Orphan Foals

separate so she cant injure the foal with aggressive biting or kicking.
Get the vet to sedate the mare initially to assist with keeping her still for the foal to nurse depending on how aggressive she is.
You may need to distract her with feeding and restrict her vision of the foal to enable it to drink. This will need at least two people so get some experienced help if possible.
The mare will need to be milked every hour to stimulate her supply and possibly even need a hormone injection from the vet to let her milk down.
If you are not able to milk her easily then set up a crush with a portable fence panel against a wall as shown 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.
Set up the fence panel so it swings out and has a rope that can be quickly released behind her. 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.
Finding a foster mare
A mare who will foster a foal is a gem.
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 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.
If your mare has died then its time to get on the phone and internet in search of a foster mare. Call all the vets within the area you would be prepared to drive to take your foal or bring a mare home.
Get onto local horse discussion groups and spread the word. if you are lucky enough to live somewhere in the world that has a register of foster mares contact them as soon as possible after the birth.
Some mare owners prefer to keep a foster