by Charlie Fineran

It is Saturday morning and I have just picked up brunch at Valley Bagel in Panther Valley Mall.  I glanced across the street and my attention was immediately focused on a little colt, running around in the pen!!  From his actions, he was having a grand time, showing off to mom, proudly watching!!  I then noticed a cat enter the pen, and in a split moment, the little colt trotted over to check this visitor out, with mom joining in on the “Meet & Greet”!!  The cat, never breaking pace, just sauntered thru the corral with a colt and mom escort, before disappearing under the fence slat into the parking lot.  What an enjoyable and special moment for me!!   It rekindled my faith that, Spring IS HERE, even if it hasn’t felt like Spring with this cold windy weather we’ve been having!!!  I’m going to return and get some photos!!!

On my return, the mare and colt were just standing by the fence near the barn.  I was across the corral and wanted to get a photo of the sign out front and a panorama of the barn and corrals!  Took a couple of photos and then a young lady waved and invited me to come-look at the colts and horses!!  She identified herself as the owner’s middle daughter, and I introduced myself.  When I described the young colt’s earlier actions, she corrected me and advised it was a filly (female).  Then we began a quick tour, showing me a mare in another corral, she is due any day!!  We then looked into the barn and there was a horse,  with her one week old Filly (female).  Didn’t get too many photos as momma was very protective and as soon as the top part of the door was open she came right over!!  Had a quick tour of the barn and all the improvements they were doing!!  On the way out showed me a stallion they use for breeding.  What an interesting visit!!  So glad I had returned for a visit!!

OBSERVATION & DECISION

After my visit, began thinking, this would make an interesting article!!  Certainly, celebrates the arrival of Spring with the new fillies!!  Certainly celebrates our Open Space, as an active Horse Farm!!  What a location, across from Panther Valley mall and across the street from Allamuchy Mountain State Park!!  I know I usually showcase Wildlife, however, our large and even smaller farm animals also play a role in the diversity of life in our wonderful region!!  Decided to due a little research about our horse neighbors and found it quite an interesting investigation!!  I mainly researched about breeding and the proper terms used by our equestrian friends!!

Let’s begin with making a few corrections, to some terms I used earlier in my report.  When I first observed all the action, my first reference to the baby horse was colt -WRONG!!  SEE BELOW for clarification.

***The words for horse ‘filly’, ‘colt’ and ‘foal’ all refer to young horses, so it is understandable, that when talking to a horse enthusiast they might just mix them up.  However, these terms apply to different young horse categories, categorized by age and sex.*** 

QUESTION:  So what is the difference between a filly, a colt, and a foal?

ANSWER:  The difference between fillies, colts and foals is the following:  Filly (female) and colt (male) are terms used for horses until they reach the age of physical maturity at 3 to 4 years.  The term ‘foal’ refers to both genders but is only used until the horse reaches the age of 1 year old.  SO, the photos of these young horses would be called foals that are fillies!!

HORSE BREEDING SEASON

Horses are seasonal breeders, which mean they breed during specific months of the year.  Horses are referred to as “long-day breeders” because they come into heat as the length of the days increases in Spring.  Mares are “seasonally polyestrous” because they have multiple estrous cycles through-out the Spring and Summer.  LIGHT is the controlling factor in mares coming into heat  in early Spring.  In a completely natural environment, horses breed from mid-April until the end of September.  The peak of horse breeding season typically occurs around mid-June.

GESTATION PERIOD FOR HORSES (conception to birth)

Gestation averages 340 days, but may vary from 320 to 370 depending on the individual mare and breed.  Ponies tend to have shorter gestation periods than full size horses.  Foals born before 315 days are considered premature and may not survive!!

OBSERVATION #2

The Cherry Blossoms are out AND the mares are having foals BOTH signs of Spring, guess we now just need a little heat!!??

Please visit my Flickr site for more photos and videos – https://www.flickr.com/photos/charliefineran/albums/72177720316067380

Enjoy Your Open Space

Charlie Fineran