Foal / Mare relationships

[Rocklone]

Just a bit of a musing also a wonder.


Meadow and Charm are not very close. Never have been. Charm will do her motherly duties, very well, but is relaxed with how far Meadow goes, and never did care much if she was out of sight. Meadow is rather the same. She will stay with the herd/daddy more, and does have to be chased to come with mom. They don't generally interact much. Meadows fave game at the moment though, is to run backwards at mom kicking. Of course if there is ever anything "scary" she will run by mom. When Charms getting covered she used to do the foal mouth smack at Banner but now she just kind of watches and loses interest lol


I'm just wondering does this mean she will be an independent, confident mare or does it matter much? Does the interaction they show to mom give a bit of a glimpse ?


She loves to come over to me when i sit down in the paddock. Shes not hugely playful and i do worry that they should have horses their own age or at least a herd.


If Goldie and Thriller were not so fat they would be all in together.

[dcwolcott]

Sounds like she'll be a bit like mom -- but you're snatching a glimpse of how bonded she really is if she still runs by mom when something is scary.

Sounds like she's also getting more independent when losing interest when mom is covered.  Sounds like she's maturing just fine, and will probably have the same "standing" as mom does in the herd when she matures.  I've found that the babies usually take their placement in the herd structure from their mom's standing.  Never had the foal of a "lower" mom think it was a big shot alpha when it was grown.  Seemed like they just wound up the same level as their dams.

[Rocklone]

Be interesting to see. Charm is below Goldie as is everyone, but just ever so slightly above Thriller like so marginally its sometimes Thriller then sometimes Charm. She just likes the easy life here. Goldie is top dog around here so if she is pregnant, which i hope she is, i can't wait to see how the foal acts. Hopefully Charm will have one too so i can see how they act both as foals from two different ranking mares.

[Ryan]

I hope Goldie is too Rocklone , I know you have dearly wanted a Goldie baby for a while now , so fingers are crossed that she has taken for you this year