Weaning a foal naturely ???

[Fii]

On another thread there was talk of weaning a foal naturaly.
As i stated there, to my mind the onley way it could be done naturally was to let the mare have a foal every year, so that the new foal took over at the udder and the older one was pushed out, so to speak. This is all very well in the wild or if you are a breeder, but how is this supposed to be done naturally if you onley have the one foal from a mare.
At some point the mare and foal will have to be parted, so how is this done naturally, as i said before i have seen a 3yr old still trying to suckle from it's dame, so there had'nt been any weaning done by the mare itself.

 

[Dolcé]

I weaned my boy naturally, he was 31/2 when he stopped suckling, for no other reason that there was no need to ever do it. From about 14 months he only ever suckled a couple of times a day and if he was upset or worried, mare wasn't worried, he wasn't worried, we could take either away all day and neither would bat an eyelid. She didn't bag up if he didn't feed and when it was finally all over there were no worries about mastitis or her being uncomfortable. He has grown into the most balanced, easy going pony, integrates into all the different groups within the herd, has lovely manners etc. He was handled just the same as any other pony, she was taken out to shows. I think he probably got barely anything from her and it was just the suckling that was a comfort to him. I do feel the need to say though, after reading the other thread, this was absolutely nothing to do with anyone else, it was my decision (or choice) and one that was afterwards discussed at length with a leading (and very respected)equine nutritionist who admitted to doing exactly the same thing with a couple of hers! I suppose had I split them up grazing wise it would have had the weaning effect but just never came about as it never caused a problem. He also lived, and still does, with his now gelded sire.

 

[eggs]

Not quite natural but I start by taking the mare out of the field for a short time but keeping close to the gate when my foals are about 5 months old. They are out in a field with companions and never seem to fuss.

I progress to putting mare and foal in adjoining stables, but our stables do not have full height internal walls so they can see each other, while they each have a feed and then put them back out together. The time the foal is in the stable on their own is gradually lengthened. I also take the mare further away and out of sight of the foal in the field for gradually lengthening time.

At about 7 months old I simply put the mare in an adjoining field to her foal. So far have weaned three foals this way without any fuss. I don't however put the mare back in with her foal until they are at least 3.

 

[Fii]

I weaned my boy naturally, he was 31/2 when he stopped suckling, for no other reason that there was no need to ever do it. From about 14 months he only ever suckled a couple of times a day and if he was upset or worried, mare wasn't worried, he wasn't worried, we could take either away all day and neither would bat an eyelid. She didn't bag up if he didn't feed and when it was finally all over there were no worries about mastitis or her being uncomfortable. He has grown into the most balanced, easy going pony, integrates into all the different groups within the herd, has lovely manners etc. He was handled just the same as any other pony, she was taken out to shows. I think he probably got barely anything from her and it was just the suckling that was a comfort to him. I do feel the need to say though, after reading the other thread, this was absolutely nothing to do with anyone else, it was my decision (or choice) and one that was afterwards discussed at length with a leading (and very respected)equine nutritionist who admitted to doing exactly the same thing with a couple of hers! I suppose had I split them up grazing wise it would have had the weaning effect but just never came about as it never caused a problem. He also lived, and still does, with his now gelded sire.

Well that seemed to have worked well for you.
At what age was the foal when you first took the mare away to a show. How did the foal react the first time?

 

[Dolcé]

LOL, he started separating himself at about 5 months by running under the electric fence into the big field as it suited him, he was impossible to keep in until he wanted a 'drink' from mum. He thought the other side of the fence was his own personal grazing and they quickly got used to being quite a way apart, he was also left with dad when she was taken out of the field, she was literally the milk bar to him so her being taken out was completely uneventful! When he was about a year old she was injured and had to spend a night in, he stayed out with dad and I was worried sick all night, next morning he was quite happily grazing with his dad. He really never ever stressed by her being taken out but we had done it from him being quite young and he was always just left with dad - in fact I think dad used to worry more! (had you known him as a foal you would understand why, he drove them both mad!)

 

[Spring Feather]

... to my mind the onley way it could be done naturally was to let the mare have a foal every year, so that the new foal took over at the udder and the older one was pushed out, so to speak. This is all very well in the wild or if you are a breeder...

I don't follow your logic here? I don't know what breeders you know but I'm a breeder and I would never allow a mare who has been rebred to naturally wean her foal from the previous year. I don't know any breeder who would .

but how is this supposed to be done naturally if you onley have the one foal from a mare.

Very easily. I do allow a degree of natural weaning with mares who have not been rebred for the following year.

At some point the mare and foal will have to be parted, so how is this done naturally, as i said before i have seen a 3yr old still trying to suckle from it's dame, so there had'nt been any weaning done by the mare itself.

Weaning, and separating mare and foal for periods of time, are two different things .

 

[Fii]

I don't follow your logic here? I don't know what breeders you know but I'm a breeder and I would never allow a mare who has been rebred to naturally wean her foal from the previous year. I don't know any breeder who would .


Very easily. I do allow a degree of natural weaning with mares who have not been rebred for the following year.


Weaning, and separating mare and foal for periods of time, are two different things .

Why can't you follow me, it's quite simple.
In the wild a foal will be weaned by the fact that another foal takes it's place.
Unless you are a breeder, you probably won't have a foal every year, so you won't have the mother do it naturaly like in the wild.
By saying "quite easily" does'nt explain it, does it, i would like to understand how it is done naturally. By being picky at my post you arent being very helpfull.


hch, he sounds like real character. Thankyou for explaining,

 

[competitiondiva]

I think gradual/natural weaning works in certain circumstances with certain horses, all horses are different some are very independant others are very 'dependant'. When my colt was a foal he'd have a hissy fit if ANYTHING came between him and his mum, it was all I could to do bath them separately to get ready for the futurity!! He'd try to climb over or barge through anything if it separated him from his mum, for that reason he would not have suited IMO gradual weaning, he is quite a dependant soul, as opposed to his field mate who I bought at 5 months old and is happy out alone or in company!

 

[Spring Feather]

Why can't you follow me, it's quite simple.
In the wild a foal will be weaned by the fact that another foal takes it's place.

Yes some feral mares will wean due to a new foal coming along. Some feral mares will wean earlier even if they don't have another foal coming and some will allow their offspring to nurse until the are 2 years old.

Unless you are a breeder, you probably won't have a foal every year, so you won't have the mother do it naturaly like in the wild.

If natural weaning is what you as the owner want then you can be assured that at some point the dam will wean the foal. Whether it is at 18 months or 3 years old will be determined by the personality of the individual mare and foal and the relationship they have with one another.

By saying "quite easily" does'nt explain it, does it, i would like to understand how it is done naturally. By being picky at my post you arent being very helpfull.

Oh, that's me told then It is quite easy to allow a mare to wean her foal naturally - you simply do nothing

 

[Fii]

Oh, that's me told then It is quite easy to allow a mare to wean her foal naturally - you simply do nothing

Yes i understand that, but if you want to use the mare, for riding/ competition or whatever when the foal is say 6/7 months old, or even sell the foal at that age, how easy would it be. All horses are different. If you have decided you want to wean naturally you probably have decided to do this from the start, what do you do if it does'nt work out within the time scale you want, leave them together for however long it takes, even though you need the mare back in work, or need to sell the foal?

 

[FanyDuChamp]

I weaned my boy naturally, he was 31/2 when he stopped suckling, for no other reason that there was no need to ever do it. From about 14 months he only ever suckled a couple of times a day and if he was upset or worried, mare wasn't worried, he wasn't worried, we could take either away all day and neither would bat an eyelid. She didn't bag up if he didn't feed and when it was finally all over there were no worries about mastitis or her being uncomfortable. He has grown into the most balanced, easy going pony, integrates into all the different groups within the herd, has lovely manners etc. He was handled just the same as any other pony, she was taken out to shows. I think he probably got barely anything from her and it was just the suckling that was a comfort to him. I do feel the need to say though, after reading the other thread, this was absolutely nothing to do with anyone else, it was my decision (or choice) and one that was afterwards discussed at length with a leading (and very respected)equine nutritionist who admitted to doing exactly the same thing with a couple of hers! I suppose had I split them up grazing wise it would have had the weaning effect but just never came about as it never caused a problem. He also lived, and still does, with his now gelded sire.

I would love to wean a foal like that. Seems so natural. But trouble is we don't have our own land so it is not quite so easy.
FDC

 

[Spring Feather]

Yes i understand that, but if you want to use the mare, for riding/ competition or whatever when the foal is say 6/7 months old, or even sell the foal at that age, how easy would it be. All horses are different. If you have decided you want to wean naturally you probably have decided to do this from the start, what do you do if it does'nt work out within the time scale you want, leave them together for however long it takes, even though you need the mare back in work, or need to sell the foal?

Well as I say, weaning and separating for periods of time, are two different things. I have no problem separating my mares from their foals when I take them somewhere. My foals are quite used to their mothers going away for periods of time from when they are only a few months old. My foals have all been quite confident girls and boys and they don't really pay much attention to their mothers going off because they have all their other little friends and mares there to be company for them.

If you mean how do you separate mare and foal if mare and foal are all you have, with no other horses around, then yes that could be a bit of a problem if you have a clingy foal and a stressy mare. It would take longer if you only had the two but it can still be done. You'd do it in exactly the same way as I do it with my many mares; take mare out of field in eyesight of foal for short periods of time. Gradually lengthen the time the mare is out of the field. If foal is fine with this then you move onto the next phase whereby dam is taken out of eyesight for short periods, gradually getting longer each day. Eventually you should be able to take the mare out for short rides which can then turn into going for long rides and then going off to competitions (short trips at first). Providing the foal is watched and shows little signs of being stressed if left on its own then that's how you'd do it. It is much easier with other horses around, granted, but it is doable with only 2 as well. If all you are doing is separating mare and foal for periods each day and not weaning, then the foal will suckle when mother comes home. This in turn will end up becoming gradual weaning rather than "natural" weaning though. If natural weaning is important then that implies no intervention from mankind so for that to happen you'd have to leave well alone and allow mare to decide when enough is enough.

If you sell the foal then you will have no alternative but to wean them yourself. Natural weaning will not work in this case unless the foal buyer is very patient.

 

[Fii]

Well as I say, weaning and separating for periods of time, are two different things. I have no problem separating my mares from their foals when I take them somewhere. My foals are quite used to their mothers going away for periods of time from when they are only a few months old. My foals have all been quite confident girls and boys and they don't really pay much attention to their mothers going off because they have all their other little friends and mares there to be company for them.

If you mean how do you separate mare and foal if mare and foal are all you have, with no other horses around, then yes that could be a bit of a problem if you have a clingy foal and a stressy mare. It would take longer if you only had the two but it can still be done. You'd do it in exactly the same way as I do it with my many mares; take mare out of field in eyesight of foal for short periods of time. Gradually lengthen the time the mare is out of the field. If foal is fine with this then you move onto the next phase whereby dam is taken out of eyesight for short periods, gradually getting longer each day. Eventually you should be able to take the mare out for short rides which can then turn into going for long rides and then going off to competitions (short trips at first). Providing the foal is watched and shows little signs of being stressed if left on its own then that's how you'd do it. It is much easier with other horses around, granted, but it is doable with only 2 as well. If all you are doing is separating mare and foal for periods each day and not weaning, then the foal will suckle when mother comes home. This in turn will end up becoming gradual weaning rather than "natural" weaning though. If natural weaning is important then that implies no intervention from mankind so for that to happen you'd have to leave well alone and allow mare to decide when enough is enough.

If you sell the foal then you will have no alternative but to wean them yourself. Natural weaning will not work in this case unless the foal buyer is very patient.

Thanks for that
I should'nt have sniped at you, sorry
I just wanted to find out the whys and wherefores of this type of weaning, and why people do it this way, or why some don't.
I may be a bit long in the tooth, but i like to think i can look at things in a different way.

 

[Spring Feather]

I'm made of stern stuff, don't give it a second thought