Birth
Female horses, called “mares”, are pregnant (in foal) for 340 days, or around 11 months. Birth usually takes about 20 minutes and normally involves just one baby, called a “foal,” although twins are not uncommon. The foals are able to walk within an hour and they will start nursing almost immediately.

Foals first teeth appear within a week and they will try to mimic their mother as she grazes on grass. Soon they will be grazing just like their mother, although their long legs make it difficult for them to reach the ground. Foals usually stop nursing around six months of age, but continue to grow until they are four years old.

A foal should receive a tetanus vaccination shortly after birth. Other vaccinations should be given within a month. The mother should be given a dewormer shortly after giving birth and her feed increased, depending on her condition, to make up for the energy expended in milk production.

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