What to do with foal once weaned?

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dappleapple

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Hello,

My mare has had her first foal this year. She is at a professional stud where she will be staying this year also. This is also my first foal.

I assumed I would bring the foal home a month or two after weaning. But is this usually the case?

If she comes home she could either go out with my two geldings, or with some pony youngsters (2 years old - fillies) at the yard. This would be ideal as I can start some basic in-hand and handling. The stud is too far for me to go daily, or even weekly, so she would get no training if she stays.

Do I bring her back for a bit and then send her back to the stud to grow up a bit with her old foal friends?

What do you normally 'do' with a weaned foal?

Thanks!
 
I have a stud farm so it's different for me compared to someone with just a handful of horses. All my weanlings are weaned together. Their mothers are moved into the adjoining field and the foals remain in the field they've lived in since birth with a couple of nanny mares that they've known all their lives. I keep things like this for about 2 weeks and then the weanlings are all moved to another field with a couple of old horses. The weanlings live with the old guys until the next years foals are weaned and then they move next door to the old horses into a field with some mature horses that they know well as their fenceline adjoins the weanling field. Any that I still have left as yearlings usually stay in that field until leave to go to their new homes, most are gone by the age of 2 years old. And then the cycle goes around again as above. This year I still have some 3 year olds here (no longer owned by me) but they will be gone by the time I wean this years foals. I like to keep birth groups together and I'm really not keen on having fields with mixed age youngsters in them. You have to be careful with weanlings being in with older youngsters as the older ones can be quite rambuncious and just too much for weanlings.
 
Mine went to a stud to foal. I had the mare and colt back for the summer and when he tried to mount her I sent him right back with mum to get his nuts off and then weaning followed shortly after.
Mine stayed there until the new yr.

I have a gelding too and I keep all 3 together. The yearling runs around with his naughty uncle and has a great life!
I'm a bit lax on handling but he is halter broken and had his feet trimmed regularly.
 
Thank you both for for your help & advice. So, if I were to leave her at stud until the new year do you think this would be too long to go without handling? And do you think this would be better (to stay with her birth group)

The other option is bring her back and try her with the fillies as they are ponies and she is a very tall warmblood, so she may be able to deal with them ok despite age difference and rambunctiousness!? Would I then look to send her back to stud after a few months of handling so she can be with her birth group again, or is this not normal?
 
dappleapple said:
Thank you both for for your help & advice. So, if I were to leave her at stud until the new year do you think this would be too long to go without handling? And do you think this would be better (to stay with her birth group)
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She'll be fine. We do all the handling with our foals pre-weaning and then they aren't handled much until the following spring. We do still catch them up daily, check them and we groom them once a week or so, feet done when required etc but not walked out or anything like that. If she's been taught to catch and lead pre-weaning and then left for a few months it won't make much difference to you if you leave leading again for a few months. They remember.

The other option is bring her back and try her with the fillies as they are ponies and she is a very tall warmblood, so she may be able to deal with them ok despite age difference and rambunctiousness!? Would I then look to send her back to stud after a few months of handling so she can be with her birth group again, or is this not normal?
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She may well be fine with the pony youngsters. You'll see soon enough and so long as you have a Plan B should anything not work out then you've covered your bases. Personally, if she gets along with the pony youngsters I'd not take her back to stud.
 
Spring Feather said:
She may well be fine with the pony youngsters. You'll see soon enough and so long as you have a Plan B should anything not work out then you've covered your bases. Personally, if she gets along with the pony youngsters I'd not take her back to stud.
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Yep - that's excellent advice. A big weanling filly SHOULD cope with a couple of pony 2 year olds - they'll play and make friends.
 
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