I'm a foster mum! - advice needed

Paint Me Proud

Paint Me Proud

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So i have taken on a 9 months old filly on a sort of loan/foster arrangement.

I'm not paying anything for livery, hay etc but will be providing her with all care etc.

I've not had a foal before so want to make sure I give her the optimum care to insure she grows into a healthy well rounded mare.

Any advice (feeding, rugging, feet care, vaccinations etc) greatly received.
 
erm, where are the pictures??? Lol

I don't really have any advice to be honest as never had one that young but I don't think you need to rug unless you really feel she will struggle and feed wise, provided they have access to plenty of hay and then decent grass in the spring/summer I think that's all they need. If you are too feed hard feed then i would just opt for some simple grass nut type feed to be honest, nothing fancy, just enough to provide the general nutrients etc.
 
I agree less is more and youngsters are better if they are on the slim side as excess weight on their joints is not good. My youngster has had a rug in the absolute worst weather but she doesn't need one generally.:)
 
Paint Me Proud said:
Any advice (feeding, rugging, feet care, vaccinations etc) greatly received.
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My advice is to chose a youngstock feed balancer that suits you and your foal. The foal will need the correct vitamins, minerals and probiotics and these are provided in many of the youngstock balancer feeds available on the market today. A growing foal needs more than just hay and grass however you have to be careful not to over do it. To give you an idea, my foals (similar ages) are only on 1lb per day of balancer at the moment.

If you have a field shelter then the foal may not need a rug. If your field is not sheltered then you possibly will. I've found Weatherbeeta and Amigos are pretty decent pony rugs which fit foals.

The farrier should check their feet when visiting as he can correct any problems that he sees starting to occur. If the feet are growing well and correctly then the foal may not need trimming as frequently as the adult horses. Really it depends on the foal.

Vaccinations are usually started around 6 months old so check to make sure your foal hasn't already had his.

As to handling the foal my advice is to treat it like a small horse rather than a baby. Yes you have to forgive them being young so you make allowances but don't fall into the trap of thinking "awww he's such a cutie I'll let him away with everything". Sooooo many people do this with foals and I think it's a sin and no wonder there are so many screwed up youngsters these days. Be fair with your foal, plenty of praise when he's good but be consistently (but gently) firm when he gets a little out of line.
 
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