Foal and dam relationship and weaning

[LadyGascoyne]

I may have the opportunity to buy a mare I like a lot but the seller will only sell if I take her foal too.

Foal is absolutely super and I’m going to be very lucky if I get her but she’s younger than I would usually shop for, at 8 months old.

I plan to send to youngstock livery or I do have the option to have a 10 month old filly here at home to keep her company.

Foal has been apart from her dam for 6 weeks. I’ve always thought that they needed 2 months minimum apart to wean properly but have generally had mares apart for much longer - 6 months or so- just as a result of logistics so am more used to a longer period apart.

Should I be traveling them separately? It’s 3 hour trip and foal has only traveled once before and loose with her dam.

And should I keep them absolute separate, on different yards, or would others turn out on the same yard but in different fields?

 

[Meowy Catkin]

My gelding was weaned (IIRC just until her milk dried up) and then went back in with his dam and another mare. I was told that his dam was very soft on him but the other mare thankfully gave him some manners. When I bought him at 18months approx he settled with my ex broodmare straight away and then was introduced to the other mares later. He was herd savvy and I don't think living with his dam had any negative effect on him. I wouldn't have liked her to have been his only companion though due to her soft nature (ETA) and because he's quite full of himself.

 

[milliepops]

interested in the replies to this. it took about another 6 months for my homebred to stop looking to suckle her new friend when she was weaned (at 6 months). She was reintroduced to her dam at 18 months and it was all fine and dandy by then

 

[honetpot]

Mine live in mixed herds, and usually the foal will have companions it associates with, and the mare goes off on their own. They may have the odd suck if they are worried. If they are well socialised I just split the group with electric fence or take the foal and the herd pal somewhere else for a while and they then rejoin the group. So it depends on how confident the foal is, if it's anxious I would leave it with mum for comfort, and then introduce them to the herd and then re split them. If you have another young animal or even old pony, turn the foal out with them. The mare should have dried up, so there shouldn't be any incentive for the foal to want to suckle.

 

[Xmasha]

last years foal was separated from her mum for about 2 months , 4 weeks mum was away completely at another yard, she dried up and came home, then they had another 4 weeks across the fence from each other. they then went back out together. You wouldnt know she was her mum as she pays no attention to her whatsoever. My old girl only needed 3 weeks away, she would dry up very quickly and then wouldnt let them suckle again.
Before weaning Aria would look at her with big doey eyes,but now does tell her off like any other youngster. So on that basis id travel them separately. ( Asha , my old girl would be fine , so it really depends on the mare )

 

[Caol Ila]

I weaned at the start of January. Hermosa is on a different part of the yard than Caso. She dried up quickly. But yesterday, Caso's owner and I misstimed it and Hermosa saw Caso from about 20m away. She got very upset and started dancing around and whinnying like crazy. I quickly took her around a corner, and she settled once he was out of sight. Caso is very attached to his uncles and surrogate daddies, so he wasn't nearly as bothered.

 

[tda]

I would probably travel them separately, even tho it's more hassle.
The shortest time I've had a mare away from the foal before reintroducing them both was about 3-4 weeks. Mare went off to be covered, foal stayed in herd.
Mare came back, initially foal went to suckle, mum said no, but I thought I saw them together later that day.
However mum obviously thought better and no further attempts were allowed. ?

 

[Equi]

It might depend how attached the foal is to the dam. My first foal was Independant from day one and mum let her toddle off with uncle gelding out of sight after a few days. I think to wean I kept her separate with uncle for a few weeks then put her back with the herd and she never suckled again but her and mum just adopted an adult relationship. The problem with your set up is the foal may turn to mum for comfort and want to suckle again for that reason but it’s hard to know.