Reprimanding / correcting a very young foal?

mynutmeg

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My foal is 5 days and is a little shyt - he's an absolute dude, very confident, likes his scratches and quite happy to come to the stable door to say hello to his admirers - however - he is a bit free with his hind legs. He's been double barrelling mom for a few days when they're turned out but this morning both times he was released from being led (out to and in from the field) he's kicked out. He isn't aiming or deliberatly kicking I don't think however while it's not painful yet (he managed to catch me) when hes a few weeks bigger and stronger it's not going to be pleasant so I'd rather get on top of it now but am not sure how to go about telling him off without putting him off people. The mare is just letting him away with it - she's more concerned about keeping him under her nose. I think this will eventually change but she's a maiden so not done it before. The only time so far he's done this to people is when he's been released from being led in and out but I really don't want this to develop into a habit with him.
He is a proper little colt but we do want him to have some manners as I don't want to be tackling a 6 month old with no manners.
 

imafluffybunny

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If a young foal aimed a kick at me I would clap my hands at them and chase them out of my space, once bigger they would get a rubber bucket thrown at them!! I have never had to reprimand a foal more than a couple of times for kicking, they are just seeing what they can get away with.
Mum should soon get bored with him kicking her, she is obviously still too loved up!
 

Jools2345

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at that age i would avoid putting myself or anyone else in a situation he could get them. he is being fresh by the sounds of it and TBH the best way to avoid fresh full of beans foals is to have them out 24hrs per day 7 days per week
 

mynutmeg

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If a young foal aimed a kick at me I would clap my hands at them and chase them out of my space, once bigger they would get a rubber bucket thrown at them!! I have never had to reprimand a foal more than a couple of times for kicking, they are just seeing what they can get away with.
Mum should soon get bored with him kicking her, she is obviously still too loved up!

Very much so - he's running her ragged!

at that age i would avoid putting myself or anyone else in a situation he could get them. he is being fresh by the sounds of it and TBH the best way to avoid fresh full of beans foals is to have them out 24hrs per day 7 days per week

I think it is this more than anything else - Unfortunately due to the weather being really crap and he's still a bit down on his hind fetlocks so 24/7 out isn't an option. I am going to amend the release procedure a bit so the opportunity is minimised - it's mainly a case of him being fresh and bucking as he is released
 

JandP

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This is why it is always a good idea to have them out with a group of mares and foals....the best discipline at this age comes from another horse. If they are out with a group, if mum can't/won't keep them in check (some mares just don't - just like some human mothers), then you can guarantee another one will!
 

CBFan

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at that age i would avoid putting myself or anyone else in a situation he could get them. he is being fresh by the sounds of it and TBH the best way to avoid fresh full of beans foals is to have them out 24hrs per day 7 days per week

In an ideal world that would be great but this foal is down on his fetlocks so is having to stay in...

Mynutmeg, I would ensure you turn foal to face you before releasing him and step backwards still facing him, If he does kick towards you you do need to chase him away, quite scarily. I would be tempted to use a leadrope as an extension of your arm to try and get him on the bottom (think of how a mare would chase with outstretched neck to tell off another horse) once he has run away from you (in response to this 'punishment' rather than high jinx, leave the field and DO NOT stand to fuss, adore or pet him.

ETS my gelding broke my arm doing this when he was 16 months old (not long had him)... could have been worse - I put my arm up to block a blow to my face....
 

Spring Feather

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One of our little ones did the same thing last night. He kept kicking out at my daughter who was doing something behind him. I told her to give him a quick rubber bucket moment, she did and he stopped doing it. They don't normally have to be told off more than once and I nip these things in the bud before they become the greatest game ever to them. But then I'm not a head in the sand type of person, I reward good behaviour and I reprimand bad behaviour, I don't ignore any type of behaviour.
 

amy_b

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Maybe try leading him around the field until he is bored before letting him go :) good chance for leading practice anyway ;)
 

Lark

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Normally mum gets over the 'You are such and adorable delicate little darling' quick enough and will more than likely give him a kick back or some other form of discipline.
If not agree with others a bucket or a broom on the bum sorts it out.
 

angrovestud

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One of the thing you have to remember about young foals is the vision is blurred for up to a month so if they see something behind them they will do what comes naturally to protect themselves try to not approach from behind until his eyes are clearer, but do use your voice as a training aid its just so effective with babies also a firm deep no and standing square on to a colt will help.
 

mynutmeg

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This is why it is always a good idea to have them out with a group of mares and foals....the best discipline at this age comes from another horse. If they are out with a group, if mum can't/won't keep them in check (some mares just don't - just like some human mothers), then you can guarantee another one will!

While I'd love them to be out in a group, at the moment Roo would murder any other horse turned out with her - she's being extremely protective towards other horses. I do intend for them to be intergrated into a herd but need to do it slowly.

Normally mum gets over the 'You are such and adorable delicate little darling' quick enough and will more than likely give him a kick back or some other form of discipline.
If not agree with others a bucket or a broom on the bum sorts it out.

I think she will - she does need to :D

One of the thing you have to remember about young foals is the vision is blurred for up to a month so if they see something behind them they will do what comes naturally to protect themselves try to not approach from behind until his eyes are clearer, but do use your voice as a training aid its just so effective with babies also a firm deep no and standing square on to a colt will help.

Thats really interesting, I didn't know that.


thank you to everyone for the advice, I wasn't sure how much we could do without putting him off people but my first instinct is to flick a rope and chase him out my space.
Shall see how he goes over the next few days :D
 

Maesfen

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Ooh, interesting indeed!

Angrovestud - do you know how we know that young foals' vision is blurred like that?

Nearly every other species including man, has blurred vision shortly after birth; calves and piglets do plus of course dogs and cats so it's no stretch of the imagination to believe horses do too. My vet told me this too and as I knew about other species I didn't think to take the matter further, just took it for granted; will ask him next time properly.
 

fburton

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Nearly every other species including man, has blurred vision shortly after birth; calves and piglets do plus of course dogs and cats so it's no stretch of the imagination to believe horses do too. My vet told me this too and as I knew about other species I didn't think to take the matter further, just took it for granted; will ask him next time properly.
Okay, but some animals are born relatively helpless (dogs, cats, humans) while others are very soon ready to go after birth (horses, cattle). I imagine that it would not be a disadvantage for puppies to have blurry vision, but it would make sense for a foal that needs to be able to follow its dam and avoid tripping over things on the ground to have relatively well-developed vision. So while it's quite possible that a foal does have blurred vision, it would be good to know whether someone has actually investigated this.
 

Alexart

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It's just a baby phase most foals go through, we nip it in the bud with either a loud shout/growl just to stop the behavior in it's tracks or a smack on the bum/rubber bucket or a jacket thrown at their feet if they're a bigger older foal, as others have said usually you don't need to do it more than once or twice - they have to learn their boundaries some how and this is their only way!
I have to say if we've ever had one down on it's fetlocks they are far better kept out 24/7 with access to shelter, I've found if they are kept in then let out for periods they tend to do alot more running around etc, when left out there is no novelty of freedom so far less hurtling about the place and the constant gentle tottering about helps to strengthen the tendons far better than sitting in a stable. Not to mention the quality of the mares milk is far better on grass than any hard feed/hay.
It is also far more settling on maidens rather than being dragged in and out of stables all the time. Once the whole foal novelty has worn off and baby is getting more coordinated, its vision and hearing are better then you can start doing the things you want rather than when it does have limited sight/hearing as it will only confuse it. All baby animals vision is blurry when born as they've never had to use their eye muscles before so it takes a while to strengthen them and also for the brain to learn to interpret what is being seen and heard and make sense of it! I should imagine their short sight is OK when born to some extent but won't be as sharp as we see the world, hence sticking so close to mum, but they also use their sense of smell and hearing alot too when born rather than just relying on sight.
 
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Spring Feather

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Hmm I'm not convinced about the foals being born with blurry vision tbh, I've never heard that. I have heard that their internal eye structure is slightly different for a few days and that light filters differently through the eye. Regardless, our foal who kept trying to kick my daughter certainly does not have blurry hearing or blurry touch, therefore the kicking out was nipped in the bud courtesy of a rubber bucket.
 

fburton

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All baby animals vision is blurry when born as they've never had to use their eye muscles before so it takes a while to strengthen them
You could say the same about a foal's leg muscles, but it doesn't take them long to be on their feet and able to run.

and also for the brain to learn to interpret what is being seen and heard and make sense of it!
That's a good point. I wonder about the extent to which different animals are born with built-in sensory abilities (which they don't have to learn, or becomes refined with learning), just as they are born with built-in motor patterns (e.g. the ability to run).

I should imagine their short sight is OK when born to some extent but won't be as sharp as we see the world, hence sticking so close to mum, but they also use their sense of smell and hearing alot too when born rather than just relying on sight.
That makes a lot of sense (so to speak! :)).

Incidentally, even as adults, horses' view of the world isn't as sharp as ours.
 

angrovestud

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For the life of I can not remember how I know or where I learnt it it has also something to do with a foal taking a month to bond properly with its dam we have noticed this week our two and half week old filly can now see us and is calling when she sees us, she did both barrels at me and her bum when in front of us being led out, as I am guessing the blurry things behind her made her scared she also was weary about being caught up till the same time as she can ow see sharply now she catches just fine
 
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