What is there not to love about foals? They really must be the cutest baby animals on the planet (or at least we think so!)
Here are 8 fast facts about these bundles of cuteness and snuggles…
- Foals have what must be the softest, cutest noses in the whole world…We know there’s no better feeling than kisses from your own pony, but – seriously – do yourself a favour and give a foal a nose stroke… It’s the BEST feeling in the world.
- Foals are born without teeth, but they develop their first four incisors quickly, and in just a few weeks, they will have a complete set of 24 baby teeth.
- Foals are up and running around within just a couple of hours of their birth. Human babies take around a year to start walking, so foals really are VERY quick to catch on.
- Foals have their own specific ‘baby talk’ when communicating with other horses. If you watch them interact, you may see them make a funning chewing action with their jaw (called foal snapping). This tells the other horse ‘I’m a baby. I come in peace!’
- Foals’ coat colours change as they grow up. A foal who has a mum who is a grey will often be born dark bay and gradually become lighter with age, until they are really a fully-fledged grey unicorn!
- Foals legs are 80-90% fully grown at birth. Long legs mean they can keep up with the herd, which is important for keeping them safe in the wild. Eventually, their body will catch up with their legs as they grow.
- Foals have such an adorable whinny! You need to hear it, and then you’ll never forget it!
- Foals hooves are adorably tiny, and they are even born with something called ‘foal slippers’.
