Foal sedation help

[vikkibeth]

I have a 6 month foal standing just over 14.1hh she is very highly strung and can only get near her on her terms but only really for a quick stroke. She had a suspected broken leg 2 months ago and when the vet came over she had to fully sedate her to get near her and that it self was a major occasion. While she was dopey we managed to slip a head coller on her but now she's growing and I concerned that it will be getting tight on her. Any suggestions as to what we can do to get close enough to loosen it? I have already try sedaline but it didn't seem to make a difference.

 

[Spring Feather]

So you got your black beauty foal in the end? Can I firstly ask, where are all the people and the YO that you alleged were knowledgable and happy to be your backbone in helping you raise a foal? Genuine question BTW.

Do you have access to a stable? If not, I'd get one PDQ.

 

[forestfantasy]

Is she out?

If so i assume with company/mum?

You need to find some way of leading her companion/mum in with her following (obviously so she can't get loose, you need some sort of funnel to the stable) Lead the other horse in and let her follow.

Once shes in you and a helper or 2 will have to corner her and catch her. Adjust the headcollar then put her in her own stable (assuming she is weaned) Sit in her stable for a day, with a book and let her sniff you and get used to your presence.

You may have to keep her in for a few days until she trusts you better & gets used to being handled.

The best thing to do imo is to bring her in and stable her every night over winter, she'll soon get used to being handled & the routine.

Good luck

 

[forestfantasy]

Also chuck the sedaline away!

 

[Ibblebibble]

Is she out?

If so i assume with company/mum?

You need to find some way of leading her companion/mum in with her following (obviously so she can't get loose, you need some sort of funnel to the stable) Lead the other horse in and let her follow.

Once shes in you and a helper or 2 will have to corner her and catch her. Adjust the headcollar then put her in her own stable (assuming she is weaned) Sit in her stable for a day, with a book and let her sniff you and get used to your presence.

You may have to keep her in for a few days until she trusts you better & gets used to being handled.

The best thing to do imo is to bring her in and stable her every night over winter, she'll soon get used to being handled & the routine.

Good luck

agree with this, i have a 2yr old at the moment who hasn't had much handling, can't get near him in the paddock without a bucket of food and the only place he'll let you handle him without food is in the stable. He is going to be handled every day until he becomes more trusting, it's the only way to do it, they don't just become friendly on their own

 

[xTrooperx]

if weaned - first thing find yourself a stable, leave to settle for a day.. do everything in the stable with her inside mucking out/water/feed etc.. and keep talking do not try and catch her but if she allows a stoke on neck/shoulder most seem better with first contact there than face.. probably day 2/3 find a larger head collar and slip on and off over her old one morning and evening dont need to do up, hopefully the next day do the on off thing again, then that evening with the bigger headcollar do the on/off thing but then do up bit over ears take off old one and finish putting new one on.

will take a couple of days but better then a sedation, and the bond process with humans is also starting to form.

 

[Miss L Toe]

After two months of sitting in the stable I went out side the door, and got a rope on her head=collar that way.

 

[AmyMay]

Goodness me.

 

[starbar]

Is she out?

If so i assume with company/mum?

You need to find some way of leading her companion/mum in with her following (obviously so she can't get loose, you need some sort of funnel to the stable) Lead the other horse in and let her follow.

Once shes in you and a helper or 2 will have to corner her and catch her. Adjust the headcollar then put her in her own stable (assuming she is weaned) Sit in her stable for a day, with a book and let her sniff you and get used to your presence.

You may have to keep her in for a few days until she trusts you better & gets used to being handled.

The best thing to do imo is to bring her in and stable her every night over winter, she'll soon get used to being handled & the routine.

Good luck

^^^ this. getting hold of her initially maybe a bit of a rodeo but if you can hang on for a few seconds they usually calm down quite quickly. Then keep her in for a bit.

A word of warning though, you may need to shut the top door at first when you aren't there. My coblet was shut in a little barn with a 5 foot high metal gate to keep him in when I first got him home. I got him off the lorry after picking him up, shut him in, turned my back for 2 minutes and he reared up and got his front legs over. Next thing I knew he was slithering over and I sort of caught him on the other side. Not fun!

 

[HazyXmas]

Is the foal still with the mare? I thought that they would usually be fairly well handled by six months old?

My friends & I bought some wild New Forest ponies from the sales a few years ago, we had the same problem as you, someone, in their wisdom had put a head collar on my yearling & also on my friends 5 month old foal. When we got home i shut the yearling in a stable, she'd never been handled & been through the sales twice, it took me three weeks of spending hours with her to get the old head collar off, she stayed in until i was happy that i could put one on & take it off again.
My friend turned her foal out & then couldn't ever catch it! After about six months she could see that the headcollar was so tight it was causing sores. She had to have the RSPCA out with a dart gun & a vet to give antidote so it turned out to be an expensive experience.

Sarah Weston has written a fabulous book about handling young/wild ponies, i can't remember what it's called but you should be able to find it.

Get your filly into a stable & start teaching her some manners.

Let us know how you get on. Good luck

 

[CBFan]

Get the foal into a stable and close both doors then spend time going in the stable and let her approach you to begin with. once she is confident that you pose no threat you will be able to approach her and eventually touch her and Eventually get a headcollar sorted but given that she has already learnt that humans are horrid you might have a bit of a time convincing her. It is going to take time and putting her in a more confined space is the only way you are going to be able to do it. It might be that you will be unable to muck out for some time without her escaping so plan to deep litter. That means fresh bedding on top of the dirty each day. Obviously not a long term solution but needs must and all that.

After two to 3 weeks you should have a fairly well handled foal and be able to move to practicing leading and then short turnout sessions, gradually extending them.

If this foal had been handled from the start, it would never have been this traumatic or drastic...

 

[starbar]

Get the foal into a stable and close both doors then spend time going in the stable and let her approach you to begin with. once she is confident that you pose no threat you will be able to approach her and eventually touch her and Eventually get a headcollar sorted but given that she has already learnt that humans are horrid you might have a bit of a time convincing her. It is going to take time and putting her in a more confined space is the only way you are going to be able to do it. It might be that you will be unable to muck out for some time without her escaping so plan to deep litter. That means fresh bedding on top of the dirty each day. Obviously not a long term solution but needs must and all that.

After two to 3 weeks you should have a fairly well handled foal and be able to move to practicing leading and then short turnout sessions, gradually extending them.

If this foal had been handled from the start, it would never have been this traumatic or drastic...

Good advice
I found with one of my very unhandled weanlings that mucking out around them while they were shut in the stable helped them get used to me as I was around them but not focused on them. I bought the barrow in, shut the door and got on with it. It didn't stress them out. At first they stayed at the back of the stable but in time came forward to have a sniff and then ended up standing next to me while I mucked out.
Admittedly it was a fairly level headed cobby baby and had it been flying round the stable I wouldn't have done this but it worked well for me.

 

[bugbee717]

Vicki if you need a hand give me a buzz x