A Friesian horse lays on the ground preparing for labor. Mares lay completely flat during the delivery process. The mother then begins to do her best to push the foal out.
The foal begins to peak out, front legs and head first. The mare stops to catch her breath for a moment. It is a tiring and painful process for any mother.
She stands up and turns in place, looking a bit stressed. She does this a few more times, lying down and standing back up again. It takes some time before she is ready to try pushing again.
While on the ground you can see she is very tired. The person watching doesn’t want to intervene unless he has to, because nature should take its course. As expected, more of the foal is pushed out by the mother.
The membrane on the nose of the foal is removed so she can breathe. The foal is finally out and breathing for the first time. Though she is not fully out yet.
Both of them are exhausted and they look at each other for the first time. A mare will always lick her newborn foal, which she tries to do but she can’t reach her at the moment.
An hour later, both the mare and foal are on their feet. The foal takes her first steps, getting used to her legs. Meanwhile, her mother nurses her and they both seem very satisfied.
