Does anyone else feel guilty about weaning....lol

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MrsMagoo

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Am i just being a complete wimp about weaning or does anyone feel guilty about it lol??? The time has finally come for the young man to be weaned and I feel sooo bad lol, i feel like he's gonna hate me for taking his mummy away!!!!

God i'm way tooo soft haha.

Well hoping it will go ok this week, we have the 2 foals to wean now so will be putting them in my stable for a few hours/or overnight until calmed down while mummys go to new fields etc. Is this the best way to do it, just worried as both mums will still be in calling distance, will this affect it at all???

Thanks
 
Do you not do it gradually? seems a bit mean to do it suddenly in one go. I'm probably even wimpier though
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hi both

i know how you both feel but i just think its got to be done lol
i always put foals in and mare go off to new fields but i do do it when its getting a bit dark as the foals dont get to upset and my mares know whats going on too but that works great for me not every one i hope it all goes well for you .
 
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Do you not do it gradually? seems a bit mean to do it suddenly in one go. I'm probably even wimpier though
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i have never took the gradual aprraach and never had any problem. mine was weaned without any problems and your 2 will be fine. they will settle down very quickly.

good luck
 
Yes!! Felt really guilty even though she is eight months old and very independent. We did the sudden way too!!

We put baby and our pony in the stable. Let her speak to her mum for a few minutes then shut the top door and walked mummy down to field to join her old friend and her two year old daughter.

Didn't feel so bad when there wasn't a squeak from her and her mum didn't look back.
 
I felt bad too!!

My spotty filly was just seperated and did fine, her mum didnt even look back! She called a bit but had her friends. My bay filly was done gradually and it was a really nice way to do it and both mum and child were very relaxed and to be homest didnt even seem to notice!
 
It's minus 6 here right now and we weaned three foals today..so yes, I'm feeling very guilty.
I do however think they will be inside the barn eating hay and they have huge fluffy coats too, but this isn't the ideal time, we have hung on much longer than usual to give them a better start, but all their dams are in foal again so really need to take care of themselves now.
They understand the system very well the mares, they get removed to behind the house some half a mile from their foals, and don't really even shout to them.
The foals have been pretty independent lately and they were hanging round with one of the home bred fillies and an older mare, so I think they will follow them inside the barn, which despite this weather will be warm inside. We scrape out the used haylage and muck a few times through the winter but in these conditions leave it alone, the bed heats up and provides a toasty warm surface which keeps them all warm. I know they lie down because in spring they often have "pobs" of muck hanging from the ends of their long coats, which just drop off.
Ideally of course I would have them all in stables rugged and munching hot feed, but I couldn't afford to do that, so they have to rough it a bit!
Provided they have ad lib haylage and water they should cope fine.
My daughter has just gone out to add rugs to some of the brood mares, we couldn't do it earlier due to the hunt (on foot) going through the farm this morning.
Talking about cold, our Aga has just gone on fire and everywhere stinks of oil, I don't know what's worst, being freezing with no heating working properly or this stench...
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I hate weaning and do do it gradually. A breeder I bought my second mare from said if you leave the foals until 9 months it is easier for both.

I only breed my mares alternate years so this is possible.

I am on my third weaning and for me it takes a month plus. Week one separating at night only week two night and day but with a chance to suckle night and morning. Week three in adjoining fields with a friend.

It works for me but I am only a hobby breeder.
 
It would be down to Kent pick up mare!!!!! LOL You lot are tooooooooooooo soft. Its ok I'm having the mare in question so only joking.
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I weaned my foal in Oct. I went through every idea possible and in the end sent them to a stud where he was weaned with other foals. Once mares and foals all happy being together They put 2 foals with their mums together in a very large stable for a couple of nights then take the mares away, shutting top door and monitoring the foals on CCTV.

My foal was not bothered at all but my mare kept screaming and pacing, I picked up my mare a couple of days later as she was still very unsettled, once home she settled a bit better and was fine after a few days back at home with her friend.

I brought the foal home 4 weeks later and they are now out together again and both are fine.

The best part was that I didn't get worried or stressed about any of it as I trusted the yard that I sent them to. IIf I ever have another I'd use them again for weaning without a second thought.
 
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