I read that that is very rare for a horse to give birth to twins. Why is that?

1. Why is it rare for a horse to have twins?
2. Will they still be as healty?
3. Any famous female horse that had twins or was born a twin?

Thanks for all your comments.

Twin pregnancies are actually quite common. Having two surviving foals is not!

The chances of twins surviving and becoming healthy viable horses is slim, so one is usually pinched when the mare is scanned in foal – the vet will abort the smaller foetus to give the other one a better chance. If breeders did not make the sensible choice then there would be far more twins being born, because it’s not uncommon for there to be two foetuses.

A mare doesn’t tend to have the resources to carry two foals to term, so twins are often born early if not aborted. Being premature carries its own risks, including death. If both foals are born alive they will still be incredibly demanding of their mother and will take a lot out of her, physically and emotionally. All three will be in quite poor condition.

I’ve known of two sets of surviving twins, in 30 years with horses. All 4 animals have always been poor examples of their type, and no amount of feeding or supplements persuaded them to grow as they should.

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