Photos of Orphan Foals at 6 mo. vs. Adults?

[sobriquet]

Just as the title says, does anyone have pics of their orphans around 6 months old and then when they're fully grown? Mine was orphaned around two weeks old and has had the best of care but seems to be so slow in his growth, both height and in bone, etc. Need some encouragement that he'll turn out ok :)

[dressurpferd01]

I bought a mare as a 2 yr old that was orphaned at 2 wks. I don't know about her early development, but she's by Rousseau out of a Rubinstein mare, and is pushing 17+ at 4 yrs old now, if that helps.

[hansiska]

This may be slightly different than what you're looking for, since our orphan had incredible issues (umbilical hernia, ruptured bladder, meconium impaction, slight dummy foal, peritonitis, and -- to top it off -- stepped on by his dam, which broke his leg). This is a QH colt, not a warmblood, but I think he reached his "normal" height potential of about 14.3.

Pics range from the first week, when we didn't know if he'd live:
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee40/RunningwaterWBs/IMG_0001.jpg
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee40/RunningwaterWBs/IMG_0002.jpg

To about 2-3 months when we got him home and were bucket feeding him -- all excercise on a lead rope until the cast came off (note size compared to Great Dane as well as how down he was on the left hind pastern):
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee40/RunningwaterWBs/IMG_0003.jpg
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee40/RunningwaterWBs/IMG_0004.jpg

To him under saddle at age three:
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee40/RunningwaterWBs/IMG_0005.jpg
http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee40/RunningwaterWBs/IMG_0006.jpg

It was quite a journey! Just FYI: my sister is both the vet tech with him at the hospital and the one riding him. I'm in the pic with the Dane.

Also, he was donated to the vet hospital by his owners and my sister had such a large role in his care that they gave her the colt.

[stoicfish]

Wow, that poor little guy. Just makes you want to hug him. Glad it turned out well!!

[oharabear]

i hope catknsn jumps in here. She sort of inherited a colt who was orphaned at 2 days old because she was pretty much the only person around who was willing to bottle feed him every few hours. There were times when she said he looked like a "pot-bellied, malnourished Ethiopian kid" but now he is 2.5 years old, 16h, filling out very nicely and absolutely gorgeous.

[Sunnydays]

I had a filly effectively orphaned at 1 month old (so she did get that initial "good start").
She was always brave and independent, but really lost condition after that.
However, she found an incredible owner, when she was about 7 months old, and blossomed into a beauty - retaining her confidence, and maturing nicely to finish about 16.1 (mom was 16 1 1/2, dad was 16.1). At 4 years of age she proved to be very competitive in dressage, earning regional Reserve Champion title (Training level) only attending 3 shows early in the season.
Pictured here at 43 years old.
http://www3.sympatico.ca/sunnydays/Photos/Dee042009.jpg

[cherham]

I can send you photos of my filly about 4 months old and now if you wish. Take heart...my girl was orphaned at 18 days and we hand raised her with foal formula and a bucket. She turned out just fine :) Won many in hand classes and was Grand Champion of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto as a three year old. Continues to win over fences for us today. It is a lot of work raising a foal without a Mom but well worth it.....

[mht]

I haven't any pictures either, but my orphaned at birth colt didn't lag behind others of the same age, and when I sold him as a 3 y.o., he was about 16:2, with substantial bone. He was bottle fed for only one month on goat milk, and 'weaned' at that time as he was doing too well! :lol:

[Home Again Farm]

This little girl was orphaned after being rejected by her surrogate dam. She developed pneumonia and clostridia and we nearly lost her. The first pic is her 3 weeks old and over the worst. The second is 6 months and the third is 3 years at her mare performance test.

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j96/homeagainfarm/Rina_3wk_conf_web.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j96/homeagainfarm/Rina_left-1.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j96/homeagainfarm/Rina_insp_sadl_trot.jpg

[Cielo Azure]

Here is my "orphan" I bought her as a two year old, her breeder didn't know by her baby height that she would do what she did. SHE GREW AND GREW AND GREW!!!

This is Genie (she has grown since these photos taken as a three year old -19 hands here). I think she is now 19.1 (maybe 19.2)

http://www.cieloazure.com/genie.html

The joke around here is think how big she would have gotten, if she WASN'T an orphan!

I think she may be the tallest MARE in the world currently.

[pintopiaffe]

I will try to dig up the baby pics, they're on an old computer.

My orphan just turned 5 in September and is still growing... but ALL my foals seem to grow very slowly, I'm not sure if it's climate or what.

I was going to start her as a 4yo last fall, but I wrecked my knee. No way I would have started her earlier.

She is not stunted at all--is bigger than her full brother, but is slower to get there.

[Jesse'sMom]

my foal Dakari was orphaned this year @ 6 weeks.
I love him.. See his photos here, HE is big & healthy & if you didnt know he was orphaned you would never guess. But i really really kept up with him..
Http://www.irishhillsfarm.com/dakari.html

[KBEquine]

Last year we had a filly orphaned at about 24 hours old - we didn't find a nurse mare so we took her to a farm where there were 3 other orphans for her to live with. The farm was experienced with orphans (they foaled out about 100 mares/year). She was a bucket baby in an orphan foal herd. She suffered from diarrhea but was otherwise healthy.

The farm manager told us the orphan foals developed pot bellies & lagged in growth when they were of weaning age, but generally "caught up" to the mare-raised foals at a year & by the time they are 2 years old, can't really be distinguished from the other horses.

So keep the faith - things can turn out well!

[Kyzteke]

Just as the title says, does anyone have pics of their orphans around 6 months old and then when they're fully grown? Mine was orphaned around two weeks old and has had the best of care but seems to be so slow in his growth, both height and in bone, etc. Need some encouragement that he'll turn out ok :)

I don't have pics of my (former) orphan mare, as I bought her when she was 4 yrs. old. But she was orphaned at 3 weeks of age and I bought her when she was 4 yrs. old and stood 17.2hh. So I wouldn't worry if I were you :D

Just make sure the little guy is raised around horses and learns good manners. I got my mare for only $2500 (a registered Hanoverian by Batido o/o an E-line mare) because her manners were so horrid everyone was terrified of her! She had NEVER been put in a pasture with another horse her whole life :(.

[sobriquet]

Thanks everyone! Such inspiring stories! Mine has no mental/emotional problems. He's actually a dream to work with, better than the adults around him. It makes me sad because he seems like such an old soul in a little body. But he does look a bit scrawny, pot-bellied, and just not 'even' and its hard to tell how much of that is just normal stuff and how much has to do with him being an orphan. He's also out with another colt who is 2 months younger yet a lot taller and more substantial and again it gets a little discouraging seeing them together and also hard to tell what is 'normal' now.