A Southwest equine welfare charity has just released incredible webcam footage of the natural field birth of a tiny colt foal at one of the charity’s Devon sites.
The Mare and Foal Sanctuary’s rescued mare Nia delivered him in a quiet pasture at the Newton Abbot sanctuary late last week, without the need for human intervention.
Supporters of the charity were delighted to see the birth perfectly captured on webcam after following the story of pregnant Welsh moorland pony Nia throughout the summer. The film shows Nia walking to the centre of the field on a sunny evening, lying down and giving birth minutes after. Nia’s field companion, grey Dartmoor mare Chandrani is seen watching from a distance before trotting over to the new foal and appearing to nuzzle him. The tiny chestnut foal soon wobbled to his feet and after a little practice at standing up began exploring his surroundings the next day and enjoying some late summer sunshine.
The Mare and Foal Sanctuary has a long history of caring for foals and has expert staff on hand throughout to ensure everything goes smoothly. Normally the Sanctuary puts its ‘foal watch’ procedure in place whenever a mare is close to foaling and monitors cameras night and day. Nia foaled much sooner than expected but the team was able to capture the birth as it happened, with as little involvement as possible.
Mares typically foal during the night or the early hours of the morning; an instinct designed to protect their vulnerable newborn foal from predators. In this case the foal was born just before 7 O’clock on Thursday evening with no initial complications. Following the birth Nia appeared to be finding difficulty in allowing the foal to fully suckle, but Sanctuary staff have been watching the situation closely and are keen for the process to be as natural as possible. A veterinary practice is based at the Sanctuary and vets are regularly making checks to ensure the foal is developing normally.
Kayleigh Bull, Nia’s assigned handler says the birth came much sooner than anticipated: ‘Nia just didn’t show the usual signs we would expect before foaling so none of us thought it would happen as quickly. We always believed it was going to be a September birth. I found out the news when the night team arrived, and they popped a little picture in our communication group.
‘It is very exciting, but anyone who works with newborn foals will always be concerned they’re latching well and are as healthy as can be. Nia seems to be doing well and I hope the little foal will become strong and healthy. It’s definitely a real team effort, and we couldn’t wait to share the news and pictures with our supporters.’
Nia and her filly foal Netty were part of a herd of 69 semi-feral Welsh Moorlands taken from Merthyr Common in a joint operation involving several animal welfare organisations late last year. The bay mare and her chestnut filly were taken to The Mare and Foal Sanctuary for the extra care and attention they needed to recover. Then, earlier this summer, Nia’s carers were able to confirm that Nia was in foal.
Director of Fundraising and Communications Dawn Vincent says: ‘We wouldn’t be able to rescue ponies like Nia and care for her beautiful new foal if we didn’t have such fantastic supporters who so kindly donate whatever they can afford. The cost of caring for horses and ponies has spiralled in recent years and we appreciate every penny pledged to us.
The little foal is chestnut with a white flash down his face, just like his older sister Netty who our supporters helped us to name just before Christmas. We’ve all fallen in love with him already. He, his sister Netty and their dam Nia have sanctuary for life with us and in coming years we will carefully assess their needs to see where they might live a happy and fulfilled life. That could be within our Equine Assisted Services team helping people who come to connect with our rescued horses and ponies. They might stay at one of our four sanctuary sites in a herd with more moorland ponies just like them, or they may go to live with one of our amazing Sanctuary at Home carers.
‘For now, in coming months, the foal will continue to explore his new environment. He’ll have gentle, regular handling from staff at the sanctuary, who will allow him to live as naturally as possible with mum Nia during the early stage of his life. If all goes well in coming days, we will be hoping for help from the public to name him, so please keep watching our social media platforms and website for updates.’
Foals are normally born in late spring or early summer in milder weather when the mare is able to eat the best of the grass and produce better milk for her foal. Although it is quite late in the year for a foal to be born, the Sanctuary says this young colt will have all the extra love and care he needs, whatever the weather, in coming weeks. Despite the name of the charity, births at The Mare and Foal Sanctuary rarely happen due to a strict non-breeding policy to reduce the number of unwanted horses.
You can find out more about the horses and ponies the Sanctuary looks after at: www.mareandfoal.org
