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It's the Simple Things

WHAT IS A NURSE MARE FOAL

1/5/2013

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The elite of the horse world are the high-dollar mares. They are show animals or racing animals, bringing high dollars for their foals because they have a history of excellence and winning. For them, time is money and it's important that the mare be kept busy birthing instead of spending weeks nursing her offspring. That job is given to a nurse mare.

Much like the old-time wet nurse employed by wealthy mothers throughout history, the nurse mare is of uncertain or unimportant bloodlines and incapable of bringing substantial income to her owner. In order to nurse the important foal, she must have recently given birth and produce the necessary milk. The question is: What becomes of the nurse mare's foal?

By many called a “junk foal,” this unfortunate newborn is considered a necessary
evil, a disposable byproduct. The cost of trying to nurse this foal until it is
weaned is high, so often the“junk foal” is killed outright and disposed of.
Sometimes it's shipped off to auction and bought by manufacturers who use its
hide to make expensive bags or shoes. Whatever its fate, the nurse mare's foal
is considered an unimportant nuisance.

The nurse mare’s foal is usually taken from its mother anytime from one day to a
week after birth instead of the ten to twelve weeks that foals commonly nurse.
The times vary, depending on when the high-dollar mare foals. Generally the
nurse mare is shipped off to the farm to nurture and foster the high-priced foal.

The horse industry benefits from this barbaric practice because the high-dollar mare gets back in shape more quickly, so she can show well and invite more offers for her offspring. While some stables allow the mare three to four weeks to
recuperate after giving birth, many are sent to the stallion for rebreeding
within seven to ten days of giving birth.

There are Equine Rescue Leagues that have spent their time, energy, and money to help the rejected foals. Without them, more of these small lives would be lost. Most of the rescuers are knowledgeable, but there are a few well-intentioned people who want to save the newborns without any knowledge of horses. In some cases these organizations succeed almost by accident, and in others they make matters worse for the animals in their care. Unfortunately these groups sometimes rely on unscrupulous people, self-proclaimed experts who have their own hidden
agendas.

The lucky foal is adopted by people who know and love horses or who go out of their way to learn the needs and care of this fragile baby animal. Too many are
adopted by men and women who know little or nothing about horses, let alone the
unique care these foals require, and the new owners soon become overwhelmed. As a result, some foals are bought and sold several times before they reach
maturity. Others die from lack of proper nutrition and proper parasite control.
The nurse mare's foal unfortunate enough to fall into the wrong hands usually
grows up with multiple deformities and bone development problems. Some have
social development issues, never learning how to be a horse or understanding the
role of a horse with a human companion.

This book is the story of one nurse mare's foal and its fight for survival.

Marta Moran Bishop and Toni Boyle


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    Author

    ​Whether I am reading, or writing I am taken out of myself and will return more enlightened. From the magic of the places I have been, the people I have met, and the story that captured me for a while.

    My first book, Wee Three: A Mothers Love In Verse, a children’s poetry book, illustrated by Hazel Mitchell, was a collaborative effort and a labor of love. I took the short, sweet verses my grandmother wrote in the nineteen thirty’s for her children and expanded those and added additional verses of my own.

    I have been called a prolific and versatile writer. I currently have two children’s poetry books, Wee Three: A Mother's Love in Verse and Innocence and Wonder, four novella's Darkness Descends, The Between Times, The Choosing, Keeping the Upper Paw: A Cat's Guide to Training Your Human 

    My novel Dinky: The Nurse Mare’s Foal, based on the true story of my rescue foal and written from his point of view and is enjoyed by both children and adults alike. Dinky: The Nurse Mare's Foal, won best Equine Rescue book at the EQUUS Film Festival, for 2015 and 2016 season.


    The Divide Series, takes us into a world that could be, it is a dystopian series that starts with book 1 Darkness Descends, and book 2 The Between Times, it tells the story of a bleak world, where society consists of the poor and the rich and the poor live in squalor, with only a prophecy for hope of a better future. It has a touch of paranormal in its pages.

    I have written four adult poetry books and a variety of fantasy and paranormal stories. A few of them are stories that my mother wrote over forty years ago and I finished while others are new and vibrant stories.

    I learned that one needed to have a plot and conversation to move the story forward from a particularly bad play I wrote at the age of six. It was the worst play ever written or performed. It was so awful my mother stopped the production after about three minutes.

    I currently live on a small farm with my husband, three horses, cats and a green cheeked conjure named Jack. They help me remember to view the world through a child's innocence and keep me young and imaginative.

    Visit me on Facebook  

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Marta Moran Bishop is an award-winning author, poet. A radio show host and one of the team for Owl and Pussycat promotions.
  • My World
  • Dinky: The Nurse Mare's Foal
  • Guest Blogs
  • Owl and Pussycat Promotions
  • Reviews
  • Chasing Entertainment
  • PREORDER SPECIALS
  • Author Interviews