The warmth and purity of the mother-child bond is perhaps the most perfect in nature. A newborn foal is programmed for soaking up a huge amount of information and in those first gentle moments of life, recognition between mother and newborn sets in. The mare’s nuzzling and licking stimulates the foal to stand and take nourishment. In less than an hour, the foal has risen, albeit gangly and unsteady, on legs that seem two sizes too big. - BM