Judging a foal's temperament...

[RIDMagic]

Hi all,
Hoping for a bit of advice. I am looking at buying an Irish Draught foal towards the end of this year. My main priority will be temperament, i.e. something calm, level headed and safe that I can trust.
Of course I will take into account the temperament of the dam and sire, but to what extent can you judge a foal's temperament in the very early stages?
I have found a very reputable breeder that I know has bred some very successful youngsters over the years, and will be viewing their foals in May/June and hopefully leaving a deposit on my chosen one!
Is it possible to judge in the first few weeks of the foal's life with any reliability the foal's future personality/temperament?
Thanks for any advice!

 

[Spring Feather]

Is it possible to judge in the first few weeks of the foal's life with any reliability the foal's future personality/temperament?

Yes you can. You can see their personalities and temperament start to shine through very quickly after their birth. However personality and temperament, although natural and likely genetic, can be altered depending on their life experience ie how their dam raises them, how other horses within the field interact with them, how they are kept in/out, how their handlers deal with them and in time how their riders work with them.

 

[JanetGeorge]

However personality and temperament, although natural and likely genetic, can be altered depending on their life experience ie how their dam raises them, how other horses within the field interact with them,

This is SO true. I have 11 weanlings in at present - 8 pure ID, the rest IDx. I know their dams and sires very well and have raised older siblings to all of them so KNOW what to expect. Only one colt has surprised me - he's as wild as stink at present although his 3 older sisters were all sweeties. But the dam was in a different mare group when she had him at foot and was much lower down the pecking order - so HE learnt to run away (from other horses). When he was with Mu, he'd come up to us - without her, he runs away from us. It's a problem that WILL be overcome - just needs more work. But MOST of them are just like their siblings in behavour and levels of friendliness.

 

[Clodagh]

With my vast knowledge of having bred one foal! Piper as a foal was calm, confident and curious. He always liked people and at a young age would leave his dam to come and see us if we were doing stuff in his field. She was a bit of a stress head but his sire was very calm. now as a just 3 year old he is still very much the same as he was as a foal, much calmer than mum (who he doesn't live with now, he is in with older geldings).

 

[Hurricanelady]

This is SO true. I have 11 weanlings in at present - 8 pure ID, the rest IDx. I know their dams and sires very well and have raised older siblings to all of them so KNOW what to expect. Only one colt has surprised me - he's as wild as stink at present although his 3 older sisters were all sweeties. But the dam was in a different mare group when she had him at foot and was much lower down the pecking order - so HE learnt to run away (from other horses). When he was with Mu, he'd come up to us - without her, he runs away from us. It's a problem that WILL be overcome - just needs more work. But MOST of them are just like their siblings in behavour and levels of friendliness.

Totally agree with this. My first foal had a somewhat challenging start in life including a number of unavoidable home moves with his dam, having to start slightly later in life than I would have preferred with headcollar/handling training, getting kicked in the weaning herd resulting in a hospital operation & 2 week stay there, 4 months on a convalescent yard, his owners from a week old (us!) going through a steep learning curve as it was our first foal; and some growth related leg issues.

Such a lot for a baby to cope with in his first year. Predictably during all this there were times when he threw his toys out of the pram and said no (although really only to attempted dressing of the wound) and/or he was just a normal exuberant colt who when he was young did manage to land a kick or two on us, and had a few temper tantrum rearing episodes. Kind but fair and experienced handling (I definitely asked for help when I needed it) has worked wonders and he's easy to handle now and affectionate; although clearly needs firm boundaries and a consistent routine (which they all do IMHO). I have never met his sire, but was told by the stud standing him at the time that he "is fine if he respects you" and you can read into that what you will, but not an unreasonable statement about any horse TBH!!

This year's foal has been much easier - is that because his sire and his dam are both very easy to handle and have lovely personalities, he has had only 2 homes in his life (stud & our yard), he has had no traumatic events as the other one did, the mare seemed to be more stable and less depressed than last year; and we were now doing it for the second time and felt a lot more confident? Who knows but I'm sure a combination of these factors has contributed to his absolutely lovely and calm nature.

Good luck

 

[RIDMagic]

Thanks everyone for your replies. It's really interesting to get your insights.

So the consensus seems to be that a foal's temperament can be judged fairly reliably from a very early age (perhaps even in the first few days?) assuming their first few months in the herd are relatively calm and trouble free.

I owned a foal for a period several years ago, but would not go so far as to class myself as experienced with youngsters. However, I firmly believe that with a lot of patience, hard work, commitment and the ability to ask for help when it is needed, raising a foal does not have to be limited to only the most experienced people.

Having said that, I think it is very important to make the process as easy as possible by choosing a foal that isn't going to challenge me every single step of the way, hence my question about temperament.

Thanks again, and any more insights are more than welcome!

 

[Spring Feather]

So the consensus seems to be that a foal's temperament can be judged fairly reliably from a very early age (perhaps even in the first few days?) assuming their first few months in the herd are relatively calm and trouble free.

Yes temperament shows very quickly indeed. You get inklings within hours of the foals birth as to what sort of demeanor it will have and that is usually confirmed within days. If the foal you buy comes from an established mare-herd who have all lived together with previous foals then the breeder should be able to advise you on which foal suits you best. It's easy to see personalities when you visit and go into the herd even if on the first visit when you have never met the foals. It's a bit like with a litter of puppies, there's always one that stands out and 'speaks' to you. Sounds very exciting! Wish you luck