now i have seen it all

[currycomb]

okay, we have a few pony mares, and get them bred once in awhile. so this year we had a mini mare bred to a mini stud and a shetland mare bred to a mini stud. the foals were best buds, same age and size. came weaning time, put foals in a pen made of corral panels, safest thing we have. moms could come visit their babies, and did. the babies learned to put heads thru panels and nurse the mares when the mares wanted them to. well, sold the filly that belonged to the shetland mare, leaving the mini colt in with another colt . the shetland mare would come to the fence and the mini colt would nurse from her. his mom was happy to not have him nursing and quit coming to the fence. now if i had wanted her to adopt a foal, do you think she would???probably not, but maybe.just thought it a bit different.

 

[ducks4you]

Murphy's Law....c'est vrai

 

[Farrier!]

I have had mares that will take over a foal. Some I have to seperate or they will lay claims to anyone they find.
Sounds like she will mother an orphan foal at least.

 

[Ariel301]

Hahaha that is funny! You may have to put the weanling in a place where it can't get to milk at all, or she may not want to ever stop nursing him. I trained a 3 year old filly a few years ago for some neighbors and her mother was still nursing her!

Farrier, I have two goats that are like your mare. I had an orphan kid last year that belonged to neither, and when he came around them, they would fight over who got to lick him and feed him! It's going to be chaos this year, I'm afraid, since it will be the first time either has been allowed to raise her own babies (I bought both from a commercial dairy last spring, and the babies were taken away at birth). They may have to be in separate pens!

 

[LauraM]

I had a gelding that would adopt foals. Obviously couldn't nurse them, lol, but otherwise would act like their "mommy." Actually, we couldn't put him in a field with mares and foals, as he'd drive the mares crazy trying to steal their babies!

Utterly obsessed with babies. Weirdest thing. I even saw him try to "adopt" an adult mini because he thought it was a baby!

 

[Horsiezz]

I am not sure...I wouldnt try it in case she rejected the foal. but this is a funny story... where we board we let out our minis with a few selected horses in the smaller field. One of the horses,Precious,a 30 yr old quarter horse mare,thinks the minis are her "foals" and protects them. And the minis...both about 1 yr old now,try nursing from her(but there isnt anything of course)! LOL its hilarious.