What is a young horse called?

A young horse is called a foal.

“Foal” is the general term for a horse from birth until it is about one year old, regardless of sex. A male foal may also be called a colt, while a female foal may be called a filly. Once a horse reaches its second year, age-specific terms such as yearling become more common.

Foals can stand and walk surprisingly soon after birth, an adaptation inherited from horses’ lives as vulnerable herd animals on open grasslands. They begin nursing immediately and gradually learn to eat grass and other forage. A mare’s pregnancy lasts about 11 months, so births are often timed with the spring growing season when food is plentiful.

The term is sometimes confused with “calf,” which applies to young cattle, buffalo, and several other mammals, or “lamb,” for a young sheep. “Pony” is not a word for a baby horse: it describes a small adult horse belonging to a pony type or breed.