When a nightmare becomes reality
The mare dies, the foal is motherless
Four weeks ago, David, a Noriker, was born on a farm in Pongau. Unfortunately, the mare died a few days after birth. The farmer turned to Dieter Ehrengruber in desperation. There was an unequivocal "YES" for the foal: can't do, won't do, the weaker one must be helped.
David was picked up from the farm and in an Aiderbichl horse transporter laid out with lots of straw, began a gentle journey that brought the little foal from Pongau to Flachgau in Henndorf. The stable was already prepared and the welcoming committee was ready at the foal's stable: donkeys, goats, ponies, and also Bables, the big pig.
So quickly animal keepers become surrogate mothers
David drank the important mare's milk before the mare died. Now it is time to feed the little one. He refuses the bottle and the keepers have learned from the farmer's wife that he prefers to drink from a bowl. Our keepers have enough experience with raising foals without a mum, and prepared the milk substitute in a bowl.
Sounds simple, but David didn't want milk as soon as he arrived. He stood there with his long legs, his beautiful grey fur, the black drawings around his eyes and looked as if he wanted to say: "Come up with something!
The body language did not demand milk, but stroking, cuddling and security
He put his head in the hands of a carer and wanted to cuddle. Just cuddle, feel warmth, feel closeness and not be alone. David just proves to us again that animals have feelings like humans, they communicate with us in their own way and want to tell us what they are missing: not milk, but closeness and the feeling of security.
Bubi was fetched
Bubi is a little pony whose job seems to "adopt" and accompany motherless foals. Bubi came into David's stable and immediately we realised that he had slipped back into the role of adoptive dad. Intuitively, he slowly walked up to David and sniffed him, they both opened their nostrils and slowly moved their heads up and down. David was pleased and he jumped around briefly, put up his ears and perhaps felt something like happiness. Bubi now has a new task again, after having "raised" Chris, a five-day-old, motherless foal, about two and a half years ago, and also continues to assist Rambo and Finn.
David needs contact with conspecifics
David will be carefully integrated into a herd over the next few weeks. This is the only way he can learn "being a horse" and all the behaviours and skills. He learns correct social behaviour and also certain limits.
Now David is allowed to be a "child" for once and Bubi and our keepers show him the way. David also takes a liking to the big gazelle, a Percheron mare, and to Taschiba, a Tinka. The size doesn't seem to worry him. Every day there are other horses in the box next to David. They are ones that live in a group and we intend for them to slowly get to know the foal, each for himself.
David communicates with his mouth, confirming to the higher-ranking horses around him that he is the lower-ranking one. With the help of the "inferiority chewing" David signals that he is just the little one and accepts their higher rank without any objections. To do this, David opens his mouth and pulls his upper and lower lip over his teeth and begins to chew. The "big ones" know what the "little one" means.
There is a lot for little David to learn, but he has Bubi and all the other animals and people who have already taken him firmly into their hearts.
If everything goes well in his horse life, he will surely live to be 35 - 40 years old. So now a young, lonely Noriker foal has found a family and everything will be fine.
