Foals- purchasers and breeders please read

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teddyt

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This is a plea to anyone who is due to sell a foal or anyone thinking of buying one.

Time and again recently i am hearing of foals that are removed from their dams on the day of purchase. To make matters worse they are often unhandled and colt foals are frequently castrated the same week. The stress these horses have to suffer is considerable. The physical and mental damage that is caused by abrupt weaning can potentially affect a horse for the rest of its life.

Ten year olds at pony club learn to make changes to the diet gradually. Yet at this time of year thousands of foals are abruptly removed from their dams with no gradual introduction to a different diet. The negative effects on the digestive system that this can cause include pain, illness and chronic damage.

Think how this foal near me must be thinking and feeling-

Foal happily out in a field with mum, eating grass and drinking milk. Sees a human once a day if its lucky, at a distance. Foal wakes up one day and is man handled into a horsebox. Because it is distressed it is obviously reluctant to be handled so foal is shut in a strange stable 24 hours a day because it wont be caught. No mum, no milk, no equine contact. Just a strange person with a hook on a pole, some hay and a bucket of course mix
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. Just because it says foal mix on the bag doesnt mean to say that its ok! So distressed foal with no friends, missing its mum, hungry, painful stomach ulcers due to lack of food and change in diet, has a pole shoved in its face and 'forced' to accept strange person touching it.

Please if you are thinking of buying a foal will you question the breeder as to how much it has been handled and when/how it was/will be weaned. Maybe then a few more people will stop and think about the stress they are causing and more horses will stand half a chance of a better start in life. There is more to welfare than providing food and water.

There is a better way to wean- gradually. It just takes a bit more time and effort from the breeder but the positive effects this has on the foal are immense.

Ok, rant over
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I do agree with you and do hope breeders don't separate and sell on just like that. I have only bred two foals and both stay with dam until 9-10 months and are then slowly separated. Mine get plenty of strokes and touching on a daily basis.

This one is 7 months old and a really independent little madam.

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I think you're mistaken in your belief that all ocassions of abrupt weaning cause distress and angst to the foal.

Providing the foals are old enough and independent enough, and are weaned within a group they are well established with, then for the most part there's quite no problem.

By an established group I do mean other youngsters that they have been raised with and of course older family members who act as their chaparones.

I 100% agree that the circumstances you describe are totally unacceptable.

It's interesting to read one or two posts on here from total novices who do seem to have purchased themselves a foal in less than totally ideal situations. So maybe as an addendum to your original post, you could also add to the list novice owners (particularly those with absolutely no horse sense).
 
I do gradual weaning because it suits me and I think it suits my mares and my foals best - but I have no problem with abrupt weaning if it's done properly, i.e. foals who know each other and have already been introduced to bucket feed being separated from dams but staying with the same group of foals it knows!

But to me the benefits of gradual weaning FAR outweigh the extra time and effort it takes.

The mares dry up better.
The foals make a more gradual transition from milk to no milk
The stress for both mare and foal is reduced.
And while you're doing gradual weaning, you can take the time to remind foals of the basic lessons in leading etc.

The way I do it is to put two foals into one big box with a mare either side (so they can see and sniff their foals.) The boxes I use have weldmesh above the kicking boards for the full length of the wall.

Mares and foals go to the manege morning and evening for 20 minutes - to stretch their legs and for foals to drink. They do that for 5-7 days, then only once a day for another few days, then they are separated completely - the foals staying together stabled - the mares returned to a far field. There is virtually no yelling or racing around from the mares - just a bit of yelling from the foals.

If a colt is ready to be gelded before weaning, it is done at LEAST a month before - otherwise any colts are put together and gelding is left until the spring.
 
There are obviously varying ways of weaning, from taking the foal away abruptly to step by step. This can be with/without the company of other foals/horses.

It is obviously better the way you have described compared to how i explained above, by removing the foal and taking it to a new home, which i find disgraceful. However, apart from personal experience, there are a great number of research studies that have shown the best way to wean (for physical and mental health) is gradually. This is to gradually increase the length of time a foal spends seperated from its dam, rather than a sudden seperation. The incidence of stomach ulcers in abruptly weaned (including the way you described) foals is very high.

This is the way i have weaned many foals and i can honestly say i have not once had an even slightly stressed foal or dam.

Yes, i agree. Novice owners and foals are not a good combination. Particularly if the foal has been abruptly weaned!
 
Your point about the mares drying up better is a good one too. i also believe that.

I have gradually weaned many foals, all outside. The method i use is i take away the mare to an adjoining paddock. They can still see each other and touch through the fence. I do this everyday/every other day starting for about 30 minutes and gradually increasing the time. Alot of the time the foals dont even notice because unless i have to do it earlier for some reason they are at least 9 months old. Then after about 3 weeks i seperate them completely, in adjacent paddocks and they both have known friends.

I like this way because both mares and foals are happy. No sweating, calling or charging about
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Very good point. I know of a novice owner who has just bought a 3-4 month old foal from someone who apparantely 'saved it' from the meat market. God help them both!
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Ours are weaned abruptly, stay in a group with other youngsters, and adapt to it readily - mares usually look delighted!

Don't have a set age, generally go by how much hard feed they're eating - once they're putting away plenty i'll take them off the mare, they're well used to the weaning ration by then.

Generally keep them in for a while after weaning, get them used to being handled, loaded, walk over polythene sheets, etc etc, spend a bit of time with them through the winter. By time they're 12 months old they're out full time, and I only handle them for farrier, vet etc until they're coming up on 3. It seems to work - they come in as 3 yos as obliging willing youngsters, and backing very straight forward - they don't seem to forget the work done as weanlings.
 
My foalie was handled daily, used to travelling (she thinks the trailer equals a party) and on her own feed, and we were all prepared for a more gradual weaning until her mother damaged herself so sucessfully she had 4 months of box rest.

So at 5 1/2 months old, nearly ready to wean, and we are faced with putting a 5 1/2 month old, bouncypants foal on box rest....needless to say, that wasn't a good option, so she was weaned.

Shes now 18 months old, a very good doer, incredibly confident, bright and inquisitive little person.

Might not have been ideal, however, there are times that gradual weaning might not be best, but with enough preparation, and ensuring foalie goes to a group of youngsters and older horses to have plenty of equine contact, it can all work out OK.
 
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