12/16/2025
It can be startling for non horse people to see what a newborn foal looks like. There isn't a lot of room inside mom and the foals have to be compressed in there. Their slimness also helps them at birth. While there is a big range in size at birth, it is totally normal to see ribs for a few days to weeks after birth. Often, when you can't see them, it is because the foal is furry and the fur covers up their body condition.
Below, I am showing one of our recent foals. She was a first foal for her mother, and they are often on the smaller side. You can see that the mare had a great body condition at birth even though the foal looks ribby. The second and third photos were taken on the same day, a few hours apart, showing just how much some unfolding can do to the foal. By a week old, this filly looked great and she has grown like a w**d since then She is now almost 8-mintha old and has never had any health issues.
