How long before a weanling can be reunited with "Mum"?

[pennypots]

I weaned my foal nearly two months ago. The mare went away, but has had an accident and has had to come home for some TLC. She is at present on box rest and away from companion and foal, however, when it is time to turn her out, I do not have any facilities to keep her separate from the foal, who is now 10month old. I don't want her to go away again, as I would prefer to look after her myself. How long is a good time to keep mare and foal separte? Her milk is all dried up now.

 

[Holly831]

I usually seperate for 6 weeks, until I am sure the mares milk has dried up so you should be OK.

One of my mares hates her foals once they have been weaned though and will run them out of the field! - I haven't heard of any others doing this so it could just be mine is a grumpy madam!!

 

[Irishlife]

Once the milk is gone, then there will be no problems with mare and foal. Due to a series of knock on circumstances weather etc I could not separate mare and foal out of sight of each other, so I put the foal in a box with another weaned foal and there was no big problem. They were within sight and sound of each other and they were both fine after the first day or so. Now they interact with each other daily and not a bother. The mare dried up fine and the foal does not try to suck. Been around 6 weeks or so.

Your mare and foal will probably greet each other but there will be no problems putting them together.

 

[nijinsky]

I was going to post the same question so hope you don't mind me asking:

My 2 foals have been weaned for 11 weeks now, one dam has gone away and the other dam is in adjacent field. I want to put both foals back in with mares in adjacent field. I have next week off work so the timing is good for me to be around and watch out for any problems there may be. Do you think 11 weeks is long enough keeping them apart? They all very happily groom and say hi over the fence so I don't think there will be any agression from the older mares - I hope.

 

[LazyS]

I weaned my colt at 6 months and left him with his sister for 7 weeks, down the road out of earshot of mum. She was more bothered about him going than he was about losing her (he had his sis to play with). I then sold the filly before Christmas so colt had to come home and go back out with mum. She turned on him as soon as I put him out with her and chased him through the electric fencing. On returning him to the paddock with her he then got chased through again and ended up with my gelding who immediately chased him!!! (Horses!). But on seeing that he was being chased by the gelding the mare immediately changed tack and wanted to protect him. So when I put him back again she was fine and remembered he was 'her baby'! She did not come back into milk and he didn't try to feed. They are fine stabled at night in separate stables. Now I have the problem that they don't want to be separated again! The mare is for sale so it is going to happen, sooner or later!
I had him gelded about three weeks ago, all went well, mum was watching over the stable door. I think if your foal is a colt you need to watch he doesn't try and cover mum or any of the other mares for that matter. I did not experience any of 'those' problems but from what I read on this forum they can do that. He was gelded as I already have his father and don't want another entire (he was not good enough anyway).

 

[Marchell]

I think the important thing to remember is that all mares and foals are different.What may be fine in one circumstance may not work next time with different pairs.

Mares CAN come back into milk, weeks, even months later.Some mares will milk up merely in the presence of foals.These are 'good' brood mares who obviously love being mothers.

The ideal balance is to have a mare who will define boundries for the offspring but be accepting enough to accept the weanlings company without letting it get too attached.