Successful Foal Raising

From Foaling to Starting Under Saddle

Successful foal raising begins as soon as your foal is on the ground. There are lessons for them to learn from their dam as well as you. Taking advantage of their smaller size in the first few months to establish your leadership can make later training easier on you both. Like human babies, foals learn and grow at a fast rate their first year. As yearlings, they start becoming more independent and unpredictable. Two year olds are often close to their full height, but have a lot of filling out to do, and by the time they are three most are just about finished with their growing. During these growing periods their attention spans are also getting longer, so as you build upon previous lessons, you can begin to make the time longer and more often. Done correctly, by the time you are ready to start training the young horse to work under saddle, it will just be the next step in their training and not difficult or stressful for either of you.

What Is A Foal?

A foal is an equine, particularly a horse, that is one year old or younger. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, but these terms are used until the horse is age three or four. When the foal is nursing its dam (mother), it may also be called a suckling. After the young horse has been weaned from its dam, it may be called a weanling. After it is one year old, it is no longer a foal, and is called a yearling. There are no special age-related terms for young horses older than yearlings. When young horses reach breeding maturity, the terms change: a filly over the age of three (four in horse racing) is called a mare and a colt over the age of three is called a stallion. A castrated male horse is called a gelding, regardless of age. (There is no specific term for a spayed female horse, they are simply "spayed mares".)

read the rest of the Wikipedia article

Breeding and Training Warmblood Horses

My blog about my horses and farm - Lost World Farms, LLC

Lots of information about mares, stallions, and foals.

Fetching RSS feed... please stand by

The Newborn Foal

Foal Training Begins at Birth

The newborn foal starts learning as soon as he takes his first breath. He learns how the new world smells, and most importantly the smell of his dam. The sense of smell is how mares and foals know each other and you will see them taking in each other's scent the first time they touch noses. In fact, after the mare has imprinted her foal's scent, she will reject him if he gets the scent of another horse on him or he is covered with something that masks or changes his scent. His keen sense of smell will also lead him to his dam's udder long before his vision has focused. The handler should take advantage of this and make the foal familiar and comfortable with her scent quickly and often and imprinting him for future training.

Frequently the newborn foal announces himself to the rest of the barn with a high pitched whinny that will be answered by everyone within earshot and a low nicker from his dam. I have noticed that the foals born to mares that I had talked to frequently while they were in foal would whinny to me when they heard my voice.

The bonding between the mare and her foal is very important and I do not like to interfere any more than necessary for the first couple of days. Getting the foal used to being touched and handled can be done a couple of times a day for a few minutes. It is best to get down to the foal's level and let him come to you. They are usually very curious, and if the dam is not overly protective, will come over and check you out. Slow movements and soothing words will usually earn you a few strokes on the neck or back. Be ready for a sudden leap or kick - anything can set them off.

If the weather is good, you will want to start turning the mare and foal outside. Exercise is very important for a growing foal and the mare will benefit from moving around, but if she is chasing around after a running foal for too long soon after foaling, she can get overheated. If possible a small private paddock for a few days is easier on the mare and the handler. Many breeders don't put a halter on the newborn foal to take them outside, they wrap one arm around the foal's chest and the other around the rump and hold the dock of the tail and guide them where they want them to go. Another person handles the mare. I prefer this method because it is dangerous for the foal to be struggling against a halter at this early age - their neck and poll are fragile and they can get very frantic and hurt themselves. Keeping everything positive and calm from the beginning is very important

Halter training can begin in the stall. A couple of days after the foal is born, I start putting the halter on the foal once or twice a day, petting and praising them for a few minutes, and then remove it. Gradually, I will leave it on a little longer, but not unless someone is there to keep an eye on them. Foals are very good at getting their feet caught in the halter, so it is important that it fits well. Sometimes, they will decide that they don't want to be caught or that they don't want that thing over their nose. I let them smell the halter and rub it on their neck and back and try to get them comfortable with the noises it makes. Once you are ready to put it over their nose you must be quick and fearless, get your arm around their neck and don't let go until you have the halter on. It is important that they don't learn that they can get away from this - every attempt is a lesson - good or bad. Remain calm and don't give them any reason to be afraid of the halter or you. After a few successful halterings they are not afraid of what is happening to them and typically enjoy the attention - I have had several foals come over to me as soon as I open the stall door to get their halter on and receive lots of praise and scratching. They soon learn that it also means that they are going outside.

Once they are comfortable with the halter, it is time to start teaching them to lead. You have already begun the process if you are guiding them outside like I described above. They can feel the pressure of the arm around their rump pushing into the direction you want them to go. When you add the lead rope, you just wrap it around their rump and back to the head and use it to give a little push from behind while giving a little tug on the halter to tell them to go forward. It is very important to remain at the foal's shoulder while doing this because if you are too far back you could get kicked, and if you are in front of them they frequently strike or rear. They are easier to control at the shoulder - if necessary your hand closest to their body can hold them at the withers to stop any rearing, and the other hand can hold both ends of the rope under their chin and guide them. You can start this in the stall also if you have a very spirited foal, but it usually works better while you are leading the mare somewhere for the extra incentive of wanting to be closer to her.

By the time your foal is about two weeks old you need to start teaching him to let you pick up his feet. During the halter training in the stall, if you have someone to hold the foal, you can start this lesson. You only need to pick them up for a couple of seconds and put them back down. Try to put the foot down yourself and not let him jerk it out of your hand. Then give him lots of praise and scratches. Always remain close to his side and don't try to lift the leg up too high. If your foal does not want you to touch his legs, you will have to begin with just getting him over that issue. The more you touch him the easier he will be to handle and will learn to trust you. Positive experiences will result in more positive experiences and the beginning of a trusting attitude in your foal.

""Many a happy colt makes a fine horse" - Proverb, Uknown Origin"

Foals by My Stallion, Patrick

Warmblood Foals

Here are pictures of foals by my Dutch Warmblood Stallion, Patrick. All of them will eventually be grey.

curated content from Flickr

Foal Raising Books

There is a lot of information available to aid you with a successful foal and then raising that foal - check out some of these:

Blessed Are The Foals (Ho...

Understanding the Foal (T...

Training Your Foal

Imprint Training of the N...

The Foaling Primer: A Mon...

Feeding and Caring For Your Nursing Foal

Foal Training Continues With Help From the Mare

For the first month or two your foal will be curious about the hay, grass, and grain his dam is eating. Sometimes he will get some in his mouth, but doesn't really know what to do with it. His teeth are still coming in so he can't really chew it properly and it typically gets spit out. His digestive system is not ready to handle anything but the mare's milk at this stage. There are some foal feeds on the market that also contain milk and are designed for an immature digestive system and can be fed in a creep feeder. Unless a foal is not growing and filling out properly, I usually avoid them as too much can cause growth problems. Most foals do just fine with mom's milk - the way nature intended.

Around 2 - 3 months you will begin to notice your foal's head in his dam's feed tub more and more (if she allows it) and you can see that he is actually eating a little hay and grass. This would be the time to start slowly introducing some grain. As long as he is nursing well it is not really necessary to use the foal starters that contain milk. Growth formula grains that are intended for foals are adequate. It is very important to monitor each foal individually - be careful about feeding too much to a rapidly growing foal or you could cause some serious growth problems. Consult with your vet to insure that your foal is getting good nutrition and is growing correctly.

The farrier should be trimming regularly also. Unless there was an obvious problem that needed to be addressed at birth, your foal needs to start having his feet trimmed between 6 and 8 weeks. Incorrect growth in the feet can be easily corrected at this age and will have a tremendous effect in the growth of your foals legs. If you have been working with him and picking up his feet often the farrier will be able to do a better job and won't mind comming back. A farrier that is patient and knows about foal feet and growth is priceless.

At six weeks your foal should be given a wormer. I usually start with Panacur as that is safe for foals and mares, be sure to check the package if you are giving something else as some are not recommended for foals.

While he is still with his dam it is a good idea to teach him to load on a trailer if you have one available. At this stage they will usually just follow their dam on and it is not a stressful, scarey experience. I also usually bathe the mare a foal together at least once and introduce him to the clippers. The more you can expose him to while he is with his dam the better. As long as she is good for everything she will assure him that all is well and these are just the things we do. So if your mare is not OK with anything it would be a good idea to try to work with her before the foal is born so that she doesn't teach him any bad tricks or evasions.

So now your foal can be haltered, leads well, picks up his feet, is starting to eat some solid food, loads on a trailer, tolerates a bath and some clipping, and is friendly, curious, and very, very cute! He is growing fast and will start wandering farther and farther from his dam and visit with other horses and foals that are in his paddock or over the fence. Soon it will be time for weaning!

Interesting Videos of Young Horses in Various Types of Training

Equine Body Language Study, Training Horse to Pick Up Feet

4.73

Runtime: 7:07
5999 views
10 Comments:

Foal Playing with Owner www.clickhorse.info

Runtime: 4:09
2508 views
9 Comments:

FANCY FOALS

Runtime: 3:09
3920 views
9 Comments:

Fohlenschule - playfull education of a foal

Runtime: 1:45
13598 views
10 Comments:

curated content from YouTube

Weaning the Foal

Limit the Stress of Foal Weaning

The average age for weaning a foal is around 4 - 5 months. Some breeders will wean as early as 3 months, but this is usually done because the foal is growing unusually fast and there is a concern about growth problems; or the mare is loosing too much weight and is in foal again. If the foal is eating solid food well and you have been able to get all the basic training completed, the next consideration is about the mare and foal's mental readiness.

You will begin noticing that the mare will frequently refuse to stand very long to let the foal nurse, and sometimes just walk away while the angry and upset foal runs and bucks after her. She is preparing him for weaning and he will become less and less concerned about this situation as he gets older. The mare also starts being less tolerant of her foal's biting, rearing, and kicking, and even start retaliating. You can tell that she is less protective, allowing him to roam further and further, and also allowing him to interact with other horses in the field or over the fence. She may even start putting her ears back at him occasionally, biting him, and raising her hind leg to prevent him from nursing. These are all signs that she is getting ready for him to leave her side. I have seen some mares that will even start running the foal off and being seriously mean when she has had enough.

Prior to the big day we have started doing short separations like leaving the foal in the stall while the mare has her feet trimmed, is groomed, gets a bath, or in the case of a mare that is used for riding, is starting back under saddle. Because we bring our mares and foals into a stall every night, the method that works best for us is to take the mares out to their field and leave the foals inside for a day or two. They are comfortable with their stall and have spent some time in it without their dam so initially there isn't usually a big reaction - they think she is coming back. Some will call out and run around the stall a little, especially if they can hear their dam calling to them.

The mares usually run the fence and call out for 30 minutes or so, but they are more interested in the grass and soon give it up and will return to the gate and call out less and less frequently. It is important to watch them closely for the next week to be sure that their milk dries up and that there is no heat or pain in their udder. Most of the time you will notice that they are lame on one of their hind legs if there is a problem.

When the foal has become calm in his stall and is eating and drinking well (usually 2 days) I will put them outside in a paddock as far away from the mares as possible. Frequently their leading lessons backslide as there is no mare to follow. The lead rope around the rump is still useful, but sometimes you are holding them back, not trying to get them to go forward. An older horse that they have gotten to know over the fence (or even in the paddock) prior to weaning can be very helpful and if you have more than one foal, they will frequently be calmer with a buddy. Don't try to lead two at a time! Use a second or even third person. The goal is to have them going in and out quietly on their own.

This gradual process of leading up to a permanent separation while paying attention to the behavior of the mare and foal have proven to be a very successful and non-stressful method of weaning our foals. If you have any problems or concerns, feel free to contact me. Good Luck!

Always Remember

What the colt learns in youth he continues in old age. - French Proverb

The Yearling - What Happened to My Beautiful Foal?

Yearling Training Is Minimal

When the foal becomes a yearling we put them outside and just let them grow up. This is a gangly time and you might begin to have doubts about that beautiful foal you thought you had. Don't worry! Their growth will be very uneven causing them to become out of balance and those beautiful gaits may even disappear for a while. Their head my look too big for their body or they will have a skinny little neck and no chest. This is all normal. They all grow differently and now is not a good time to evaluate what kind of horse he will become - it can change monthly!

Yearling training is just reinforcement of lessons you have already worked on. They must stand to be haltered, lead calmly, pick up their feed for the farrier, get on a trailer, and allow you to bathe and clip them. Usually these lessons aren't planned weekly or even monthly - they just happen when the farrier or vet comes. We usually only bathe and clip once or twice during this year and if they don't need to go anywhere in the trailer we will try to at least load and unload them a few times.

This is the age when they seem to develop a mind of their own and will try to test some boundaries. They are much bigger and stronger, so it is important to keep your leadership role. They don't need to learn anything new - just refresh what they already know and be sure it is firmly established. All lessons should be short, no more that 15 minutes, and focus only on one or two things. Give lots and lots of praise.

Next year the growing slows down and they are ready for some new lessons.

Some Items For or About Yearlings

Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by

The 2 Year Old Horse

Reinforce Earlier Training

I wrote in my blog A 2 Year Old Horse - Ready to Work? about most of the things you should be doing with your 2 year old as far as training.

This year there will be additional growth in height, but they still have that "baby" look. Everything does not grow at the same rate, so the butt will be higher than the withers, the neck will look thin, the shoulders will be narrow, and the head may or may not look like it fits on their body! Frequently, their gaits will look sloppy and out of balance and you may notice that the larger 2 year olds are hitting their own legs when they run around and there are lots of lumps and bumps on their shins. We have actually had to turn out one young gelding with boots during the day and bring him into a stall at night to prevent further harm to his legs while he was outside! Once his shoulders started to widen and his front legs were further apart this was no longer necessary.

Pay close attention to their growth and be sure that they are not getting too thin or too fat. They should be getting good nutrition from a low starch, low sugar grain at least twice a day and plenty of grass and/or hay. Keep them on an continuous wormer and/or frequent paste wormer program.

If you are planning on showing them in hand, you will probably be required to use a bridle instead of a halter. If so, be sure to have their teeth checked before you put a bit in their mouth. Young horses teeth need to be looked at more often than older horses because they are continuously loosing caps and growing new teeth that could be a source of pain. The last thing you want is for your 2 years old to associate a bit with pain!

This will probably be your horse's last year of experiencing the total freedom of a young horse. Even the older horses will start expecting them to behave and get with the program! Let him have as much fun this year as possible!

What Others Are Saying About Raising Up A Foal

Some Other Opinions or Ideas For You To Consider

Training a Weanling ~ How to lunge? - Horsetopia Forum: Stand beside him like you would do a big horse. Ask him to take one step. Stop and reward him. Then two, then three, four, five,six, ect. Make sure you give him alot of reward and praise when hes doing it right. .... Yearling Member. WSArabians's Avatar. Join Date: Mar 2008. Location: Alberta, Canada. Posts: 751. Wouldn't be training my weanling how to lunge, either. Sometimes I think AQHA/APHA are a little harsh on their young ones when it comes to showing. ...
High Mountain Horse Blog: Elementary School - Working with the ...: So I say to myself as I'm working a young horse, ?Ask nicely, then ask firmly, then TELL!? If I ask, I mean it. I don't want to ask a second time, though in the early stages of teaching anything, I will have to. I'll progress from my ASK to my TELL more slowly in ... These lessons are taught to the weanling, repeated for the yearling, and reviewed for the 2-year old who then moves on with further training (we'll go into that in a separate post). With each lesson, go slow. ...
The Horse | Rutgers' Young Horse Program Adds Mustangs to the Mix: ACVN, the program teaches students about handling, training, and nutrition of young horses. The program initially used draft cross weanlings from PMU ranches. With the increasing expense of the PMU weanlings, Ralston chose ... ... Working with the mustangs forces my students to be more conscious of their own behavior, actions, and reactions." Mustang in Rutgers young horse program. A student interacts with one of the mustang yearlings. The research will allow Ralston to ...
High Mountain Horse Blog: Time for the young ones: We refrain from any excessive pounding and running around for weanlings and yearlings, and only put a few short rides on a two year old at the earliest. I see no sense in rushing the training and getting them working ASAP only to limit ...

Powered by Google

The 3 Year Old

Getting Ready to Start Under Saddle

At three years old, most horses have done most of their growing and are filling out into a mature horse. Warmblood horses frequently continue to grow in height for a few more years, but it is usually not more than another hand or less. Their growth plates have closed and it is safe for them to bear the weight of a rider, although they aren't as balanced so the rides should be short and simple.

a> explains the process we use for starting our young horses. This method has produced very sane, safe, and happy young horses ready to start their career in whatever discipline(s) they show talent. We keep lessons short and slowly make them more frequent so that by the time they are four they can start their show career. Sometimes we will take them to a local show late in the season and just let them experience the show and warm up rings without actually taking them into the show ring.

Just as classical dressage training emphasizes a training method that builds the horse's body as well as their mind, successful foal raising utilizes the same process. Start small with simple tasks the horse is capable of understanding and performing and build on a firm foundation.

Good Luck!

Was this lens interesting and educational for you?

Do you have something to add?

I hope you found this lens to be interesting and educational. I realize that there are a lot of methods and opinions out there about raising foals and young horses and do not consider mine to be the only right way. These methods have been successful for me and I am always happy to help out a new breeder or owner of a young horse. I am also always looking at how other successful breeders are raising successful foals using different methods to see if I might want to change something in my program. If you have something you would like to add or ask, please do so or contact me through any of my other lenses or websites.

Lensmaster

MyChildCreatesowner wrote...

Great lens, very interesting and I really like the gorgeous photos.

well done, have fun squidooing (Please feel free to submit this lens to my farm lens if it was created in 2009)

Nigel.......MyChildCreatesowner
http://www.squidoo.com/2009-new-farm-animal-lenses

Posted February 23, 2009