Orphan Foals Part 2

in the photo. This will also be of great assistance in teaching her to accept the foal or to introduce a foster mare if you find one. The process is pretty much the same when fostering a foal onto a mare except you may not have to initially sedate the mare if shes gentle natured. Some suggestions that can help her to accept the foal range from skinning her dead foal and putting the skin over the orphan pretty horrible and not always practical to rubbing the orphan all over with her afterbirth or part of it such as the hippomane small brown kidney like part. If youre going to do either of these things then put a foal rug on the orphan so it is protected a little from any severe reaction from the mare they will often bite until there is acceptance. You could also put a grazing muzzle or a homemade version on the mare if she shows a tendancy to bite rather than kick.
Never assume any potential foster mare will accept another foal. Apart from the fact that she is grieving the loss of her own foal she will know the orphan is not hers and it will take time and patient training to convince her to take it on. There are occassional mares who are born mothers who will nurse any foal and these are ideal foster mums Ive even heard of these mares making milk when they havent even been pregnant themselves. In fact there is now a course of hormone injections you can give such a mare to help start lactation in a nonpregnant mare. 
Having a crush set up in the stable or yard is the safest way for all concerned to start the bonding through drinking process. Feed the mare in the crush a few times first so she is not stressed about going in or being contained there. Use a rope looped around the rail behind her that can be released quickly if she isnt used to being confined like this and gradually get her to accept it rather than forcing her to stay in and possibly hurt herself in a struggle.
Dont tie her solid just wrap the rope around a rail in case she gets claustrophobic or caught up in the panel. A feed is always a good distraction and gives her reason to stand in there quietly.
Have someone