D
Donkeymad
Guest
What are your thoughts? Good or bad?
Let the debate begin (I'm hiding behind the sofa
!!)
Let the debate begin (I'm hiding behind the sofa
Tia
Well-Known Member
I don't care for full imprinting myself - however I do firmly believe in bonding with a young foal alongside the mare.
Enfys
Well-Known Member
Some of it goes a bit too far I think, hair dryers, plastic bags and fingers up bottoms before the poor little mite even stands up is ridiculous, why can't the foal and dam just be left to introduce themselves properly for a while first.
Obviously human intervention can't always be avoided if there is a problem, but there is plenty of time after a foal is up and feeding to handle them.
Obviously human intervention can't always be avoided if there is a problem, but there is plenty of time after a foal is up and feeding to handle them.
Navalgem
Well-Known Member
what is it exactly?
Enfys
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
what is it exactly?
[/ QUOTE ]
This is the first article on the list that appeared when I Googled it:
Imprinting Your Foal
Many people would argue that you ruin a horse by handling them too young. I would count among these people many racehorse trainers/owners. Fortunately for them, they are not the ones who handle these horses on a day to day basis. I, personally believe in the earlier the start in the training, the better the 'base' or foundation that you lay for your horse. When you have a very solid base or foundation in place you can help to guarantee that horse a better life over all. The more often a horse can answer yes to a human's question the more likely he is to be treated kindly by humans in general.
Imprinting is a good way to start. When a foal is born you have a 2 to 3 hour window of opportunity for imprinting. If the birth has gone well for both mare and foal, you can begin a training process just after the birth. Difficult births need to be handled as medical necessity dictates.
Typical births last about 20 minutes. The mare rests a bit then begins the process of passing the placenta. In the high powered, high priced world of t'bred racing there are usually attendants present. Just after birth, the foal is wet and hungry. It takes them a bit of time to get sternal and aware of their surroundings. With attendants present at most births, this is the time to step in and introduce ourselves to the foal.
With dry towels, rub the baby all over their bodies. Use your hands and the towel to touch everwhere. With the towel, rub every part of the body. The tail, the legs, the feet, the belly, the head, the ears, the nose. With your hands and fingers (wash your hands pre birth) touch the inside of the ears, the inside of the mouth, the legs, the feet. Stroke and pet baby. Take the babies temperature. Lift the tail up and down. Think ahead. What are some of the things you might need to do to this baby over the next couple of weeks. Touch around the umbilical stump. On and off a halter several times.
Once the baby is dry and momma is ready to nurse the baby. Step back and let momma and baby bond. Baby needs that colostrum. Once baby has nursed and the mare has successfully passed the placenta (and you have cleaned up all the blood and gore out of the stall and rebedded like the good horsekeepers that I think you are) you can do a bit more. If mom is willing, on and off the halter a few more times. Ask the baby to let you touch it's legs while it's standing. If the baby is cooperative, ask the baby to pick up it's feet. Rub and pet on baby. Reward baby everytime it lets you do something new. Lift that tail up and down a few more times from the standing position. Ask with the halter for baby to bend it's neck to the left and right. If we're really feeling cooperative, attach a lead shank and ask baby to take a step or two forward when you take the slack out of the shank. Always go back to petting and scratching on baby when it does something you asked. Always be friendly. Never force a newborn. Most important in this process is being friendly.
This is your opportunity to convince this foal that humans are friends. That humans are worthy of trust. Always smile and coo to the little one. They, like human babies are loud noise sensitive when first born.
If this process is done well and thoroughly, you will have a head start on training your new baby. By day number 2, I often find them very inquisitive about humans. They like your company and contact. They tolerate the necessities of newborn care much better if they have been imprinted. Often these 'necessities' involve dipping the stump, pulling blood for a colostrum uptake test, taking the temp., learning to lead out to the paddock with the mare. Your time spent at birth will pay off.
If your mare is cooperative and you're feeling inventive, use some "spooky" objects. Rub your baby all over with a piece of plastic bag, a shavings bag, a saddle pad. Use your imagination. Always be friendly. Always be gentle. Just be careful not to overwhelm your youngster. If the feet want to move away from you, the baby is scared, therefore overwhelmed.
what is it exactly?
[/ QUOTE ]
This is the first article on the list that appeared when I Googled it:
Imprinting Your Foal
Many people would argue that you ruin a horse by handling them too young. I would count among these people many racehorse trainers/owners. Fortunately for them, they are not the ones who handle these horses on a day to day basis. I, personally believe in the earlier the start in the training, the better the 'base' or foundation that you lay for your horse. When you have a very solid base or foundation in place you can help to guarantee that horse a better life over all. The more often a horse can answer yes to a human's question the more likely he is to be treated kindly by humans in general.
Imprinting is a good way to start. When a foal is born you have a 2 to 3 hour window of opportunity for imprinting. If the birth has gone well for both mare and foal, you can begin a training process just after the birth. Difficult births need to be handled as medical necessity dictates.
Typical births last about 20 minutes. The mare rests a bit then begins the process of passing the placenta. In the high powered, high priced world of t'bred racing there are usually attendants present. Just after birth, the foal is wet and hungry. It takes them a bit of time to get sternal and aware of their surroundings. With attendants present at most births, this is the time to step in and introduce ourselves to the foal.
With dry towels, rub the baby all over their bodies. Use your hands and the towel to touch everwhere. With the towel, rub every part of the body. The tail, the legs, the feet, the belly, the head, the ears, the nose. With your hands and fingers (wash your hands pre birth) touch the inside of the ears, the inside of the mouth, the legs, the feet. Stroke and pet baby. Take the babies temperature. Lift the tail up and down. Think ahead. What are some of the things you might need to do to this baby over the next couple of weeks. Touch around the umbilical stump. On and off a halter several times.
Once the baby is dry and momma is ready to nurse the baby. Step back and let momma and baby bond. Baby needs that colostrum. Once baby has nursed and the mare has successfully passed the placenta (and you have cleaned up all the blood and gore out of the stall and rebedded like the good horsekeepers that I think you are) you can do a bit more. If mom is willing, on and off the halter a few more times. Ask the baby to let you touch it's legs while it's standing. If the baby is cooperative, ask the baby to pick up it's feet. Rub and pet on baby. Reward baby everytime it lets you do something new. Lift that tail up and down a few more times from the standing position. Ask with the halter for baby to bend it's neck to the left and right. If we're really feeling cooperative, attach a lead shank and ask baby to take a step or two forward when you take the slack out of the shank. Always go back to petting and scratching on baby when it does something you asked. Always be friendly. Never force a newborn. Most important in this process is being friendly.
This is your opportunity to convince this foal that humans are friends. That humans are worthy of trust. Always smile and coo to the little one. They, like human babies are loud noise sensitive when first born.
If this process is done well and thoroughly, you will have a head start on training your new baby. By day number 2, I often find them very inquisitive about humans. They like your company and contact. They tolerate the necessities of newborn care much better if they have been imprinted. Often these 'necessities' involve dipping the stump, pulling blood for a colostrum uptake test, taking the temp., learning to lead out to the paddock with the mare. Your time spent at birth will pay off.
If your mare is cooperative and you're feeling inventive, use some "spooky" objects. Rub your baby all over with a piece of plastic bag, a shavings bag, a saddle pad. Use your imagination. Always be friendly. Always be gentle. Just be careful not to overwhelm your youngster. If the feet want to move away from you, the baby is scared, therefore overwhelmed.
Navalgem
Well-Known Member
Cheers.
Never thought bout googling it, duh!
ok, I think mare and foal bond is most important and let baby suckle the go and introduce yourself to it, although I introduced myself to Kali when she was trying to stand up, I caught her and held her for a minute till she was steady then let her go and she wobbled over to her mum! Cant say I did much more other than stroke her and scratch behind her ears, neck, withers and rump. The halter might be an idea I guess cause had a fight to get one on her at 3 weeks and she keeps taken them off now! I dunno, I dont like the idea of interferring too much though, but definately handle and bond with the foal.
ok, I think mare and foal bond is most important and let baby suckle the go and introduce yourself to it, although I introduced myself to Kali when she was trying to stand up, I caught her and held her for a minute till she was steady then let her go and she wobbled over to her mum! Cant say I did much more other than stroke her and scratch behind her ears, neck, withers and rump. The halter might be an idea I guess cause had a fight to get one on her at 3 weeks and she keeps taken them off now! I dunno, I dont like the idea of interferring too much though, but definately handle and bond with the foal.
christine48
Well-Known Member
We just handle our foals and have never had any problems. I think the mare and foal should be left alone as much as possible to bond immediately after the birth.
Foxford
Well-Known Member
I don't know anyone who has done it but it seems a bit too much too soon. There's nothing wrong with doing all this stuff when they are a few weeks old. I wouldn't want to push it too hard, as that might "imprint" the wrong things!!!
D
Donkeymad
Guest
A lot of people go much further than this, doing some very intrusive and/or overpowering thngs with the foals immediately after birth.
Another article:
http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/showarticle_pf.cfm?id=79
Another article:
http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/showarticle_pf.cfm?id=79
PapaFrita
Well-Known Member
Weeeell, I've heard breeders here say that imprinting a new born foal makes it much easier to handle a year or so later when it has been turned away and not had much by way of human contact (this is fairly common practice in Argentina) but that if you're going to handle the foal regularly from a young age it doesn't make any difference.
Personally I'd rather let mum and foal be for the first few hours after birth before trying to handle the foal.
From what I've read and heard, imprinting sounds very intrusive on mum and baby.
Personally I'd rather let mum and foal be for the first few hours after birth before trying to handle the foal.
From what I've read and heard, imprinting sounds very intrusive on mum and baby.
Faithkat
Well-Known Member
I agree with Tia. I've heard some very bad reports of serious imprinting leading to very confused young horses later in life.
MillionDollar
Well-Known Member
Yes, agreed. We studied imprinting in our degree and although it makes it easier in the first year of the foals' life, after this it has been found that they can go a bit 'wierd' and actually become difficult and there have been some that are completely ruined and are never completely right.
Spot_the_Risk
Well-Known Member
I think we did a lot of this by accident, as the mare decided to boot the foal all the time, and so we had to hold the mare, and give the foal every assistance to get onto the nipple. In this time we of course handled her all over, not as a concious imprinting thing though. By the time she was two days old, she had all her feet picked up a little bit, ears pulled, nostrils and mouth poked into, eyes covers with my hands, arms right around her middle (like a surcingale) nipples and fanny/bum area touched, and generally prodded and pushed around! She has accepted all of this, and we don't over do it, I guess I lift up her feet once every 10 days or so, and she has a headcollar on occasionally. The plus points? She comes to call, likes all humans and approached them, but you can drive her away with body language, and is a dream to worm with a syringe! And when I hug her, and lean over so she can see me above her from the other side, I fantasise that backing her will be a doddle as she has been used to seeing me hanging over her! Call me an optimist if you like!
A very experienced breeder I know has semi-imprinted her one and only foal this year, and says she wishes she had been doing it for the previous 40 years, it has made him so much easier to handle.
A very experienced breeder I know has semi-imprinted her one and only foal this year, and says she wishes she had been doing it for the previous 40 years, it has made him so much easier to handle.