Mare and colt

Question
I have a mare that I bought 7 months ago. I've ridden her,and have taken care of her. She just had a colt a week ago, and does not want me in the pen with her and the colt. I'm dieing to get my hands on this colt. She backs her ears at me, and runs at me. She does not want me in the pen. I've rubbed the colt through the pipe fence but that's all. What do I do?

Answer
Hi Karen!

Congratulations!  Be very careful here.  The mare is telling you very clearly that she does not trust you enough yet to allow you around her foal.  If she is laying her ears back and charging you, don't focus on the foal rather focus on the mare.  Earn her trust first and don't worry about the foal.  The foal is going to take her cues from the mare.  If the mare is spending her time driving you off, the foal will learn to be scared of you and view you as a threat.

Unless you had a great, deep and trusting relationship with this mare prior to her foaling, she is going to protect her baby first and with every last hair on her body!  Keep things just as quiet for this pair as you can.  If you are in a boarding barn, this can be difficult.  Everyone wants to come and see the new baby.  People often times do not understand that mares want solitude and quiet, especially if this is a maiden mare and it is her first foal.  Too much unwanted activity, and lots of well meaning people can cause the mare to reject her foal and this is tragic and sad.  I've seen this happen and once the mare has been pushed over the edge, there is no going back.  

Keep things quiet and secure for your pair.  It is just too much for the mare right now to let anyone else in.  Be quiet around her, feed her very well, keep your visits short.  As time goes on, if you offer this mare a relaxed and secure environment, she will relax and start trusting you more.  This could take several weeks, so be patient.  The more you push, the further away she will go.  

When you see the mare start to relax and trust what is going on around her, then start approaching her again.  Focus on the mare and NOT the foal.  Hook the mare on, use all of your good groundwork, halter and groom HER, make your visits all about HER and NOT the foal.  The foal will learn from her mom who to trust and who to avoid.  I know you want to cuddle with the baby, resist the temptation.  You will hear a lot about imprinting the foal, this notion has caused so much trouble for horses and is quite un-necessary.  If you handle you mare with quality and build a great respectful relationship with her, the foal will operate in the same way.  Do NOT force your self on the foal.  Concentrate on the mare and the foal will be curious enough to approach YOU.  Start by building a trusting relationship with the foal that is not by force.  Make it easy for the foal to approach you and want to be around you.  Less is more when handling foals.  You will have years to develop this horse with quality.  You do not have to have a halter on him in the first month.  If you go slow, build trust with Mom first and then baby and you are allowing them to look you up, you will be able to do anything with this pair.  

If you are not familiar with the groundwork, it really helps to see it.  Look for the DVD's by Buck Brannaman and Ray Hunt.  Once you see the ground work, I'll have a better chance of answering questions because you have a basis of understanding.  Keep asking questions.  If I have used terms and concepts you do not quite understand, I'll do my best to clear things up.  

Have fun, enjoy this process and take your time.  You may be developing the best horse of your life.

Smiles, Denise