Weaning a foal at home with limited grazing.. help??

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JamOnToast

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Hi there!
After some advice! (Nice advice, please..)
Currently I have a mare and foal at home, the colt is 5 months old today! A big strong strapping colt! (Will post pics soon..)
Obviously I am thinking about having him weaned soon, but as we are at home, we are in abit of a pickle on what to do..
So here is the scenario:
Working farm, about 20acres, split into 4 fields of about 5 acres each, currently the two donkeys are in their own field, we have 6 cattle (Small stores..) grazing the adjoining field.. There is a field one end of the farm (Farm is a rectangular shape..) which has a stream running through it (Very deep..) so that is a no go field for the two!
and there is a field by the house which is safe for them, the barns are pretty much full up as it is winter, although could make room somewhere by shuffling things around abit!
and there is a stable on the yard which could be available in a months time..
So what would you do? I dont have the option of sending either of them away.. and I am really stuck in a rut!! Help!

Regards, stressed out and worried owner.
 
Sorry but for weaning your going to have to send one of them away, the colt needs to be with other youngsters if he's going to grow up as a well rounded youngster. If you leave them at home then neither will have suitable companions to live with which will make a potentially stressful situation worse. Are you planning on gelding? if so then might be better to do it while still with mum, I find they get over it quicker.
 
Quite simply put, you are not set up for safe weaning unless you invest in some more infrastructure. What would I do in your situation? I'd encourage natural weaning, it seems the only safe option you have.
 
catroo said:
Sorry but for weaning your going to have to send one of them away, the colt needs to be with other youngsters if he's going to grow up as a well rounded youngster. If you leave them at home then neither will have suitable companions to live with which will make a potentially stressful situation worse. Are you planning on gelding? if so then might be better to do it while still with mum, I find they get over it quicker.
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Like I said, Not an option I'm afraid...
Yes, gelding him at 6months, so end of the year, while still on mum!

Spring Feather said:
Quite simply put, you are not set up for safe weaning unless you invest in some more infrastructure. What would I do in your situation? I'd encourage natural weaning, it seems the only safe option you have.
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Thankyou, what do you mean by natural weaning? and how would I encourage that? He isn't using the 'milk bar' much anymore, and is grazing and drinking water from the trough alot..
 
Natural weaning can be 'helped along' by having two stables (for example) side by side and putting the foal in one and the mare in the other overnight. Start taking the mare or foal out of the field for very short periods and in the beginning always make sure they can see each other. Lengthen these outings as and when both are content and eventually you'll get to the stage where you can take one away from the other for longer periods of time so that the mare can go back into work again. You would ideally need a companion for the foal in the beginning if he is being left in the field so can the donkeys or a couple of cows go in with the mare and foal for a few months while you are natural weaning?
 
Spring Feather said:
Natural weaning can be 'helped along' by having two stables (for example) side by side and putting the foal in one and the mare in the other overnight. Start taking the mare or foal out of the field for very short periods and in the beginning always make sure they can see each other. Lengthen these outings as and when both are content and eventually you'll get to the stage where you can take one away from the other for longer periods of time so that the mare can go back into work again. You would ideally need a companion for the foal in the beginning if he is being left in the field so can the donkeys or a couple of cows go in with the mare and foal for a few months while you are natural weaning?
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This does seem like the easiest option, The mare is starting to need a bit of feed now, as its getting colder, and there is less grass.. Think I will start bringing her in for her food, and keep Eddie in the field next to the yard, and after bring eddie in for a brush and a general mess about with with mum in the field.. Thankyou - really helpful!
So i will keep you updated on how it all goes!

*Fingers crossed!
 
JamOnToast said:
This does seem like the easiest option, The mare is starting to need a bit of feed now, as its getting colder, and there is less grass.. Think I will start bringing her in for her food, and keep Eddie in the field next to the yard, and after bring eddie in for a brush and a general mess about with with mum in the field.. Thankyou - really helpful!
So i will keep you updated on how it all goes!

*Fingers crossed!
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It's usually safer bringing the foal inside if the stable isn't right next to the field, and then feed the mare in the field. Foals tend to get very excited about being left alone in a field initially, especially if the mare is out of sight. You don't want him crashing through (or trying to jump) the fences. If you have to take the mare out to feed then initially I'd start by taking her out and feeding her on the other side of the fence for a few days and then gradually move her further and further away from the fence until you eventually can feed her (with both of them being comfortable about it) in the stable. I do think though that even if you do it gradually, the foal will freak if he's left alone in the field. It would be so much easier and safer if he had a buddy in with him that he can run to once mummy goes out to be fed. Safest solution is bring Eddie in while you feed and do the mare and then turn him back out with her afterwards.
 
After years of doing the abrupt weaning I weaned my last three foals by a gradual method, and it worked really well. As above, use a feed to distract them, with me the mare was in the field, foal in a secure stable, and return them BEFORE they start stressing. That time will gradually lengthen as both realise they will see each other eventually. One I sold after that method by taking her and her dam and bringing the dam back, the filly never bothered as she was in a stable next to a friend, and another went in a lorry for a three hour journey and never got worried at all. When she got the other end she had a friend to live next to. I think it is much kinder than the abrupt method and both foals were confident and happy when they did leave.
 
I would borrow a small companion. You have not said but if you keep the mare and foal together even if the foal is weaned you stand a risk of them forming so strong a bond it makes it really difficult to separate them at a later date. I was once on a livery yard where mare and daughter had not been split and neither was rideable because of separation anxiety. What ever method you use to wean the foal I would find it somewhere, perhaps a small stud who would take it as grass livery and live out in age appropriate groups.
My foals and youngsters live in groups at this time of year they have the use of a barn and are treated a bit like store cattle but I can understand why on a working farm they would not want to lose a shed.
 
Is the mare in foal again, or do you need her for riding? If not, you could leave them together till spring, and you will find they slowly drift apart as is the natural way, as long as they are with at least one other horse you could start taking the foal away (at first in sight of mare) for handling.
 
I have a weanling and I put a mini shetland in with a rescue mare and foal for a few months beforehand in their field. Then when mare was removed I left weanling and mini together. Foal coped fine and I have the two of them on their own in a little field now. I have limited grazing so a mini was my only option.
 
Is there any way you would consider an advertisement for someone to either bring their foal to you for weaning, and take your mare, or vice versa. I have done this successfully in the past.
Alternatively, a local stud whom may have foals of their own to be weaned, maybe happy to board your boy for a few weeks p.
He would be better with company of his own age to play with too.
 
Unfortunately, like I said in my OP, sending mare or foal away is not an option, and as we have cattle out and more to be turned out in the spring another horse/pony is not viable, 2 is enough!
Will start to bring each one in on their own, our yard has a fence directly to the field, so they will still be able to see each other! Thankyou for the replies!
 
Gradual weaning! I have only 4 acres at home, and did not have the opportunity / means to send mare or foal away. The foal was well grown and was very independent, which did make it easier though.

Our setup is that we have a row of stables, with a concrete strip immediately outside, and a 20x40 fenced (grass) area beyond that. The mare would be put into the stable, and foal was left loose outside. This meant that foal could sate any curiousity that she had and go and "talk" to all the horses, rather than being "restrained" (!) as it were. The first couple of days, the mare was literally in the stable for maybe 30 minutes, before being let out. Then we gradually stretched this out to being all morning before letting the mare out. Carried out stretching it out into being all day that the mare was in the stable.

This seemed to work well for mare and foal - foal grew up into a happy, confident and easy to deal with soul, so presumably not too traumatised by the whole thing! When we started taking the mare out riding again, and out for shows etc (so right away), foal never even seemed to notice if she was there or not.
 
I was in this position couple of years ago. I was just going to leave the foal on the mare and let her kick her off in due course. In theory it would have worked well however in practice we struggled our way through winter with difficulty and when we got to spring I just had to get the foal off (at 10 months)

The biggest problem was keeping condition on the mare. The foal didn't appear to drink much but in reality it did. It dragged the mare (not in foal) down terribly. By March the foal was in fabulous condition, the mare wasn't.

Possibly if you are going to do this you could see if there are feeds which would help the mare keep her condition and start using them before she may loose condition but not produce too much milk.

I took the foal off for about 2 months to stop her drinking and then put them back together. They are not bonded and can be seperated easily.

It is so much easier if you can leave the foal with the mare. Lot less work for you if the mare looks after the foal especially if she turns round and boots him to teach him manners.
 
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