I am happy to hear that Suzies own foal is being taken care of I hope Curlins brother grows up and becomes a champion like his big brother  Darlene.

just as juicy an opportunity as when Nicanor first hit the track. a definate bet against if it gets that far.

I'd love to see how "arthritic" the mare is...maybe you can do a video of her?  As the owner of an older mare with arthritis, 2 screws in her ankle and chronic laminitis....I know these mares aren't "easy", but with the proper attention and management they are very capable of raising a foal.  Do they run as much as a 100% sound mare, no, but I think it is cruel to always take their foals from them.  But once again, it's not whats good for the mare, but whats good for the bottom line.  And I'd love to know where all these "homes" are for the nurse mare foals?  With so many unwanted horses right now, I highly doubt it's easy to find anyone to take a horse with no pedigree and likely unappealing conformation.  I hope you'll follow up with the great "home" the nurse mare foal goes to. If it's a filly you can be assured it will also go into production as a nursemare...if a colt...well you can guess

Suzie and others like her are very important in the breeding business.

The little guy is just adorable, I wonder how his mother accepted being separated from her foal so soon.

How much does Larry Jones weigh. I know he works some of his best horses.

It cost more to keep a nurse mare as it is just another horse and foal they have to feed so its not about making money it's about what is best for the mare.

I recently read an article where they now have a shot that can be given to mare to make them produce milk without having to produce a foal.  Perhaps with more time this will become common practice among nurse mares.

While I do understand that this is all about a business, it still does not sit well with me that a foal is taken away from its birth mother and given to another mare whose foal has been taken away from her.  Of course, the superior mare, the dam of Curlin will probably be bred right back and is capable of enduring another pregnancy, right?  It might be wrong to anthropomorphise (?) about these animals as much as I do, but it does seem so harsh.

If the owners consider the mare sound enough to carry and birth her foal - she should be allowed to raise her own filly - I personally find this very sad and disturbing.

While Suzie and other nurse mares are important in the breeding business, there is also a serious overpopulation of unwanted horses.

As the economy declined, increasing numbers of horses previously in good homes now are expensive luxuries no longer affordable.

The fact that every time they breed this mare, they're also condemning a second foal to an increasingly uncertain future. It is one thing when the Thoroughbred mare dies, another to repeatedly breed a mare they know will force another mare to abandon her foal.

I am glad they are taking care of Suzie's foal.

From what I have learned, there is a nurse mare industry in Kentucky.  Many foals are taken away from their mothers so the mares can nurse other high-priced foals.

The birth foals of the nurse mares are sold off and many are not well-cared for.

LCM, there is a video, of the mare in foal in the stall...if you can't see the extent of her knee damage maybe you shouldn't be around horses, or get some glasses.  Please hold your speculation to yourself...unless you are there and know the case, your slander is not welcome.  Just because a farm can afford to put a foal on a nurse mare doesn't mean their motives should be attacked.

If Suzie is bred to a high-quality Walking stallion, then it is likely that her Walking Horse foal would be a valuable addition to any of the gaited or paint programs around... easy-riding, smooth-gaited horses are a boon to aging Baby Boomers, at least I would think so.

thanks for posting this i was wondering what had happened to the sherriffs deputy mare

Apparently everyone who likes to slander farms as greedy overlooked the part about Sherriffs Deputy not producing enough milk for a foal. Rather uncommon but I've run into this problem with both horses and cattle and if you can get them on another mother it's best for the little one.

If what is said here is true & Suzie's foal is being cared for, that is a good thing, a very good thing. Are any of you aware of a place in Athens, Ohio called 'Last Chance Corral'? Google it & check out their website. They rescue hundreds of nursemare foals everyyear within the 5 month season of TB foaling, January to May. Most, if not all, of these foals are 24 hrs old to a few days old. These foals are saved by Last Chance Corral(LCC) and then the fight is on to save their lives. They have an intensive care unit there for the critically ill foals. Often these foals need blood transfusions,too. They come to LCC so young they do not yet have eyesight. It is shocking how quickly a newborn foal becomes critically ill when taken away from it's mother with no alternative plans made. I am not saying that this farm, where Curlin's baby brother lives does that, but from what I have learned about this very dark secret of the racing world in the past few years, in most cases these nursemare foals really are a disposable byproduct of the entire industry.

I am a racing fan as I assume everyone else here is who reads Bloodhorse. When I discovered  these nurse mare foals, on the internet, I was heartbroken. Since then, I have helped out where I can in sending donations to help care for these babies. I was shocked about how few racing fans knew of this ugly secret. But, I'd imagine it's not something the TB breeding community wants the general public to know.

Check out Last Chance Corral & see the pictures of these babies & how they are cared for.Read their stories. LCC is only able to save a few hundred, dues to finances. But, there are many hundreds more nursemare foals each year who never do get the help to simply stay alive.

Colette

If human mothers can run out of milk, I'm sure mares can as well.  It may speak to the issue of broodmares being in constant production year after year.

Afleet Alex's dam MH couldn't produce enough milk...he had to be nursed from a bottle for a few days by little girls until a nurse mare could be found to care for him. I would also like to know if Suzie was also Curlin's mom. If not who was his nurse mare? I believe that it takes a great mare to raise a great horse.

This is off the topic of Sherriff's Deputy and her new foal -- but it's a topic near to my heart.  If anyone's interested in a story about a foal raised by a nursemare, take a look at Making a New Mom for a Rejected Filly, a blog I wrote for TheHorse.com a couple of years ago.  The story has a neat twist on the idea of what makes a nursemare -- and I promise a happy ending.

Although milk replacer may provide the nutritional needs of the nurse mare's foal, the foal is missing the other aspects of "mothering" the mare would provide.  A foal without a mother may be hindered in later life because it didn't have a mother to teach it the body language horses need to behave around other horses. The mother's role is not limited to milk production.  

As long as both foals are being cared for properly, I see no problem with a nurse mare raising another mare's foal.  Many orphan foals are raised on milk replacer and fare so much better than those just tossed out in a field and never handled.  I have helped teach many a foal to pan-feed and their bond with their human friends are amazing.  I bet that a lot of you offering criticism would bet money on Curlin's baby brother and would be more than happy to redeem your winning ticket for the cash.  Save judgement for when your are actually a little closer to the situation.  

I wish we had had a Suzie when the most evil mare in the world rejected her  baby!  We were fortunate enough to save the lovely filly, but a nurse mare would have been a relief for us.  We thought long and hard about introducing the rejected filly to one of our mares that nurses every foal in the pen, but decided two rejections might be more than she could handle.  

Nurse mares are priceless.  I understand the concept, one must "suffer" so one can "thrive", but the value of a mare that will take another baby cannot be measured.  My "bucket baby" is about to hit the track and I am grateful, but I so wish she would have had a "momma" that loved her! A momma with 4 legs I mean!

Why can't the thoroughbred be raised on milk replacer?  

To sgillies:

Thank you for the saga of Exotic Blue, Jo's Magic and Hermoine!  Fantastic!!!!!!!!  What a 'page turner'.  

another use for so called "unwanted horses" - nursemares <3

ColletteMarie, thanks for info on Last Chance Corral. I will start sending some donations to help out.

I remember reading some time ago that the great broodmare, Toussard was unable to rear any of her foals as she didn't produce enough milk.  Very sad but not a decsion taken lightly I'm sure.

Not all nurse mares are the result of babies being taken from them, we are forever indebted to a particular mare that raised our foal after losing the dam. I agree some critics need to be on hand -up close and personal throughout the heartache that can occur when foaling before making rash judgements. We had to deal with the heartbreaking loss of a broodmare, and no mother for the baby.  Fortunately through the hard work and efforts of many-- not only baby, but nurse mare as well are doing fine- and it was all done without the sacrifice of another foal. There are other alternatives. I am getting tired of critics who consistently bash the industry about money-when many people in the business barely squeeze by while consistently trying to do the right thing by the horse.

I have bred quarter horses for over 20 years and one way to solve the nursemaid foal issue to for the Jockey Club to allow embryo transfers.  AQHA allowed this practice some years ago and it works well.  There are no unwanted foals, in fact it gives purpose to mares that normally should not be bred due to poor conformation and pedigree.  These mares allow excellent producers to pass on their genetics even if they cannot carry and/or raise the foal themselves.  It is an excellent alternative for a breeder and can be regulated to fit the Jockey Club's rules of live cover and one foal per year.  Its time to use science and not produce a foal that is unwanted.  If you have kept up with any of the issues related to today's economy, you know how cruel it is to produce a foal that almost certainly faces a tough life.  That said, it would be a shame to waste an excellent mare's genetics.  Hopefully, embryo transfer is something that the TB industry could consider an equitable compromise.