Mare and Foal by the Fence coloring page

About this coloring page

A mare and foal make a gentle picture, but the start of a foal’s life is a race against the clock. Unlike human babies, a foal is born ready to move. It usually tries to stand within minutes, wobbles and falls a few times, and is often up on all four legs within about an hour.

There is a good reason for the hurry. Horses are prey animals, and in the wild a baby that could not keep up with the herd would be in danger. So a foal learns to walk, trot beside its mother and find her udder to nurse very quickly. That first milk, called colostrum, is packed with antibodies that help protect the newborn from illness.

For the first weeks, the mare stays close and keeps a watchful eye on her baby. She guards it from other animals and teaches by example what to eat and how to behave around the rest of the group. Before long the foal starts nibbling grass, though it keeps nursing for several months.

Foals are natural athletes in training. They gallop in short bursts, buck, leap and chase other young horses, and all that play builds strong muscles and teaches them the rules of herd life.

• mare
• foal
• horses
• farm animals
• baby animals