Weaning advice

[Caitlinr27]

Hi there,
We have recently had a foal from our tb mare (3 weeks) and I know weaning is a long way off, but it’s got me thinking about the eventual weaning process and as she was our first foal, I am wondering what our process should be and would like to gain more knowledge early on.
For context, we have a private yard with our 3 horses (mare and foal plus one other tb mare, 8 yrs, in work and has had a foal before, unsure if relevant or not) and one 5 acre field that we separate. There is a possibility of us renting more land on the other side of the yard. I have two stables currently but are building another 2, just next door, this summer. So far, all horses are getting in extremely well together and mare is very happy for Belle, my other mare, to interact with foal for the most part. We have had no arguments or upset horses and are very lucky everyone is getting along and is healthy. It should be noted also that it could be possible for us to offer free grazing to a friend for an extra companion or purchase/foster if necessary.
My question is, with my setup, how would you go about weaning? We would really like to not have to move mum away if possible. A colleague of mine suggested natural weaning as she has done in the past. Any advise or suggestions people have would be fantastic as I would just like to be prepared. Thank you ?
Also, for anyone interested, I have attached a picture of our little filly, Dream

 

[Hackback]

Absolutely no idea but your filly is gorgeous ? She's black too - will she stay that colour like her mum? The black horse I knew from a foal was born a mushroom colour!

 

[TheMule]

Is the mare back in foal/ do you need to get her back in work?
If not, I would keep the foal on the mare through the winter and see how they are coming into Spring. You will probably need to separate them physically to dry the mare up at some point but it doesn’t need to be at the traditional 6 months (in fact, the research suggests a minimum of 8 months is best)

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I would do what mule said

Lovely foal ?

 

[Caitlinr27]

Hi all, apologies for the delay in response as I have only just got home from work!
thank you for the comments on Dream, we are biased but we think she is so gorgeous!
Lady will not be put back into foal but I am hoping to bring her back into light/medium work towards the end of the year.
When you say separate them physically, could this be done on the same yard gradually or would we need to send Lady away to ‘dry up’?
thank you for your help

 

[Caitlinr27]

Absolutely no idea but your filly is gorgeous ? She's black too - will she stay that colour like her mum? The black horse I knew from a foal was born a mushroom colour!

thank you! When she came out she was jet black bar her markings but as she’s abit older now we’re actually staring to see that she has quite a few greys particularly on the underside of her tummy. Sire is grey so I assume she will probably grey out as she grows!

 

[Kaylum]

Try and find another mare and foal to pair up with. Its much easier to do this way as the youngsters play much more as they grow. They also need young to play and learn from each other. When weaning time comes they couldnt careless.