CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. — A Chincoteague foal who was found without a mother this week has been taken in by a nurturing mare.
The foal was born on Assateague Monday night, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company shared.
On Tuesday morning, a cowboy cruise company discovered the foal with a mare named Marsh Mallow, according to the fire company. However, Captain Hunter Leonard, a Saltwater Cowboy, realized that the newborn did not belong to Marsh Mallow or any other mares in that band.
A vet determined that Marsh Mallow did not have any milk for the foal, so they recommended that it be taken to a mare with milk available if the real mother was not found, the fire company said.
The foal was taken to Leonard Farm, where it was adopted by a nurturing mare named EJ, who took to the newborn immediately.
"Within ten seconds [EJ] smelled the foal, spun around and let her nurse right away. We were blown away, how could this go so well again, it defied common sense," the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company wrote in a Facebook post.
While it's still unclear who the foal's mother is, the fire company says seeing the mare take it under her wing was awe-inspiring.
"What started as a day full of mystery has certainly turned to optimism."
The foal is #102, the fire company says.
