Natural weaning

I always naturally wean my own foals. Always been easy and non-stressful for all concerned.
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my daughters very 1st pony -a shetland was naturally weaned.
And do think it made her a better pony for it.
She used to go into field,token suck at mum then off to beat up the big boys!!
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Thanks both, when have you noticed mum starts saying 'no'? I think my mare has started pushing baby away as she only ever suckles after both have had some feed but no other time?
There are times when baby tries and mum swishes her tail or gives her a little nip.

Thanks
 
I think that really depends on the mare to be honest. Our pony mare has been shooing her foal away for the last month and her foal is 6 months now. The other mare has been trying to discourage her foal for about a week now and her foal is only 2 months old.

The last foal I bred, previous to these two, had the Mother from heaven (in his mind anyway), she only started to get a little fed up with him at about 8 or 9 months old.
 
Hmm, ill monitor it then.. baby is extremely independadnt and only ever bothers with mum if shes frighetned. When put in a stable together mum gets annoyed and constantly tries to nip her when shes trying to shove mum out of the way.

Its very much become a battle of whos who, but take mum away and baby gets more stressed than vice versa.
 
I don't do natural weaning (have heard of mares letting foals and yearlings suckle when that's done!) but I do gradual weaning when foals are about 10 months old - I find by that stage that the foal is pretty independent and the mare is more than ready to let them go. Done it this way twice now and had the mare shouting for about an hour and then nothing. Foals haven't seemed to notice!
 
Ah, no in my case, I always start the mare back into work when the foal is around 2 months old. Our little pony mare started going out for short rides when her foal was a month old and has been going out for long rides since her foal was about 2 months old. Her foal doesn't care as she is used to Mummy being gone for 3 or 4 hours.

If I was you I would stable them separately overnight IF you have stables right next to each other where the foal can still sniff Mum over the door. I'd also have the mare back in work, even if it is just for short rides.
 
i left my two to it really.
just put them in own stable at night when filly was around 11months old then she went in her won field with a pal.worked great.
put some cribbox on mums udders to put her off drinking and it worked fantastically.no stress AT all for either of them
mum was goin out for rides when she was7months old onwards(baby left at home)
 
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