When a mare is brought to Shining Mountain Thoroughbreds to foal, she is treated like she is one of our own. All mares of any breed are welcome, whether they are bred or are being bred to our Thoroughbred stallion Montbretia or not. Your mare will foal in a spacious, well-lit, matted 12 by 16 stall well bedded in clean straw. She will be monitored at all times and will be attended while foaling by people knowledgeable about foaling and its many possible complications. It is hoped that every birth goes smoothly, but if the need arises, excellent veterinary assistance is close by. I do not go overboard on the imprinting of the foal after it is born as I believe it takes away much of a foal's natural curiosity, the main way in which a youngster learns, but all foals are handled daily and taught that humans are a good source of scratching and that having mouth, ears, head, body, legs and feet handled is nothing to be worried about. Mares and foals will be turned out as soon after foaling as is safe for both and will be turned out in individual paddocks, not with other mares and foals, unless otherwise directed by owners. Mares and foals are brought in every night and will also be brought in if the weather is unfavorable. Any special requirements of either the mare or the foal will be closely attended to and I will work closely with owners and veterinarians to deal with any needs of either mare or foal.

Need help raising an orphan foal?

Whether the foal is orphaned at birth or sometime after, getting the foal to begin eating on his own can be very time consuming, challenging, and, for some, a very frustrating experience. Shining Mountain Thoroughbreds has had a lot of success raising orphans so that, when they are running with other foals of their same age, you can usually not tell the difference. Whether it is learning to drink milk from a bucket or to eat hay and grain from a feeder, with our patient teaching, your foal will get his groceries! Although we don't put orphan foals in with the mares and foals (too many foals get hurt that way), we do have a resident goat that is sure he is a horse and lives with any orphan we are working with to help baby make the transition to having no mom to stand with. Billy is also a great form of exercise for the foals as he loves to play and it doesn't take long for him to get the young ones playing with him. During the day, weather permitting, Billy and any orphan foals we are working with go in a field that shares a fence line with the yearlings and 2 year olds so the foals do get horse socialization, and when the rest of the foals are weaned from their dams, they go in to the field with Billy and the orphans, and then the fun and games really begin as they all learn to grow up together. Putting the newly weaned foals in with the orphans and Billy somehow seems to give the new weanlings confidence and makes the weaning process go very smoothly and, usually, very quietly.