Buying a foal- advice please

SNORKEY

SNORKEY

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Hi, I've seen a nice foal for sale. He's currently about 6 weeks old, and ive been told he should be able to leave his mum in about 5 months time.
I've owned horses all my life but I've never owned a baby. Would about 6/7 months be too young for him to leave his mum? And what's the earliest time I can geld him?
Also is there anything else to think about when buying so young?
Thanks :)
 
He would need an age appropriate companion, best to be in a group of the same age. Tbh, after having my weanling I'm not sure its something I would do again!
 
6/7 months is the usual age for weaning, if the breeders agrees and he has dropped, he could be gelded whilst still on mum which reduces the stress involved for him.
 
colts can be gelded "on the mare" around 3 or 4 months I think it is, speak to your vet. Or as yearlings.
6 to7 months is average weaning time. I have 2 x3 yr olds which I bought at the sales, they were 4 months old.
 
Thanks, I have two 11yr olds and a 3yr old. I'm a bit worried about bullying though, one of my 11yr olds is nearly 16hh and was very nasty to my youngster when he arrived last year. So I think I'd have to keep the foal with my 3yr old gelding. This foal is quite diddy as he'l only make about 14.2hh so I'd hate for him to get hurt.
 
Agree with be positive to have him gelded whilst still with mum if ok with the breeder. They often cope better with it all when mum is around.

And six or seven months is perfect for weaning but make sure he is weaned before you collect him. Not an experience I have ever have to deal with with my boys but have heard some horror stories where foals have been weaned on the day of collection. So not gradually but foal taken straight from mum and to new home with no prep then youngster has turned into clingy needy insecure horse.
 
Great advice on the weaning, thanks. I love the look of this little foal, but I'm wondering if he will be too much hard work. :/
 
Mine cost me £850 within 12 hours plus 8 weeks box rest. Turned out she wasnt fully weaned. She is now a yearling and is just finishing 4 weeks box rest after a kick from an unshod new forest causing a potential fracture (I'm not convinced). I have stuck to a simple diet of hay and sure grow since the grass came through (tb) and have been slightly concerned at her lack of growth. Friend saw her today and left with dire warnings about her open knees (they are very open) and how I shouldn't let her grow etc. Unless its the perfect animal its a lot of hassle!
 
I love it have always bought foals or yearlings. Prefer foals as they reflect you they learn from you and with the exception of a small percentage nature the way you nurture them makes them who they are.
I show mine as foals, yearlings and two and three year olds. To do so they have to lead, load, stand for the farrier and judge, have vaccinations done and kept up to date and be used to being groomed and if necessary bathed.
They learn about traffic spooky things like ballons and bouncy castles and are the most well adjusted horses you can get.
My last foal is now 4 years old and took one day to back and ride away day two was hacking along a busy main road in company, day three was going it alone, day seven was second in a ridden class at a local show in a big class of 10. Day 9 was popping over a pole and day 10 had learned to jump a 55cm course. All done in daily lessons of 20 minutes per day every other day so days off in between. She is now joining the others on longer hacks and is cantering and galloping sensibly in a group.
She is wonderful and has just taken everything in her stride. She still only does anything three times per week but she is getting fitter and didnt even break a sweat the day they went galloping

So I would love to start again but until the market improves and some of the older ridden ponies can go on to new homes She will be my last as I am not getting any younger
 
I'd ask for him to be gelded on the mare, saves doing an op when he's trying to settle into a new home and he's stressed from that! I'd also make sure as others have said he's been weaned at least a month before coming to you - that's what we do to make sure the foal has got used to his new diet, got used to having no mum and is happy being stabled with a buddy, and handling on their own too - otherwise you'll have a very clingy stressed out baby.

As for introducing him to your lot always introduce a new horse to 1 buddy first so they get to know each other and they have someone to stick up for them in a new herd and have a rank, otherwise you've got a bunch of horses ganging up on the new one which would be terrifying for a baby! I'd keep the 2 youngsters together for a couple of months then gradually introduce back to your others.
 
SNORKEY said:
Thanks, I have two 11yr olds and a 3yr old. I'm a bit worried about bullying though, one of my 11yr olds is nearly 16hh and was very nasty to my youngster when he arrived last year. So I think I'd have to keep the foal with my 3yr old gelding. This foal is quite diddy as he'l only make about 14.2hh so I'd hate for him to get hurt.
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Don't assume that the three year old will be fine with a weanling. I was lucky as I used to have a very gentle ex-broodmare who I put my youngsters with. Once they were settled and the other horses were used to seeing the youngster over the fence - I would then introduce the herd together.

My top mare (chestnut mare) was fine with both youngsters and actually let them torment... sorry... play with her. ;) However my grey (who was youngster number one and bottom of the herd) was a right royal bitch (completely out of character and unexpected) towards youngster number two when he was introduced. She was three at the time and he was 17 months, so older than your weanling will be. I wouldn't want to introduce anything that young to her.
 
Check about jabs as well. Foals can't have their tetanus until 5 months . I wean mine at 4 months with no problems at all, but they will all have been sharing Mum's food for months anyway. Its common practice at the welsh sales to take them straight off the mother and to the sales. I don't know how much it affects them, depends how they are managed afterwards. My last two foals that I bred have been the only ones, no play companion of the same age. I did find that this created problems from boredom. One foal ate three tails off in quick succession, the other tends to just mooch around, which doesn't build him up like play exercise would do.
 
I love buying foals & we usually buy at least one a year, this year we have got 3 coming at weaning, 2 colts & a filly. Will be good to have 2 colts as makes turnout much easier and the filly will be able to go with our yearlings when the boys get too rough for her.
Ive never had a problem turning them out with an older one but always known which ones were good for the job. If you know yours could be wicked don't put them together. Always think ahead with foals, if you think they might do something, chances are they will lol
I find it very rewarding getting them as foals, the ones I get are usually straight off their mums. I enjoy handling & showing and there is nothing nicer than bringing a nice fresh yearling out.
Personally I don't like buying an older pony, there has been too much input from others..
 
I love foals! I've had 2 now and both times have integrated them with others successfully. Depends on the horses though obviously.

I have now got a foal here who is 2 months old that was born with me. I've already got my gelding in with the foal and his mum. I have no other foals but hes fine. I've never had other youngsters with any of mine because it wasnt possible.

I would want the foal properley weaned before leaving mum. Make sure they've been apart for a bit and arent just going to be seperated when you turn up to collect the foal. As for gelding, i have known issues arise with doing it too early. My last colt wasnt done until 18 months, and this foal i have now (if he doesnt sell) wont be done until spring next year when hes almost 1. He had a tetanus shot when he was born so i'm not worried about vaccinations etc. I'll fit him in with the others.
 
mel_s said:
He had a tetanus shot when he was born so i'm not worried about vaccinations etc. I'll fit him in with the others.
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If your foal was given a tetanus shot at birth it would just have been the tetanus anti-toxin which only lasts a week or so, and is usually only given these days if the mare has not had her tetanus toxoid injection within 4-6 weeks prior to foaling.

OP, most breeders wean at some point between 4-7 months. Make sure your breeder weans the foal at least a couple of weeks before the foal is transported to you. Colts can be gelded at any age from around 10 days old onwards (although I don't geld this early). Many large commercial breeders will geld at between 1-5 months old. I personally prefer to geld at some point between 9 months and 18 months old.

Make sure the breeder has the foal on a suitable hard feed. This is usually introduced while still on the mother so he picks up what to do from her. I've known so many novice foal buyers who get their foal home and it starts to lose weight and they just cannot tempt the foal to eat hardfeed because the foal hasn't been taught by its mother what to do with a bucket of feed (most likely because the mother was never fed during lactation).

Choose your companion carefully. I can put new foals who come here for their young life but have not been bred on the farm in with a bunch of horses I know very well for taking care of youngsters; my own weanlings go in with them at weaning time and these horses do take good care of them. You don't want to frighten the foal, who will already be out of sorts by being in a new environment and may have never been in a trailer before, so it's all scary stuff to little ones. My own foals have all been in trailers so that part isn't scary to them when they are sold and leave here.

If you are going to be stabling the foal and it is not stabled routinely at the breeders, then ask her/him to do that whilst he is still on his mother. Again this is something I do with my foals as a matter of course so that they have experienced as much as possible whilst still with their mothers for support.

Ask if the foal has had his feet trimmed and is used to the farrier as that can become a nightmare if he hasn't been handled for routine stuff like this.

Have the breeder vaccinate him at least 2 weeks prior to his departure. And ask for a record of worming. The breeder should give you a few days worth of hard feed so that you can gradually wean him over to whatever feed you decide upon.

Good luck with your purchase if you go ahead :)
 
Spring Feather said:
If your foal was given a tetanus shot at birth it would just have been the tetanus anti-toxin which only lasts a week or so, and is usually only given these days if the mare has not had her tetanus toxoid injection within 4-6 weeks prior to foaling.

OP, most breeders wean at some point between 4-7 months. Make sure your breeder weans the foal at least a couple of weeks before the foal is transported to you. Colts can be gelded at any age from around 10 days old onwards (although I don't geld this early). Many large commercial breeders will geld at between 1-5 months old. I personally prefer to geld at some point between 9 months and 18 months old.

Make sure the breeder has the foal on a suitable hard feed. This is usually introduced while still on the mother so he picks up what to do from her. I've known so many novice foal buyers who get their foal home and it starts to lose weight and they just cannot tempt the foal to eat hardfeed because the foal hasn't been taught by its mother what to do with a bucket of feed (most likely because the mother was never fed during lactation).

Choose your companion carefully. I can put new foals who come here for their young life but have not been bred on the farm in with a bunch of horses I know very well for taking care of youngsters; my own weanlings go in with them at weaning time and these horses do take good care of them. You don't want to frighten the foal, who will already be out of sorts by being in a new environment and may have never been in a trailer before, so it's all scary stuff to little ones. My own foals have all been in trailers so that part isn't scary to them when they are sold and leave here.

If you are going to be stabling the foal and it is not stabled routinely at the breeders, then ask her/him to do that whilst he is still on his mother. Again this is something I do with my foals as a matter of course so that they have experienced as much as possible whilst still with their mothers for support.

Ask if the foal has had his feet trimmed and is used to the farrier as that can become a nightmare if he hasn't been handled for routine stuff like this.

Have the breeder vaccinate him at least 2 weeks prior to his departure. And ask for a record of worming. The breeder should give you a few days worth of hard feed so that you can gradually wean him over to whatever feed you decide upon.

Good luck with your purchase if you go ahead :)
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All very good advice. i forgot to say that when I sell a foal, a weeks worth of his feed goes with him so there are no upset tummies.
 
Thank you very much for all your good advice. I'm going to be asking lots of questions to the seller when I go and see him.
 
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