Weanling advice

[Laurynb]

Hello!
I am looking for some advice on weanling turnout, this will be the first time I will have had something so young and before i go ahead i would like some pointers and opinions on what would be best.
I do not have any other youngsters at the yard to turn out my potential weanling with.
My yard is individual turnout with electric fencing separating each field, it also has a 2 week isolation rule which i will have to follow with the weanling.
My plan was to have my other gelding in the field right next to him for the isolation and once it was over either have them in together back next to the other horses or leave them in separate fields next to each other.
Will he be happy enough being directly next to my gelding or is the likelihood that he will go through the fence to be in with him?
My gelding is just turned 6 and is a very docile and sweet boy (retired due to injury already unfortunately) however i have never had him with something so young so i am not sure how he would be- hence the separate fields.

Any thoughts/suggestions/opinions greatly appreciated as i want to have a concrete plan and be sure I am prepared with the right set up before i go ahead and buy! TIA

 

[Patterdale]

Honestly I don’t think this is appropriate for a weanling. I would seek out some youngstock livery.

 

[Caol Ila]

Youngsters need to be in an appropriate herd. It is so important at this age that they learn how to horse.

My old mare did not. I think she was in a herd at the breeders', but then ended up on individual or paired turnout as a 2-year old, and that was her life until she was 7, when I bought her. She had no social skills. I put her into herd turnout, and she was a danger to herself and others. Despite giving her time and opportinities (a year), her social skills remained crap and quite dangerous. She spent most of the rest of her life on individual turnout. At age 26, she'd mellowed a bit, and she got a buddy. It was so nice for her to spend her last two years in paired turnout, but the whole situation totally sucked. If she could have functioned in a herd, her quality of life - and mine - would have been better.

 

[maya2008]

Our very sweet, gentle gelding was aggressive towards our little one when she was a weanling. We couldn’t have them in the same field until she was a year old.

 

[Gloi]

Find a place with others of the same age to run him with for the next year or two before fetching him home to live with your gelding.

 

[ycbm]

my potential weanling

Please, please don't make this an actual weanling unless you are prepared to find him age appropriate mixed herd turnout.
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[TheMule]

Please don’t buy this horse- it is a totally unsuitable set up for a foal and you will just cause stress and, potentially, physical harm to him.
The only suitable set up is to put him out with other foals/ youngstock, preferably in a mixed herd on a good acreage

 

[Meowy Catkin]

The most important thing with a youngster (they are so much more fragile physically than an adult and are developing their social skills) is to set them up to succeed. You have to stack the cards in favour of things going well.

The yard you describe is not suitable for a youngster, it is essentially stacking the cards in favour of things going badly. This is not a sensible risk to take.

Therefore I agree with everyone above, if you want to buy this youngster, you need to find an alterative yard that is suitable for youngsters.

 

[Bellaboo18]

Agree with others that this isn't a setup for a weanling.
Also sorry to hear the kisisng spine op wasn't successful, I know you were originally feeling positive.

 

[Arzada]

Any thoughts/suggestions/opinions greatly appreciated as i want to have a concrete plan and be sure I am prepared with the right set up before i go ahead and buy! TIA

The only appropriate setup for a weanling is with other equines in a stable herd preferably of mixed ages

 

[Equi]

No.

 

[Laurynb]

Agree with others that this isn't a setup for a weanling.
Also sorry to hear the kisisng spine op wasn't successful, I know you were originally feeling positive.

Annoyingly the kissing spine op was a complete success but he had a slip in the field and tore ligaments

 

[Laurynb]

Thanks for your replies I will look into my options

 

[Laurynb]

No.

Thank you so much for your truly helpful and insightful response!

 

[shortstuff99]

The best set up for a weanling is a mixed youngster herd, but I have known a few studs that have run single foals with an older companion only and they have all been okay.

 

[honetpot]

It's a no, don't from me. I buy used to buy bargains after Christmas where people like you with dreams of bringing on a foal, completely mismanage them, and end up with a problem which they end up having to sell quickly. One women wouldn't even go in to the field with the cuddly foal she had bought, now a stroppy nine month old, it was herded on to the lorry when I collected it with. She was full of good intentions, so sad and cried that he was going, but the realities of owning a young equine are they need, turnout and equine company, if I was selling you the foal and heard it was going in two weeks isolation I would stop the sale, and I have done this in the past.
Animal welfare is about thinking about their needs not yours, and doing your best to supply their needs, please do not get anything unless you can commit to that.
I use an older pony for a companion, it goes in a paddock with that pony for two months, and comes in only for the farrier or vet, with the pony, often sharing a stable for confidence. It then gets turned out in a larger group with its companion, I have had any problems with them.

 

[AmyMay]

The only appropriate setup for a weanling is with other equines in a stable herd preferably of mixed ages

Agree with this 100%

 

[Laurynb]

It's a no, don't from me. I buy used to buy bargains after Christmas where people like you with dreams of bringing on a foal, completely mismanage them, and end up with a problem which they end up having to sell quickly. One women wouldn't even go in to the field with the cuddly foal she had bought, now a stroppy nine month old, it was herded on to the lorry when I collected it with. She was full of good intentions, so sad and cried that he was going, but the realities of owning a young equine are they need, turnout and equine company, if I was selling you the foal and heard it was going in two weeks isolation I would stop the sale, and I have done this in the past.
Animal welfare is about thinking about their needs not yours, and doing your best to supply their needs, please do not get anything unless you can commit to that.
I use an older pony for a companion, it goes in a paddock with that pony for two months, and comes in only for the farrier or vet, with the pony, often sharing a stable for confidence. It then gets turned out in a larger group with its companion, I have had any problems with them.

I may not have made my post as clear as I should, I would never dream of leaving a foal on its own for 2 weeks and I would move my gelding to the isolation paddocks with him for this period. What I wasn’t sure on was would one companion in the same field be fine as well as being surrounded by the other horses once the isolation be suitable or as others have said, is a herd and being with other youngsters more of a necessity.

Also please do not pass your ‘people like me’ judgement on as you have no idea what experience I have. I simply have never bought something under 2 to have to deal with living arrangements while on an individual turnout yard- however I have handled and worked with plenty.

 

[ycbm]

Also please do not pass your ‘people like me’ judgement on as you have no idea what experience I have. I simply have never bought something under 2 to have to deal with living arrangements while on an individual turnout yard- however I have handled and worked with plenty.

To be fair, you have asked if it's OK to take a foal born this year, recently separated from its mother, and put it on its own in a paddock fenced where it can't freely mix with other horses.

I'm trying to give you credit for asking, but it's also pretty shocking that you are thinking of buying a newly weaned foal and don't realise what a dreadful idea this is. You also haven't really acknowledged that you accept that it's a bad idea. It does raise some serious questions about whether you should buy a horse of that age, I'm afraid.
.

 

[Laurynb]

To be fair, you have asked if it's OK to take a foal born this year, recently separated from its mother, and put it on its own in a paddock fenced where it can't freely mix with other horses.

I'm trying to give you credit for asking, but it's also pretty shocking that you are thinking of buying a newly weaned foal and don't realise what a dreadful idea this is. You also haven't really acknowledged that you accept that it's a bad idea. It does raise some serious questions about whether you should buy a horse of that age, I'm afraid.
.

Do you not think that if I had no doubts about my set up I wouldn’t have come on here and asked for advice?
I didn’t come on here to ask what I should or shouldn’t buy I asked if one gelding would be enough of a companion or not.
As I posted above in reply to everyone’s comments clearly, no this is not a suitable set up and I am going to look at my other options.
I wanted to see what other people do and what their set up is to see if I could make something work on my yard. At no point did I say I am 100% buying a weanling for the exact reason that I suspected my set up would not be adequate.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Annoyingly the kissing spine op was a complete success but he had a slip in the field and tore ligaments

I'm really sorry to read that. Such awful luck.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Actually I don’t agree that youngstock turnout is the ONLY option. I didn’t do it with Faran and he’s not damaged or stressed. He went out in a mixed age gelding herd then when I moved him he went out with the my friends gelding who taught him manners then last year went in with a bigger gelding herd mixed ages from two to 20.

So yes you can buy a weanling and not have it ruined by not putting it out with horses it’s own age. It is perhaps recommended however it is not the ONLY way to do it.

 

[Gloi]

When I bought my weanling he lived in a herd of young colts and geldings with some old geldings many miles from where I lived. I brought him home at two and a half and he has great social skills and is a great natured bold lad. He is 7 now. It was a good upbringing for him even though it meant I didn't see him often.
In the past my mare had a couple of foals and were kept in a herd of ponies. At weaning we sent the dam away for a while and left the youngster with the other ponies she already knew and that worked fine.

 

[ycbm]

Actually I don’t agree that youngstock turnout is the ONLY option. I didn’t do it with Faran and he’s not damaged or stressed. He went out in a mixed age gelding herd then when I moved him he went out with the my friends gelding who taught him manners then last year went in with a bigger gelding herd mixed ages from two to 20.

So yes you can buy a weanling and not have it ruined by not putting it out with horses it’s own age. It is perhaps recommended however it is not the ONLY way to do it.

Of course you can. I turned a yearling who had only lived with his mother and another adult mare out with a 3 year old gelding and a 6 year old mare and he grew up really well. What I didn't do, or ever think of doing, was keeping him alone in a paddock where trying to have any relationship with another horse could get him an electric shock.

It's really good to see that Laurynb isn't still considering that as an option.

I do think a youngstock herd is the gold standard, but it's not absolutely essential.
.

 

[tda]

No youngstock livery is not the only option, but I strongly feel they need good, appropriate company as they mature.
We kept a boy we bred, once gelded he went back in with my all mare herd, ages 7-18yrs. They didn't play with him as such, but he turned into a happy well adjusted pony

 

[Laurynb]

Of course you can. I turned a yearling who had only lived with his mother and another adult mare out with a 3 year old gelding and a 6 year old mare and he grew up really well. What I didn't do, or ever think of doing, was keeping him alone in a paddock where trying to have any relationship with another horse could get him an electric shock.

It's really good to see that Laurynb isn't still considering that as an option.

I do think a youngstock herd is the gold standard, but it's not absolutely essential.
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Excuse me? I didn’t say that would be an option ever, I said he would be put in a field right next to my gelding to introduce them. Not being funny but I’m not taking the risk of a weanling being injured if my gelding didn’t like him I’d far rather have them have a separated introduction and then put them together.
I’d also far rather an electric tape that would snap if he did try to go through it that a wired fence that’s for sure!

 

[ycbm]

Excuse me? I didn’t say that would be an option ever, I said he would be put in a field right next to my gelding to introduce them. Not being funny but I’m not taking the risk of a weanling being injured if my gelding didn’t like him I’d far rather have them have a separated introduction and then put them together.
I’d also far rather an electric tape that would snap if he did try to go through it that a wired fence that’s for sure!

You said exactly that in your first post. That you might have him on his own in an electric fenced paddock next to your gelding, also on his own. You even asked "Will he be happy enough being directly next to my gelding or is the likelihood that he will go through the fence to be in with him?".

As I said, I am glad that you have taken on board the advice that this isn't a suitable way to keep a weanling.
.

 

[Laurynb]

You said exactly that in your first post. That you might have him on his own in an electric fenced paddock next to your gelding, also on his own. You even asked "Will he be happy enough being directly next to my gelding or is the likelihood that he will go through the fence to be in with him?".

As I said, I am glad that you have taken on board the advice that this isn't a suitable way to keep a weanling.
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well that was meant as an initial introduction as I then said they would be put in together. Perhaps I wasn’t as clear as I could have been but Maybe ask for clarification instead of getting the pitchfork out and jumping to the conclusion that i want a youngster to be shocked if it tries to go anywhere near another horse.

 

[AmyMay]

well that was meant as an initial introduction as I then said they would be put in together. Perhaps I wasn’t as clear as I could have been but Maybe ask for clarification instead of getting the pitchfork out and jumping to the conclusion that i want a youngster to be shocked if it tries to go anywhere near another horse.

Think you need to calm down a bit. Comments on this thread only bare witness to people wanting a successful outcome for you and your weanling.

 

[Bellaboo18]

well that was meant as an initial introduction as I then said they would be put in together. Perhaps I wasn’t as clear as I could have been but Maybe ask for clarification instead of getting the pitchfork out and jumping to the conclusion that i want a youngster to be shocked if it tries to go anywhere near another horse.

Sorry that's not what you said. If you read your initial post you said 'or leave them in separate fields next to each other'. People can only reply on the information given.
I'm glad you've now changed your mind.
People's responses seem reasonable given the welfare concerns with your initial plan.