Mares teats didn't work properly

[angel77]

My section A mare had her fisrt foal late on in the year, last year. She filled with milk fine and the foal was small but healthy, however after a few days I noticed only one teat was filling up. I got advice from everywhere and tried different feeds but nothing helped and the foal started to drink water from a bucket obviously as she was hungry,(tried milk replacer but she wouldn't drink this!) we know for a fact that she wasn't favouring the empty teat and draining it. Also the mare wasn't very maternal (I witnessed one day that the foal was scared to follow the mare across the field to join the other ponies on the haylage and ran back into the stable, shouting like mad but the mare didn't bat an eyelid, I had to go and get her after 10 mins and bring her back to the foal!). The foal was soon eating hard feed though which helped, although she grew she never looked as well as she should've (also being born around 3 weeks early won't have helped). However, at weaning (5 months old) the mare suddenly realised she wanted to be a mother and fretted and then her milk came in . Vet couldn't understand why as the milk wasn't coming before, well just in the one teat anyway. Anyone any ideas why this happened?

[kayjayem]

can't understand why it would be only one half affected but as a rule if the mare is not making enough milk cocoa powder in the feed helps tremendously. She'll probably be fine next time though - some are just a bit slow with the first one.

[pattendown]

my friends mare who had 2 foals by my stallion only had 1 working teat ad the foals wearnt great untillthey were weaned after they thrived