Motor development of stable born healthy foals during the first 24 hours

• Published in: Journal of equine veterinary science 2024-07, Vol.138, p.105097, Article 105097
• Main Authors: Pirinen, Nina, Mykkänen, Anna, Junnila, Jouni JT, McGowan, Catherine, Hyytiäinen, Heli K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Animals, Newborn; Behavior, Animal - physiology; Behaviour; Equine; Female; Growth; Horses - physiology; Locomotion; Male; Motor Activity - physiology; Neonatology
• ISSN: 0737-0806; 1542-7412
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2024.105097

•Markers of motor development in normal foals’ first 24h can be defined and timed.•Foals shake several times in their first day of life.•Foals require several attempts at standing before they are able to get up.•Foals present run and gross motor skills in the first day of life. The motor development of 14 healthy foals was observed using continuous video-recording from birth to 24 h of age. An ethogram was made of behaviours of interest with behaviour quantification using CowLog software. Behaviours were divided into six main classes: main activities, attempts to get up or lie down, nursing, playing and other skills, being helped by a human, and the foal not being visible. First-time behaviours (mean, range) of early motor development after birth included going into sternal position (5.4 min, 0-34.5 min), attempting to get up (7.6 min, 0.5-34.6 min), successfully getting up (56.4 min, 27.7 min - 1 h 43.3 min), walking (1 h 1.9 min, 28.1 min - 1 h 43.4 min), nursing (1 h 49.1 min, 1 h 10.3 min - 2 h 29.7 min), shaking (31.9 min, 0.2 min - 2 h 32.7 min), running (2 h 55.6 min, 1h 33.2 min - 6 h 12.1 min), walking backwards (4 h 12.8 min, 56.9 min - 12 h 50.6 min), frolicking (4 h 52.5 min, 2 h 3 min - 15 h 18.8 min), and autogrooming (7 h 30.3 min, 43.3 min - 14 h 40.1 min). All foals made several attempts before they were able to get up for the first time (61.9, 14-103). During the first 24 h the overall duration of lying down was highest, followed by standing and walking. This information adds to the basic information for assessing normal motor development in these animals, with the potential to identify delayed development.