5 Differences Between Foal and Colt with Table

What is the difference between foal and colt?

For many years people have enjoyed keeping horses. They have been kept for the purpose of transportation. However, today people keep them for various reasons such as racing.

Foals and colts are some of the terms that have evolved to refer to different types of horses. This has resulted as a human has kept on taking care of horses and learning more about them.

The main difference between a foal and a colt is that a foal is a baby horse less than one-year-old while a colt is a male horse.

Comparison Table (Foal vs Colt)

Characteristics	Foal	Colt
Classification	It is a baby horse less than one-year-old.	It is a male horse.
Age	It is less than one year old.	It is not more than four years old.
Names	The name does not change.	When they are castrated, they change their names to geldings.
Gender	They include both males and females.	They are the male horses.

What is a Foal?

It is a general term used to refer to a baby horse. It has different terms for males and females. A male baby horse is referred to as a colt while a female baby horse is referred to as a filly.

A foal is born after 11 months and after 10 days it normally starts feeding on solid foods. After reaching one year old is normally referred to as yearling.

The foal bonds quickly with the mare and they communicate between themselves. Much of its communication is imperceptible to the human eye.

They lack an immune system after birth and the umbilical cord must be disinfected for few days after birth and watch for any sign of illness.

They can be weaned at three months old. When they grow too fast, they can have problems in their leg joints hence weaning will make them slow down in their growth.

What is a Colt?

Colt is an uncastrated male horse less than four years of age. When they are castrated, they are referred to as geldings.

They are foals only that they are male. They are born after staying 11 months in their mothers’ womb. After birth, they start feeding on solid food after 10 days.

They are allowed to stay with their mothers for long hence the sucking time can belong. But when they are growing very fast or the mare has a problem, they can be weaned at the age of 3 months.

When they grow very fast and gain a lot of weight, they may have problems in their leg joints as the legs will not be able to support their weight.

Main Differences between Foal and Colt

The foal is a baby horse less than one-year-old while a colt is a baby horse not more than four years old.
A foal comprises both males and females while a colt is a male baby horse.
Foal retains its name but a colt changes its name to geldings once they are castrated.

Similarities between Foal and Colt

Both are referred to as yearlings at the age of one year.
Both are baby horses.
They both suckle their mothers.
Both start feeding on solid food after 10 days of birth.
Both have thin long legs.

In Conclusion

The foal is a general term used to refer to a baby horse. Colt is a male baby horse. The two are used interchangeably by people but they are used to refer to different animals.

All colts are foals but not all foals are colts. Some of the foals may be females and they are referred to as fillies.

The main feature that makes foals different from colts is that foals comprise both males and females while colts are male alone.

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