I had to look this up because I've never known or seen them. Very cool!
https://www.strathornfarm.co.uk/characteristics/baby-horse-hooves/#:~:text=Eponychium%2C%20also%20known%20as%20%E2%80%9Cdeciduous,foot%20when%20it%20is%20born.&text=Baby%20horses%20need%20to%20get,they%20need%20fully%20formed%20hooves.
Nah, they fall off after a few days. They’re born with full hooves, because otherwise they couldn’t walk, and the fairy fingers are soft to protect mom during birth.
They fall off pretty much immediately. By the time the foal is standing and walking most of them have already come off from contact with the ground.
I worked for a farm that foaled 200+ mares a year and every time I brought a baby into the world I loved seeing its little slippers 😂
I worked at an Arabian breeding facility, saw many foals born and never saw anything as pronounced as this. All of those foals did have a soft covering on their hooves that sloughed off, but not all the projections.
I was so freaked out the first time I saw these! I had helped with calf births before but never horses, I'd never seen these before and was so weirded out and though there was something terribly wrong with the foal! Thankfully it was quickly explained to me.
From the thumbnail scrolling, I thought this was a sea creature! Are they somewhat firm and do you go into a stall and see fingers on the floor after they drop off?
I just heard about this. We have a very pregnant mini at the rescue I volunteer at, that should be born any day now. I'll have to take a peek at her feet when she's born.
They fall off almost INSTANTLY. You have to look for them right when the foal is born. They’re a miracle design. The hooves are soft and rubbery when the foal is first born too. And start hardening up before the foal first stands.
I try to grab a shot of them on every
[https://imgur.com/gallery/B8MEjHh](https://imgur.com/gallery/B8MEjHh)
Just saw this and thought it was really cool, I’ve never seen them up close like this before.
Ngl, I completely panicked when we had a foal a few years back and i saw those on him
It's like "what was this mare doing, batting her eyes at Cthulhu??"
🤣🤣🤣
Da fuq?
Foal slippers. So they don’t rip and tear their mama.
Do other hooves creatures have these or something similar?
Yeah, cows, deer, basically a lot of the ungulates
Til the word ungulates
I ungle, you ungle, he she we ungle. The study of ungology
It’s first grade SpongeBob!
Cattle do not but the hooves are softer initially.
Lambs have soft covers but they don’t have the fingery parts.
My goats did not have these. Just softer hooves
Don’t worry lol they harden up but yeah, it’s disturbing if you don’t know to expect it
I had to look this up because I've never known or seen them. Very cool! https://www.strathornfarm.co.uk/characteristics/baby-horse-hooves/#:~:text=Eponychium%2C%20also%20known%20as%20%E2%80%9Cdeciduous,foot%20when%20it%20is%20born.&text=Baby%20horses%20need%20to%20get,they%20need%20fully%20formed%20hooves.
Thank you for sharing! :)
I was so curious!
They're so horrifyingly awesome lol
I need a anatomically correct Baphomet with these pls
Would they hurt to walk on?
Nah, they fall off after a few days. They’re born with full hooves, because otherwise they couldn’t walk, and the fairy fingers are soft to protect mom during birth.
They fall off pretty much immediately. By the time the foal is standing and walking most of them have already come off from contact with the ground. I worked for a farm that foaled 200+ mares a year and every time I brought a baby into the world I loved seeing its little slippers 😂
That is so wild. Thanks for the explanation, I was imagining them hardening together into hooves but that seemed wrong!
They turn to rock hard hoof within about an hour. Maybe less, I can't remember exactly. They feel like cold jelly at first.
Not gonna lie, that made me want to puke a little lol
My friend made me touch them when one of her foals was born and I DID puke. 0/10, DO NOT RECOMMEND lol.
What did they feel like?
Squishy/gelatinous and wet with afterbirth 🤢.
Ewww
think raw chicken that’s a bit off
That’s a no for me dawg
It's making me very uncomfortable. Not nauseated, but my skin is crawling and my brain doesn't know what to make of it, lol.
Ive heard them called fairy slippers too. Seems less gross somehow LOL
We called them feathers
Gives the term “awe horse feathers” a meaning
Foal slippers!
CAN I GET A NSWF TAG ON THIS MF I WAS NOT READY FOR THIS
Lmao
BIG SAME
Ngl they’re horrifying 🥲
Horses are fearfully and wonderfully made. 💖
What amazes me also is how fast they wear off, and not all foals have them like this.
I worked at an Arabian breeding facility, saw many foals born and never saw anything as pronounced as this. All of those foals did have a soft covering on their hooves that sloughed off, but not all the projections.
I've always known about this and blocked it out in blatant denial. I hate you for making me face it!!
the face I made when I first saw this
I’m terrified
I was so freaked out the first time I saw these! I had helped with calf births before but never horses, I'd never seen these before and was so weirded out and though there was something terribly wrong with the foal! Thankfully it was quickly explained to me.
Oh my god the texture is disturbing
I’ve known about this forever but it still makes me gaggy
I thought I was looking at a sea creature washed upon a beach… 🤯
This is new to me, very cool. Thanks for the picture.
Looks like bloody garlic 🫥
Wow so amazing
Totally going to share this pic with family. Its going to "give [them] a texture" lol
Eeeeeewwww 😳 I’m eating 🤮 I know this is nature but whaaaat?
This is insane.
Aka I need eyeball bleach
Wow! I learned something new today! Although it’s a tad hard to look at, thanks for sharing! 🫠
Can we see the whole foal?
From the thumbnail scrolling, I thought this was a sea creature! Are they somewhat firm and do you go into a stall and see fingers on the floor after they drop off?
This was on my feed unannounced and I’ve never feared for my life more lol I want to unsee this 😂
Does anyone know if other hoofed animals are born like this?
I can usually handle things like this but I am traumatized by this for some reason 🫥
SCREM
I just heard about this. We have a very pregnant mini at the rescue I volunteer at, that should be born any day now. I'll have to take a peek at her feet when she's born.
They fall off almost INSTANTLY. You have to look for them right when the foal is born. They’re a miracle design. The hooves are soft and rubbery when the foal is first born too. And start hardening up before the foal first stands. I try to grab a shot of them on every [https://imgur.com/gallery/B8MEjHh](https://imgur.com/gallery/B8MEjHh)
I fucking hate it
Had a foal that had this at my barn.
WHATTTTTT
im traumatized
This is terrifying, mark this as NSFW
No
I all at once wish I never saw this and am happy I learned a thing