Confused about weaning!!!!

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tilesheds

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My filly will be due to be weaned early October, if I am aiming to do it at 6 months. I am not selling her, so is there any rush? She is grazing with my old gelding, mum and a friends mare. They all look after her and she does wander off with the others and leave mum quite happily. Would I be making the job harder if I left her till spring? I have never done this before and I am chewed to death about seperating them. My property isnt very big so they will always be in close proximity to eath other. Or should I bite the bullet and do it at 6 months. My friend has offered to let me take one of them up to her farm at weaning time. And how long do they need to be apart? Sorry for going on and on, but I would hate to get it wrong and have a disaster. Any advice would be appreciated xx
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I did not wean my colt until he was 9/10 months. I don't put my mares i/f every year and so there was no rush to wean him.

I then separated them for part of the day for a couple of weeks and then full-time. She is now in foal again so he is back with mum and very happy.
 
I'm in a similiar situation to you and was planning to do what Rollin does. I didn't put my stressy mare in foal this year deliberately to reduce the pressure of weaning.
 
if mare is ok with weight etc and your not planning to put her back into foal any time soon then no there is no rush
 
Ok with weight!!!! She is as fat as butter! Have been waiting for her to loose weight since the day she foaled lol. Thanks guys, I feel a lot happier knowing that it's ok to leave it for a while longer xx THANKS!!
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i think it is better to wean them at six months as they are more independant. i would also take your friends offer and have one of them at her farm and io tend to separate them for 6 weeks. mine will be going away to live with other weanlings for 6 weeks in october
 
I weaned my lad at 6.5 months, because his mum had had enough of him! He was a big lad and it was of no detriment to him. He stayed away from end Nov. until end Jan. when he went straight to be gelded.

He came home screaming for his mum and never ceased to do so for a very long time. He went away (as a 3.5 yo) for several months and was fine not being near his mum, BUT, when he came home, he was a nightmare and would not allow her out of his sight. Was this my fault I wonder....???
I dunno?
 
I have weaned at 4 - 5 months this year as my mares were loosing weight and had been put back in foal. However I have left a colt foal on once until he was a year old as the mare was in good condition, not in foal and I had no one to wean him with. It was of no detriment to him or his mum.

I went to one place where they slowly weaned the foals like Rollin suggests by putting them in a field next door and feeding them seperatly, slowly increasing the time they are in the next door field until they are permanantly left there. He said it always worked well for him and mum and foals were very relaxed about it with no seperation anxiety as they just ended up in next door fields. He did this gradually over months, which is what you could do between now and next spring.
 
Sorry for butting in but I am interested. I have heard that if you don't do a complete break when weaning them they can end up being too attached and therefore nappy and difficult as they get older. Is that an Old Wives tale?
 
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Sorry for butting in but I am interested. I have heard that if you don't do a complete break when weaning them they can end up being too attached and therefore nappy and difficult as they get older. Is that an Old Wives tale?

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Wives tale? In my experience and because of how I keep my horses, Yes.

I simply put my weanlings in a safe field with an older companion or whatever else is suitable, put the mare in a field across the walkway and although they can see each other I stop all contact immediately. The foals don't care, the mare mooches about for a couple of days and then is fine. When she has dried up they all go back in together, foal will probably be told off for trying to drink a couple of times and decides that it isn't the best idea and that's that.

None of my youngsters bother their mums, I can take them away, do anything with them by themselves (I make a point of this actually, I cannot abide nappy horses of any age) and life is generally pretty peaceful.
 
One of mine was a year old when I weaned her this year and the other 10 months, far from being too attached to their mothers they are the complete opposite, they are confident and independent and the weaning process was an absolute doddle as they were naturally feeding less anyway, so it was simple to put them the other side of two strands of electric fence and that was that with no fuss and no calling, they were back in with their mothers after a month and a half where they are right now! Both have been to shows and even stayed away for the weekend and are currently babysitting their 3 month old niece, who adores them.

Have found that at around 6 months I can take the foals out and work with them in the next field and mums take little notice and foals are happy, so I cannot see the point of feeding them extra through a winter when their mothers are much better equipped to do so and they can live more naturally.
 
I weaned at 6 mths & found it very easy, but we had another filly (foal) to put my foal with, we had to put mare & foal back together after 6 mths & they have been back together for 4 weeks & we have had a nightmare with them, but they are getting better slowly, so everyone is different, good luck.
 
i weaned at 5 months- left the foal in her usual field with her usual field companions (an older mare and gelding).

took dam out, walked her down to the yard and onto the horsebox and took her 10 minute drive away to my friend's yard.

foal called once and carried on grazing... mare didn't even neigh!!
 
My horses come in at night at the end of September. So would I stable mum and baby together or put them in adjoining ones. Sorry for going on but I dont want to get it wrong and have them upset if its not necesary x
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