Mare with foal at foot

Do I need to return the mare and foal for weaning?

No. Although you can return the mare and foal at any point, we hope that you will keep them throughout the weaning process, which should be done in line with our guidance. At this point, if you do not have the facilities to keep them separate, either the mare or the foal can be returned to us.

Can I keep the mare/foal/both long-term?

Yes, if you are able to provide a suitable, long-term home, we would be delighted for you to keep either the mare or foal, or both. All foals must be weaned by the time they reach one year old. This is to give them the least stressful experience should they need to be separated for any reason in future, including a return to one of our centres to be rehomed individually at a later date. Once adequately weaned, and after a suitable period of time apart whilst rehomed, it may be possible for them to live together again, but this would need to be assessed by us on a case-by-case basis.

Will I be able to ride or drive the mare/foal/both in future?

We are not able to provide any guarantee regarding what future use the mare or foal may have. Initially, both mare and foal will be rehomed as non-ridden companions and we will advise what rehoming category each will fit into in the longer term (see our definitions for more detail). In most cases, we have no information about the foal’s sire, making it hard to predict what height the foal will grow to. As with all of our horses, the foal would need to undergo a vet assessment at an appropriate age before we can approve them to come into work.

Who pays the transport costs, what vehicle can they be transported in and how far can they travel?

The rehomer is responsible for all transport costs, this also includes any return transport costs for mare and/or foal. We will only rehome mares and foals to homes within a two-hour radius of our centres (some may not be able to travel that far, but this will be specified in their individual profiles). Mares and foals can be transported in a lorry or trailer with partitions removed to allow both enough space to be in together, foals must travel loose.

Do you pay vet costs for foals?

We will cover the cost of the foal’s first three vaccinations. In the case of a colt, we will pay to have them gelded, including any aftercare. All colts must be gelded before they are two years old. Any and all other veterinary costs for the duration of the loan are the responsibility of the rehomer. The mare and foal will both be passported and microchipped before they are rehomed.

Can I breed from the mare?

No, we operate a strict non breeding policy. All mares with foals at foot have either come into our care already in foal or with a foal at foot, and no further breeding will be permitted. Colts start to sexually mature from around 9 months old and rehomers are expected to manage a colt’s behaviour (separation from mares, turnout arrangements) until he is gelded.

I want to keep them together; do I need to wean the foal?

Yes, all foals must be weaned by the time they reach one year old. This is to give them the least stressful experience should they need to be separated for any reason in future, including a return to our centre to be rehomed individually at a later date. Once adequately weaned and after a suitable period of time apart whilst rehomed, it may be possible for them to live together again, but this would need to be assessed by us on a case-by-case basis.

I do not have any experience of handling or caring for a mare and foal, but I would love to offer a home, should I still apply?

No, we are specifically looking for very experienced homes to give our mares and foals the specialist care that they need. Successful applicants will be able to demonstrate recent or current experience of either working at a stud or breeding their own horses, although World Horse Welfare team members are available for ongoing advice on foal handling, weaning and mare management.

Can I take the mare and foal out to local shows to compete in mare and foal in-hand classes?

Yes, we want our youngsters to be well handled and gain life experience in their loan home.