She left a 7 week old foal, Scouting for Sterling. And he would not eat.  I tried mare's milk replacement in a bottle.  No go. I tried a soft bottle that I could use to squirt milk in his mouth  He hated it.  He kicked at me and knocked me down; I got up and yelled at him "I won't let you die".  I had to go in the house to cool off.  Then I tried fingers dipped in a bucket of milk. Not that.  So I tried mare's milk pellets mixed with sweet feed. No no no. After two days of this he was drooping.  And I was frantic to save him.

Enter a kind old mare, JMF Jubilation "Julie". 

JMF Jubilation (1983) was at an auction 3 years ago and was bought by the meat industry. A rescue group "Another Chance 4 Horses" stepped in and bought her and I adopted her. She was in relatively good shape then.  She is now so painful and can hardly walk due to bad arthritis in her left shoulder. In fact, my vet said she has arthritis all over. Various remedies have not worked.  I have been wondering when I will need to make that decision.

A match made in heaven

I put Scout in with Julie. She has always liked babies and took an immediate interest. He was depressed and dehydrated.  But he got up after she nuzzled him.  He tried to nurse: she allowed him to stand close and touch her side but moved gently away as he reached for her udder.  He drank water and nibbled at hay.  I put sweet feed mixed with a light sprinkling of mares milk pellets in a creep feeder.  He liked it!!!  I did my version of the "Rocky" victory dance.

He kept trying

He just needed to get at the comfort of that udder.  She allowed him to get closer and closer.  Then he bumped her udder a few times. After two days he was nursing on her. She had a dilute milky fluid in her udder, which started really producing. I'm not sure how much nutrition is in her "milk" but whatever it is, it is good.  Julie, who had lost weight in the past six months, gained weight and looked much brighter. Scout is actually rotund. She stands over him when he sleeps. On warm afternoons they lie down together, side by side (aawwwww).

Yesterday I put them out in the pasture for a few hours. I started to lead Julie back to the small turnout right in front of the house, where I can keep a very close eye on them.  But after a few steps Julie stopped, turned and whinnied. I looked and saw Scout was still sleeping. He suddenly jerked and whinnied back to Julie, then jumped up and ran to her.  Only then was she willing to walk on with me.  The picture is of Julie with Scout nursing. I think they are bonded, to the joy of both.