A horse's life, stage by stage

From eleven months in the womb to a retirement that can last into the horse's thirties: what happens at each stage of a horse's life, and how its care needs to change.

Stage by stage

Stage 1 of 8 · About 11 months

Pregnancy

A mare carries her foal for 335–340 days on average, though a healthy foal can arrive weeks either side of that.

  • Scans at 14–16 days check for twins, and at 28–30 days for a heartbeat
  • Feed as normal until month 9, then add extra protein and calories
  • A flu and tetanus booster late in pregnancy passes antibodies into the mare's first milk
  • Keep pregnant mares away from young horses, which commonly carry equine herpes virus
Breeding and foaling →

A foal's first hours: remember 1-2-3

  1. 1 hour: the foal should be standingBreeding and foaling
  2. 2 hours: it should be suckling from the mareBreeding and foaling
  3. 3 hours: the mare should have passed the placentaBreeding and foaling

Quality of life check

For an older or unwell horse, tick any signs you've noticed. The questions come from Bransby Horses. Nothing you tick is saved or sent anywhere.

Signs you may have noticed
0of 12 signs ticked

Nothing ticked. Check again regularly: gradual changes are hard to spot in a horse you see every day, so comparing photos over time helps.

End of life: planning and saying goodbye →

Guides

Before birthBreeding and foalingA mare carries her foal for about 11 months, and the birth itself can be over in minutes. What to think about before breeding, how to care for a pregnant mare, the signs that foaling is near, and what should happen in a foal's first hours.8 min readGrowing upFoals and young horsesEverything a young horse experiences shapes the adult it becomes. Handling from day one, low-stress weaning, the paperwork a foal needs, and growing up with friends, forage and freedom.7 min readLater lifeCaring for an older horseHorses live longer than ever, many into their 30s. How to spot the signs of ageing, and how to adapt feeding, teeth, feet, exercise and retirement so an older horse stays comfortable and content.8 min readSaying goodbyeEnd of life: planning and saying goodbyeFew horses die peacefully of old age, so most owners will one day face a decision about euthanasia. How to judge quality of life, why planning ahead helps, what happens on the day and afterwards, and where to find support.8 min read

By the numbers

Sources

  1. Pregnancy support and FAQs — Royal Veterinary College, University of London (accessed 8 October 2026)
  2. Foaling support and foal checks — Royal Veterinary College, University of London (accessed 8 October 2026)
  3. Fact sheet: the foaling mare — Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh (accessed 8 October 2026)
  4. Mare and foal — University of Liverpool School of Veterinary Science (accessed 8 October 2026)
  5. The importance of foals having good experiences from birth — World Horse Welfare (accessed 8 October 2026)
  6. Weaning mares and foals — World Horse Welfare (accessed 8 October 2026)
  7. Fractures in horses — World Horse Welfare (accessed 8 October 2026)
  8. Training and backing horses in our care — World Horse Welfare (accessed 8 October 2026)
  9. Bringing horses back into work — World Horse Welfare (accessed 8 October 2026)
  10. Life after competition — World Horse Welfare (accessed 8 October 2026)
  11. End of life: a decision most horse owners dread, but how do you prepare for it? — World Horse Welfare (accessed 8 October 2026)
  12. Teeth and equine dentistry — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
  13. Equine dentistry — Royal Veterinary College, University of London (accessed 8 October 2026)
  14. Care of the elderly horse — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
  15. Euthanasia — The British Horse Society (accessed 8 October 2026)
  16. Caring for an aged equine — Bransby Horses (accessed 8 October 2026)
  17. Why might an older horse be acting out of character? — The Horse Trust (accessed 8 October 2026)
  18. Apply for a horse passport — Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (accessed 8 October 2026)
  19. Horse passports — Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (accessed 8 October 2026)
  20. Code of practice for the welfare of horses, ponies, donkeys and their hybrids (2018) — Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (accessed 8 October 2026)