Maturity I: Getting the Yang of It

Young things of any species are born pretty much wild. Full set of instincts and natural impulses, evolved to maximize survival. In mammals: suckle reflex, and imprinting on nurturing unit. Just about everything else develops with age and education.

With horses, the development is both fast and slow. Fast in that the foal is up and ready to run within an hour or two; by twelve hours old he’s pretty mobile, and has, if healthy, received his passive immunities through his mother’s colostrum, lea...