Fizz Bomb with his surrogate mom, Peach.

When things go right there is nothing that is more satisfying than ushering a new foal into the world….and celebrating the fruition of a year of planning, care and a safe delivery.

But when problems occur, like the death of a mare or the rejection of a foal, breeders are thrust into the reality of helping a new life survive. Many foals thrive as bottle-fed babies. But there are challenges, including the necessity for round-the-clock feedings and discipline needed to raise a good equine citizen.

Many believe there’s no match for a mare and turn to surrogates – or nurse mares.

Paige Quarterman, a breeder from Ohio, found that out the hard way this year.

At midnight on March 6, Quarterman and her partner, Bill Rosenfeldt, were on hand when a new colt, by The Next Detail, was born at their farm, Rosenfeldt Quarter Horses in Bloomville. At first, everything seemed fine. But it wasn’t long before they started to notice the new mother was ignoring or rejecting the colt they would later name Fizz Bomb.

According to Dr. Patrick M. McCue, who coordinates the Mare and Stallion Clinical Services at the Equine Reproduction Laboratory, in addition to attending equine reproduction cases at Colorado State University, foal rejection can occur in any breed and most likely happens with mares giving birth to their first foal.

“When we thought we may be in trouble with Fizz Bomb’s dam I decided to put out a Facebook post saying we may be in need of a nurse mare,” Quarterman explained.

Fizz Bomb with his teddy bear.

During the next week, Paige and Bill tried everything they could think of to help Fizz Bomb. They brought in a nurse mare that had just lost her own foal and they searched for a goat in milk. Neither option panned out. They thought they had no choice but to raise Fizz Bomb as an orphan. They bottle fed him, gave him a stuffed teddy bear for comfort and handled him as much as possible.

That’s when Tiffany Wilson came to the rescue. Wilson lives in Columbus, Ohio, and stands the AQHA stallion Righteous Invitation.

“Tiffany had been following the story and after I posted that we were on the hunt for a goat in milk, she reached out to us,” Quarterman explained.

Wilson owns Good In Gold, a 1999 palomino mare by Zippos Mr Good Bar and out of Slipalong Fancy that she calls Peach.

“She insisted that her mare Peach was our girl,” Quarterman said. “And Libby Trucco jumped in and backed her up.  We thought that even though she was dry, mares teach foals boundaries, so we took Tiffany up on her offer.”

Peach became a broodmare in 2004 after spending some time in the show pen. She produced her own foals very well and last year Wilson discovered that Peach had a huge heart for babies that were not even her own.

Peach with Angie Dusthimer’s foal.

“I had a customer, Angie Dusthimer, who tragically lost her mare nine days after foaling, leaving an orphaned Righteous Invitation baby all alone,” said Wilson. “Angie and I were searching for a nurse mare or a buddy for her orphan when my husband, out of nowhere said, ‘I bet Peach would raise the baby.’ And she did.”

Wilson said that she has watched Peach run the fence line calling out for another mare’s baby numerous times.

“She just has a huge mothering instinct,” said Wilson.

On March 20, Peach was delivered to Quarterman and was introduced to Fizz Bomb.

The two were stalled next to each other during night one. The next day they were introduced in a small pen outside.

“When it was clear that Peach wouldn’t harm Fizz Bomb we turned them loose,” Quarterman explained. “She sniffed him but was neither attentive nor dismissive. He was unsure and clung to us. We left them be and they occasionally checked each other out.”

Later that day Quarterman brought the mare and foal inside and put them together in the stall. The mare remained very calm. Fizz Bomb, on the other hand, was scared to death.

Peach looking over Fizz Bomb as he sleeps.

“I fed him his bottles and then left them,” she said. “He stood in the corner with his stuffed bear for a long time and she would circle around, sniff him, and then go back to her hay. The next thing you know, we found Fizz Bomb sound asleep with Peach standing guard over him. Bill and I both felt a sign of relief.”

Four days later Quarterman mentioned to her vet that Peach’s teats were very big.

The vet asked Paige if she looked to see if Peach had milk.

“I checked and that’s when my heart jumped,” Quarterman said. “Sure enough, she did. I tugged on her a few times then slid Fizz Bomb up to her. Ever since that moment, all Peach’s other maternal instincts have kicked in. They bonded immediately. He has been nursing and it has been amazing to watch.”

Wilson said that she teared up when she found out Peach came into milk on her own.

“I was just shocked,” Wilson said. “I think God knew Peach needed a baby just as much as Fizz Bomb needed a mama.”

Quarterman said she is so grateful for Wilson, and of course Peach because she has had experience with riding a few orphan foals and they are very difficult to train because they don’t learn boundaries early on from the mare.

“We have been fortunate to never have a newborn orphan before this,” Quarterman said. “It is amazing how rude and needy they become so quickly. His behavior completely turned around over the first week with Peach.”

Fizz Bomb is now following Peach everywhere and they nap together side by side.

“Peach is truly worth her weight in gold,” said Quarterman.

Mica with Hodde’s daughter.

Debbie Hodde, of Brenham, Texas, also found out first hand just how valuable nurse mares are this year when her thoroughbred mare, French Prize (Karma) died, leaving behind an orphan filly by It’s a Southern Thing.

“About two weeks after Mica was born on Jan. 23, it appeared that the mare had gone through a stroke or something like that,” Hodde explained.

With the help of her family, Hodde, who has raised and ridden many AQHA show horses and owns Winning Couture, immediately got started trying to coax Mica to take a bottle or drink from a bucket for nourishment. Because the mare was still alive, however, Mica wanted no part of that.

Ironically, Hodde owns another broodmare that was out to foal at nearby Hunt Farm, owned and operated by Pam and Ricky Hunt. Her initial thought was to try to trick that mare into thinking she had twins, since she was due at any second.

“We hoped to get Karma to hang on long enough for that mare to foal so that we could get the other mare to take Mica as her own,” said Hodde. “It turned out that Karma didn’t last that long and the other mare didn’t have her baby until the next day. The other mare would end up knowing that she didn’t have two babies.”

Hodde spent the next days trying to decide if she should try to locate a nurse mare or just get Mica a friend. She had taken to the bucket, but she did not want the filly to be a complete orphan.

Mica with Ariel.

“I kind of put it out there on Facebook that I was looking for a nurse mare,” she said. “I received a response from someone who knew of a woman who had a mare that might accept an orphan foal and she happened to be right down the road from me.”

Hodde took the advice and contacted Lana Daughan, of Hempstead, Texas, and talked to her about her Paint mare named Ariel.

“After talking with her there was a moment where we actually decided we wanted to try something else,” Hodde explained. “So, on my way home one day I decided to stop by Lana’s facility to tell her thank you and that we were going to go a different route. Then when I got there and saw Ariel, I thought maybe this is what I am supposed to be doing.”

Ariel has had some babies of her own, but it just so happened that this year she was open.

Hodde remembers exactly what Daughan said.

“Lana told me, ‘I know this mare would take your baby. I know she would love that baby,’” Hodde recalled. “I thought, why not try it?”

Hodde went home, loaded up Mica and returned to Vaughan’s facility. Ariel and Mica met while Mica was still on the trailer.

“They bonded instantly,” Hodde said. “That mare immediately took Mica as her own.”

Over the next few days Ariel even began producing some milk of her own, but not enough for young Mica, so she is still bucket fed as well.

“Ariel is raising Mica,” Hodde revels. “She truly thinks that is her baby.”

Watch Fizz Bomb and his surrogate dam bond

https://www.facebook.com/pquarterman/videos/10212778626769346/

Watch Fizz Bomb and Peach get some exercise

https://www.facebook.com/pquarterman/videos/10212741628044401/

Check out Mica meeting his surrogate mom

https://www.facebook.com/debbie.theriothodde/videos/10210303044789770/