How to Introduce a Mare & Foal Into a Herd

Introducing a mare and her foal into an existing herd of horses can be challenging because there is a greater risk of injury and problems with a mare and foal than there are with an average single horse. Mares may become aggressive when other horses approach their foals, and foals may be injured if a dominant horse reacts aggressively to the new pasture-mates. You will need to use caution when introducing a new mare and foal to an existing herd of horses in order to prevent problems from developing.

Things You'll Need

  • Pasture
  • Paddock
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Instructions

    • 1

      Determine if your pasture herd is a suitable environment for your mare and foal. If you have any stallions or extremely aggressive horses in your herd, you may want to wait until the foal is old enough to defend itself (approximately a year old or older) before you introduce it into the situation. Foals can be severely injured by aggressive adult horses.

    • 2

      Put mare and foal in a pasture or paddock that is beside the pasture where your main herd is residing. This will allow the horses to sniff one another and become familiar with one another over the fence. If the horses have some level of familiarity with the new herd members, it tends to make introductions easier and you may become aware of potentially aggressive interactions; for example, if one horse seems especially aggressive toward the newcomers, you will know which horse to keep an eye on during the introduction.

    • 3

      Make sure plenty of hay, forage and water are available in the pasture when you go to introduce the mare and foal to the herd. Aggressiveness in horses tends to increase when there are limited food sources, while ample hay and forage availability can provide a distraction for herd members during the introduction phase.

    • 4

      Turn mare and foal out into pasture and supervise their interactions closely. If mare and foal acclimate to the pasture with minimal aggression, the introduction was a success. Some aggression is normal due to the dynamics of the herd's hierarchy and the necessity of horses in a herd to establish a pecking order, but you should remove horses from situations that appear to be significantly dangerous to the animals. Do not attempt to separate fighting horses, as you may be injured in the process. Only remove horses during a conflict if you can do it safely without risk of injury to yourself or the animals.