Training of the Newborn Foal.
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