Students and Ames residents are encouraged to watch and feed the horses that play in the grassy corrals north of the horse barns, agricultural specialist Sara Garr said.

“Grandparents will bring their grandchildren out or else we’ll get kids from the 4-H camp to come out and look at the horses,” Garr said.

She said it is fun for children because they get a chance to feed carrots to the tiny horses. Sometimes the fun and playfulness of a young horse can also turn into a frightening experience for young children.

“We have problems with kids wanting to climb the fence or of young horses biting a little kid’s hand,” Garr said. “The foals are still teething and they want to nibble on something.”

Garr said it is not recommended for people to enter the complex to play with the horses because someone could get kicked.

“You have to remember that these baby horses still weigh 200 to 300 pounds,” she said.

There have been instances where the horses have escaped from the corrals. Garr said most of the time she believes the horses were chased out or the gates were opened.

“It’s kind of suspicious that the gate is not opened,” she said. “I don’t believe the horses just jumped over the fence.”

Horses jumping over a fence may be a rare occurrence to Garr, but she said it is extremely rare for someone to witness a birthing.

“The reason is that 99 percent of the time, the mare will give birth in the middle of the night,” she said.

Even if the mare is bothered by a disturbing group of humans, she can prolong giving birth until she is ready, Garr said.