Rare and Controversial Set of Twin Foals Born at Churchill Downs Has the Internet Buzzing

Sometimes two isn’t better than one! People online were upset over the recent birth of two twin foals at the Churchill Downs racing complex in Louisville, Kentucky. It might not make sense to most of us — twins are always a good thing, right? Not exactly. And when you see the concerns that people had, it might make you a little worried yourself.

It seems that these two are perfectly healthy. But there is a real reason why people were upset that the mare had given birth to twin foals.

Shared by the Kentucky Derby, the clip shows the two sisters hanging around with each other. What cuties! These two are positively precious. We can only imagine what it must be like to be a newborn horse with a sister.

Related: Size Difference Between Farm’s Biggest and Smallest Foals Is Almost Unbelievable

“Have you ever seen a set of twins this cute?” the Derby asked in their caption.

The foals really are adorable. But people in the comments section had some strong concerns about the health of the babies. “You’re telling me at a premier facility they didn’t identify the twins and snip one of the embryos? So, so dangerous,” one person wrote. “I am so happy to see these two fur babies. I am really surprised that their mother survived. A lot of time the mother or one of the colts would have died,” chimed in someone else. While another commenter put it bluntly: “PSA to EVERYONE. TWINS in horses normally results in the DEATH of one foal, both foals, the mother or ALL of them. ALWAYS twin check, ALWAYS pinch one off if found. DON’T EXPECT IT TO BE FINE,” they wrote.

Carrying Twins Can Be Dangerous for a Mare

The comments section had good reason to worry. In many cases, it really can be dangerous to allow a mare to carry twins to term. Most times horses pregnant with twins suffer serious complications. This can range from dystocia, retained foetal membranes, and stillbirth. Foals that are born as twins tend to be smaller and weaker than other foals. They can also be more susceptible to infection. Because of this, twin pregnancies are usually terminated.

This isn’t to say that it’s not possible to have healthy twins, but as many people pointed out it’s incredibly risky. For many horse trainers, the risk is simply not worth it. Thankfully, it seems like these two are okay. But this is a good reminder that horses are very different from humans. They have different needs!

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