New mother

Question
We bought a mare 4 months ago. We were not told that she was pregnant. She delivered a healthy filly 4 days ago. However, since she has had her filly she has become very aggressive towards us. She will not let us get near her or the filly. When we are standing near the fence, she will pin her ears back and run toward us, then spin around just before she gets to us. What can we do? We have not been able to touch the filly beyond the first day.

Answer
Hi Jeanette!

Leave her alone.  This is really important or your mare could reject her foal.  This mare does not trust you and is very stressed.  Anyone that would keep secret that fact that the mare was bred really has a problem.  This is information you would NEVER keep from a buyer.  It also tells me that this mare has not had the best life and has some real issues.

Please keep your distance.  There is NO reason for you to be touching or playing with a foal anyway.   People mean well, but they just don't understand horses.  Unless this was a mare that you had a wonderful, long standing relationship with, that trusted you right down to her last hair, don't interfere with the bonding process between mare and foal.  If you put too much stress on her, she could kill her foal.  The foal does not need you right now nor does the mare.  Imprinting is just a pile of garbage and PLEASE don't believe anyone that tells you it is necessary.  This mare is protecting her baby.  She will guard this baby with her life and if she still feels she and her foal are threatened, she would rather kill her foal than surrender to the threat.  I have seen, much to my horror, a silly owner throw a "birth day" celebration, complete with cake and about 25 party goers that attended the birth of the owners first foal.  With cameras, clicking and party goes acting like asses, the mare completed foaling but was so stressed with a mass audience, kids and everyone else in the stall she started kicking.  The foal was kicked several times prior to the mare being haltered.  Now the scared owner called the vet and the party turned into some sort of mass counseling session for an already freaked out mare.  They tried imprinting the foal, forcing the mare to stand and shoving the foal at her to get the foal to nurse.  Everything just went from bad to worse.  What the mare needed from the onset of labor was QUIET.  Something she never got.  The foal lasted three days. The owner was a friend of my sisters.  She never listened to the advice that was given her.  She never considered her horse a horse.  She, and the foal, had to learn the hard way.  So very sad.  I too had the misfortune to have to foal a mare out in a boarding barn.  This was my show mare and I have a wonderful, trusting relationship with her, however, I moved her to a quiet smaller barn on the property, posted signs for quiet and no visitors and completely restricted access until the foal was a month old.  It was tough.  I was fair, but very CLEAR that NO ONE was to pet, treat, or bother in any way my mare and foal.  I had to scare everyone and turn into a raging..."lion"  :)  for folks to really understand how serious this situation is.  

So, feed your mare very well.  Keep your visits short and sweet and do not push yourself on her.  She is telling you very clearly that you need to stay away.  If your business with her is to feed her, give her grain and you are doing this three times a day, pretty soon she will start looking for you.  You are becoming a good deal to her.  You are not a threat to her or her baby and you are offering her good food and comfort.  You must make sure she is well feed and properly feed for a lactating mare and foal.  She needs great, high quality food three times a day and free choice, high quality grass hay as well as a huge stock tank of fresh, clean water.  I'm betting that when she starts seeing you as herd mates that are doing a great job of providing for her needs and not a threat that with in a month, she will allow you to be comfortable with her and her baby.  

I have several past answers on this subject and how to earn trust.  You have to focus on the mare and the baby will watch and learn from that relationship.  If I have a great relationship with the mare, there is never an issue with the foals.  Go back and read some of my past answers, and then give me a shout if you need more specific help.  Good luck.  Remember, less is more with foals.  You have the next 30 years to fuss, train and educate, so take you time.

Smiles!  Denise