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Few things are as beautiful and heartwarming as watching newborn foals with their mothers. This youngster was born less than one week ago and he can be seen enjoying a drink of milk from mom. The two live on a beautiful farm near Millbrook, Ontario. The farm is home to dozens of horses who enjoy the huge meadows that surround their barn and paddock. Foals are born each spring and they spend their first few weeks glued to their mothers. They nurse frequently and grow very quickly. Foals are born with legs that are already 90% of the length of adult horse legs. This makes them look and act adorably clumsy as they try to graze but it also allows them to run at high speed right from day one. It is a necessary survival characteristic as the foal's primary defense from predators is to flee. A foal is able to stand and run within an hour of birth. Foals actually lie down to sleep, unlike their parents, who can sleep standing up. Horses do lie down to sleep, but it is not necessary, as they can lock their joints in order to stay on their feet with minimal muscular effort. Foals need more sleep as they grow and it takes them several months to learn to sleep on their feet. The foals will stretch out flat on their sides while their mother grazes close by. A mare will almost never venture far from its sleeping foal. In a herd, mares will even share the responsibility of babysitting sleeping foals. The mares will make noise to wake the foals if danger presents itself. Foals are beautiful creatures that are always full of energy. They run in circles around their mothers, prance about and play-fight with other foals. They are a perfect example of sheer, simple joy!