horse and foal care/connection

Question
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hi there i'm lauri and i am a young horse begginer. i have worked with horses for a year now and only know the basics of care from volunteering at a horse ranch. my grandmother has an spanish andalusian mare that will be giving birth to a foal in about 3 weeks. unfortunately she is not trained, wild, and about 15 years old but she is used to human surroundings and a halter but not riding. i want her to feel comfortable when i am around her and/or her foal so that she doesn't feel threatened when the foal is being trained. i also would like to know the beggining steps of connecting with and training a new born foal. would you happen to have any advice for me?

Answer
You will need to first gain the trust of the mother to be able to do any work with the foal.  If the mother does not feel comfortable with you (or other people), she will do her best to keep her foal away from you. If this happens, the foal will also be learning to be wary of people.  Spend as much time as you can interacting calmly with the mother.  You can entice her to come close to you by spreading a special feed or treat (such as carrots or grain) on the ground near you.  Stand very still, and even make yourself appear smaller & less threatening by crouching down - as long as the mare is not threatening in any way.  Wait for the mare and/or the foal to approach you.  When they do, simply extend your arm towards them slowly and gently, in the same way horses extend noses to each other when they first meet.  Allow them to sniff your hand, but do not allow them to push into your personal space.  If either one comes in too close to you, protect your space by blocking or pushing them away with pressure to the chest or shoulder depending where you are in relation to each other.  Use the least amount of pressure needed to get a response.  Using too much pressure will cause them to lose trust.  Once they are coming in to you with a level or low neck, then you can encourage them to come in closer and start to gently stroke them. Try to stroke the withers rather than the face.  The withers is the area that horses "groom" each other.

Take your time & take things slowly - go at the horse's speed rather than having your own goals about how long it should take.