One of the most frequent questions I am asked is whether I imprint my foals. Academically, the answer is no. That's because the definition of imprinting as I've defined in my book, The Formative Years is really species bonding. This is the process of dam and species bonding that takes place during the first few hours after birth. The odors of the placental fluids and the sounds exchanged between foal and dam confirm innate behaviors in the foal.
Human interference can cause long-lasting disorientation in the foal.
Some youngsters inadvertently imprinted with human smells and sounds have trouble locating their dam, or worse yet, experience difficulty relating to their species in general. So, when a foal is born at my place, besides making sure all is going well with the birthing, the only time I handle the foal the first night is to quickly slip into the stall to dip its navel in iodine, give it an enema, and perhaps, give it a dose of E.Coli Antibody orally. For the mare's sake, as well as the foal's, I like to give them plenty of privacy and time to remain laying down, establish their bond, and begin their routines. More than one vet has told me that they think handling the foal extensively at an hour of age can interfere with the mare expelling her placental tissues. And some foal's legs are wobbly or have deviations that excessive handling might stress or harm.