A New One on Me - suggestions please

[Tia]

I have a baby boarder at my farm. He is only 2 and a half months old and is here without his mother. At present I have him in with one of my small nanny ponies and my little Arab is doing an absolutely fantastic job of looking after him. Actually you would think that this foal belonged to her if you watched them.

They are in a large field alone, however the adjoining field has my own mares with their foals. I would like to put my pony mare and her foal in the field with the young foal and my Arab......however my own foal is still obviously suckling from her mother and as she is still producing plenty of milk I wondered whether this would be a good idea putting her in with the other foal who obviously isn't still suckling because he has no Mum. My little foal would be a nice playmate for the younger one and both ponies get along fabulously well.

What are your thoughts on this?

 

[Gingernags]

Thats awfully young to be without his mum - I'm guessing they lost her and hand reared or he recently lost her?

I think they should be OK as long as (Cloud?) isn't too foal pround and likely to have a real go at him or your arab.

But yes, would be good for the foals to be company for each other...

 

[Tia]

No Cloud isn't foal-proud in the slightest. She is a very easy going and polite pony, as is my little Arab.

I would like to give it a try, if it doesn't work then I can easily take her and Legacy out again; I was more reluctant to take Legacy out of the field to be honest as her and her Dad have the most remarkable relationship; but I guess she can talk to him over the fence instead.

 

[Tia]

I guess this is a new one for everyone on here judging by the lack of replies? Have none of the breeders here ever been in this situation? I guess not.

 

[vicijp]

Tia,
My vet told me about how he had a foster foal, and put it out with a load of mares and foals for company. There was a barren mare in with them who had been retired from breeding for a few years - she started producing milk and took the foal.
Didnt say of any other problems with the others.

 

[Enfys]

You can only try it and see. Are you feeding this baby or is it weaned off milk too?
I know that they wean early over here, but I am a huge softy and actually find it incredibly sad that he has no mum, it just doesn't seem right, especially as I don't wean until the mare boots baby off. It would be good for them to have playmates too.
It's Jill he's with is it? Bless, she sounds a real star.

 

[Tia]

How interesting - thanks for that little story Vici. Well I guess he would have said something if problems had occurred. I will give it a go.

 

[Tia]

He is on milk pellets and yes he is with Jill - she is a great little mare with the babies. I just can't keep her with them when they get too big as we know that they become too much for her.

I am also a natural weaner, mine generally are kicked off Mum by about 8 or 9 months old, but this boarding foal is unable to have this luxury.

 

[buzzles]

My farrier was in a similar situation, he had 2 foals, a colt and filly, born within a few weeks of each other but unfortunately lost the fillys dam to colic when she was just 2 months old. He had to bottle feed the filly at first and then wean her onto milk pellets. She was originally being minded by a little pony mare, however she died (had Cushings disease) and he has now put the filly in with the colt and his dam and he said they get on fine. The filly knows not to go near the mare and he says the 2 foals are best friends.

 

[Irishcobs]

Do you think he will try to drink from Cloud?
Our old broodmare let the other broodmare's foal drink from her when we were weaning him.

 

[Tia]

I don't want him to drink from Cloud; that's the only reason I hesitated. However I have just put Cloud & Legacy AND Golden & Breeze in with them both so that should even things out. My little Arab has well and truly taken over as his "mother" now so I don't think he would go to try to drink from the other mares.

All seems well - the 3 mares know each other well so shouldn't be any problems.

 

[Anastasia]

Sorry Tia for the late response. I was going to suggest to go for it. The liklihood of the foal suckling from another mare would be slim really and the more horses that he is in with the better so that he learns the order of life. Hope this helps.....

 

[kerilli]

i think i'd try them, but watch them like a hawk for the first half an hour. would your pony mare attack him if he tried to suckle? that would be my only fear really. hope he's okay, poor little fella.

 

[Irishcobs]

Oops, just re-read my post, I didn't mean, you should let him try to drink from her, I meant she might tell him were to go if he tried.

 

[henryhorn]

We have done this and it worked, the mare did warn off the foal but not agressively, more just like they do when the wrong foal approaches them.
Izzie had Tally her sister for company so that was easier but it will make the foal more horsy being in the group than staying apart being hand reared.
Cloud seems an ideal mare to try it with too.

 

[Tia]

QR -

Thank you everyone. Well I did the move and all worked out perfectly as expected. My Arab thinks that this foal is hers and the foal apparently thinks that she is his mother. Cloud and Legacy were absolutely fine, Golden and Breeze were absolutely fine too, however the boys in their herd were not happy at all with losing Legacy - they became very upset when she went out of sight, therefore I ended up taking my mares and foals back out again and putting them back with their own herd....what a softie eh?

Anyway I have a few foals coming at the weekend so will just leave the Arab and foal alone till then.

Here they are together;