opinions on how to bring up babies

Devonshire dumpling

Devonshire dumpling

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Here are methods I have seen

1) Leave your baby to be a horse, run free, interact with other youngers, obviously halter train it, but basically be a baby


or




2) Handle your baby like it was an adult, have it in every day ( say from 6 mths old) rug it so its used to things on its back, bath it, put it in a trailer and tow it, take it out on in hand hacks.. so when its 3 yrs old having a rug on, having a bath etc, or going in the trailer is normal for it ?


Notice some of the big time trainers do option 1 !
 
I would go for option 2 but not every day - maybe twice a week. That way you have a well adjusted youngster who will be easier to back but who has also had a lot of time in a herd learning from the adults.
 
For me, option 1. Saw an advert the other day for a yearling. Breeder said the filly had lived out 24/7 in a herd and other youngsters with shelter, hay and no hard feed. That made me want to buy it over the other over produced youngsters.
I do not want to buy a yearling that has been stabled over night, fed hard feed and plaited and trawled around shows.
As long as it can co operate for the farrier, vet and walk in hand, thats good enough for me. Left to play, grow strong limbs and co operate in horse society is just fine.
 
I have a baby! Well hes 11 months old now, and ive had him since he was six months old and ive known him since he was 1 days old

Ive left him to be a baby, Hes halter broken, but not been tied up just stands and lets you put headcoller on and lead round and stuff. He wasnt halter broken untill 6months when weaned of mam.

Hes not been rugged for his first winter, but he will be next winter

Hes been lead on the road, only because the stables are in the yard behind my house and fields in front, its 60mph road, but cars dont go too fast (most of time) Would preferd not have done this, but you can have everything/ he was out 7 am till about 5pm

Best thing i ever did with my baby is put him with my 4yo, for the winter, hes given him alot of manners and respect really!

Hes now out 24/7 with another baby now because i want to break 4 y/o, so ive moved him down the road and left him be baby all summer now, which he will stay untill winter when he comes in at night, but he will not really get any 'training' for couple of years. Aslong as i can catch him incase of emergancys or anything and hes not unsociaball im happy :)
 
I am somewhere in the middle of that. My foals, all my horses, have hands on attention every single day. My youngsters go to kindergarten before they start school properly if you like to think of it that way.

Mares and foals may come in, or they may not, if they do foals are haltered for a few minutes for a quick brush over, feet are always picked up, legs felt and checked.

Youngsters are used to being restrained (not tied - I rarely tie) rope goes through a ring, youngster thinks it is tied up. Blankets are put on/off, legs are washed, blah, blah, blah, they walk into a trailer, come to call, walk over poles and logs, move over, back up, stand, take a bit, get used to things, go for walks. 10 minutes or so out of their day isnt going to hurt them or stop them having time to be babies and learn about being a horse.

So yes, I handle my youngsters enough that they have learnt what's what and are easy to start at 3 or whatever because they have effectively been learning all the basic stuff from day one, therefore it isn't as steep a learning curve for them as it is for a three year old that has been running with a herd and only been halter broken enough to have essential maintenance shall we call it done.

I don't think either way is wrong, each to their own, I have a lot more time to spend with my horses than many other people as it is all I do.
 
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horserider said:
For me, option 1. Saw an advert the other day for a yearling. Breeder said the filly had lived out 24/7 in a herd and other youngsters with shelter, hay and no hard feed. That made me want to buy it over the other over produced youngsters.
I do not want to buy a yearling that has been stabled over night, fed hard feed and plaited and trawled around shows.
.
Click to expand...

Just wondered why?

Bought my baby as a foal, showed him once as a foal, once as a yearling and he's been to two shows this year as a two year old....each time he found it all very exciting and loved it.
He's been stabled each winter, but not rugged although he is happy to wear a rug.
Not for a million pounds would I have left him out over his first winter unrugged and unfed.
I ask the question, why buy a youngster and then do nothing with it? :confused:..especially if not being handled often :confused:
 
Bit of both for me. All youngsters we have had in the past (including some from weanlings) have lived out with company, no rugging and just forage as needed, but we would handle them once or twice a week - bring in for a quick groom, and in process learn to lead, tie up etc, and of course see farrier for trim. Last youngster I had (still have her now as 8 year old) from 6 months old, had the above lifestyle, and as a two year old in the summer I would take her for a little wander down the lane and back once a week to see the sights and sounds, but other than that nothing until I backed her at 4 (and she was very very straightforward to back).
 
My new pony (who is now two) was handled a few times a week. from day one she had her feet picked up, lead, and loaded onto a trailer, but only stayed in a stable for weaning.

The rest of the time she was out in a mixed herd of all ages, mares and geldings 24/7. She has lovely manners and anything new comes easily to her. But she was not dragged to shows, rugged, or had ever left the farm.

I think this was a good mix, as she is un-spoilt and has manners as well as being easy to handle and not bothered by anything. :)
 
I like to leave them time to be youngsters, I hate to see them over handled as tiny babies.

I like to have mine in a field with an assortment of different ages, a field full of youngsters isn't a great idea.

I like them to see me handling the other horses, they learn so much from observation. I also tend to hop on my most sensible mount and ride around the field, the foals then see there is nothing to be worried about. I will spend time in the field bonding with the foal, but I don't expect them to be an adult. I have found over handled youngsters often become quite pushy and "in your face", they need to grow up a little before having a whole heap of responsibility thrown at them.

When the get older I think it is educational to take them for little walks in hand, not only do they enjoy the experience but they learn to accept different situations.

I will rug if it is needed, last winter for example, if I had had a youngster it would have been rugged (all my horses were). If they don't need a rug though, I don't think it beneficial to put one on.
 
It is better for a young horse to be "untouched" rather than badly handled, taught bad habits and frightened, but better still for them to be introduced gently to interesting life experiences.
The pro with a big herd of youngsters hasn't the time to handle them all every day and they can cope with being out all winter with just hay to eat and no rugs if they have some shelter.
With one or two youngsters it is easy to find a few minutes each day to brush and fuss them and ultimately make the breaking-in process less stressful for all concerned.
 
GingerCat said:
Just wondered why?

Bought my baby as a foal, showed him once as a foal, once as a yearling and he's been to two shows this year as a two year old....each time he found it all very exciting and loved it.
He's been stabled each winter, but not rugged although he is happy to wear a rug.
Not for a million pounds would I have left him out over his first winter unrugged and unfed.
I ask the question, why buy a youngster and then do nothing with it? :confused:..especially if not being handled often :confused:
Click to expand...

Being out in the fresh air, running, playing and being taught manners by the older herd members is not doing nothing.
Apart from a general vitamin supplement, I would prefer the yearling not to have its growth excelerated with hard feed. I do not want it standing all night in a stable, much better to out moving and grazing. I do not want it rugged as its own coat can protect it well enough with decent shelter. I only rug lightly if we've had excessive, prolonged rain.
Apart from handling to train to walk respectfully, stand for farrier or first aid treatment, jabs etc. I would not see the advantage of much further training in a foal.
I don't go along with the idea that it makes life easier later, if human interaction has always been postive, than the little one has no preconceived ideas about training being anything other than the next step in an exciting.
adventure.
I'm not saying leave it untouched til its 3, but I can't see the point of training sessions/stabling for long periods, in such a young horse. At 3, the horse will catch up just as quickly as the one more intensively reared.
 
I foal most of mine at home and I will handle the foal by restraining it just by holding my arms around it. I will get it use to having a slip on and off, leading and just picking up its feet. Once they are fine with that then that is good enough. Non of my mares are covered this year so all are out in a field furthest away and although I check them twice a day, non of the foals have been touched for a couple of months. I know that when I bring them in they will be a little wary to start but within minutes will be fine to get a foal slip on and we will pick up where we left off.
 
There is definitely a middle road. You have to be clear about why you are doing what you are doing. Leaving your baby in a field, untouched 'to be a baby', is not such a clever idea when it is in that field in unsuitable company, or if that field is a postage stamp piece of flat ground. You have to bring it up for feet to be trimmed and for worming etc. it can mean the youngster has mainly negative experiences of people.

Handle your foal, when it is on mum, as much as is reasonable. Let it learn from mum that all the stuff you want to do is normal. Go to a show maybe, get it in the lorry, pick up it's feet, teach it to lead.

Turn it out with a bunch of youngsters and other horses to grow up, but bring it up periodically to remind it about headcollars, farriers, and vaccinations, as well as fun stuff like buckets, haynets and warm beds.

Go to the odd in hand show and start educating it as a 3 year old so that when you climb on board it isn't such a shock.

That's my view anyway!
 
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