Where to start with an unhandled foal?

[Tallybeau]

Hi all, this is my own fault, I have a 6month old tbx foal who needs handled. He had a headcollar for the first month of his life but then lost it and I didn't replace it. He is being weaned as of yesterday, hes in a big pen with mum on one side of him and two calves on the other, he is not very bothered about the whole situation at the moment but I am needing to handle him. At the moment he thinks the slightest we touch is very scary! I have had a few foals in the past but those years I made sure I handled them so I've not had a problem before. Just would like some guidence as he is a big boy and I dont want to make any mistakes.

 

[Brightbay]

Get yourself on Amazon and get a copy of No Fear No Force by Sarah Weston It is a book designed for training and handling feral foals (off the New Forest) but everything in it applies equally to unhandled youngsters like yours.

 

[Tallybeau]

thats very helpfull thank you.

 

[Sandstone1]

Get yourself on Amazon and get a copy of No Fear No Force by Sarah Weston It is a book designed for training and handling feral foals (off the New Forest) but everything in it applies equally to unhandled youngsters like yours.

I would second that. Its a very good book and it works!

 

[JanetGeorge]

He had a headcollar for the first month - he won't have forgotten that. Put him back in the stable with Mum, get someone to hold her to create a barrier, get a rope around his neck. Hang on and let him move around a bit, talk quietly to him, work up close and stroke him, scratch the withers and the top of the tail. That'll do for day 1. Day 2 do the same, and you should be able to get a headcollar on if you're quiet, calm, and determined!

 

[Dry Rot]

I must admit that I was terrified to do what JG suggests the first time as I was sure it would traumatise the foal for life, but they do seem to settle when gently restrained in this way.

A slower way is to get them onto hard feed with their head in a bucket, then put the head collar in and gradually get them feeding through the head collar. It can then be gently pulled onto the foal's head, but doing up the buckle is the tricky part. You need three hands! Allow about a week!

 

[JanetGeorge]

I must admit that I was terrified to do what JG suggests the first time as I was sure it would traumatise the foal for life, but they do seem to settle when gently restrained in this way.

It can be hairy - particularly when they're big lumps like mine. We pulled in 2 mares and foals this morning to wean (and for vet to do vaccinations). They hadn't had a headcollar on since mares were AI'd in the summer - and they were a lot smaller then.

The two were in together so I grabbed the easier one first - had the headcollar on in two minutes after 2 circuits of the box with my arms around his neck. Second one was a bit harder, I confess - but the vet was there and they needed their jabs! They'll be fine in a few days. The important thing is that when you grab, you hang on. They mustn't learn they're stronger than you - althoughof course they are. But when you're the one with the brain .....

 

[wynter]

TRUST, TRUST and more TRUST plus finding the "spot" they like to itched on
When i got mine she was about 11 weeks old and had never been touched so i wanted to get her used to us and being handled before she was weaned off mum.
All of which was easier said than done when she was in a huge field with other horses & foals and with a mum that didn't come anywhere near us for ages
But one day i just got near her enough to just touch her bum and hit "the spot" and after that she would stand for a good bum itch and a few weeks later she would just come straight up from the other side of the field without mum and would stand to be groomed and have her headcollar on /off

 

[Dry Rot]

It can be hairy - particularly when they're big lumps like mine. We pulled in 2 mares and foals this morning to wean (and for vet to do vaccinations). They hadn't had a headcollar on since mares were AI'd in the summer - and they were a lot smaller then.

The two were in together so I grabbed the easier one first - had the headcollar on in two minutes after 2 circuits of the box with my arms around his neck. Second one was a bit harder, I confess - but the vet was there and they needed their jabs! They'll be fine in a few days. The important thing is that when you grab, you hang on. They mustn't learn they're stronger than you - althoughof course they are. But when you're the one with the brain .....

Well, I'm 72 and the foal bounced me off three walls of the field shelter before he shook me off his head collar! I'd guess he weighs about 150kgs now. So I resorted to the post and 20 feet of yachting rope. You're right, he isn't too bad and is getting over his resentment.

What I found quite remarkable is that after this I only had to show him the rope in the field shelter (24'x12') and he allowed me to approach and handle him without a problem.

I've a long experience of training other species and find horses very interesting -- both in their differences and similarities -- and they are full of surprises. I think, basically, horses come to believe we are stronger than they are and that we are actually quite nice when they get to know us! I won't comment further on that!

 

[JanetGeorge]

Well, I'm 72 and the foal bounced me off three walls of the field shelter before he shook me off his head collar! I'd guess he weighs about 150kgs now. So I resorted to the post and 20 feet of yachting rope. You're right, he isn't too bad and is getting over his resentment.

What I found quite remarkable is that after this I only had to show him the rope in the field shelter (24'x12') and he allowed me to approach and handle him without a problem.

I've a long experience of training other species and find horses very interesting -- both in their differences and similarities -- and they are full of surprises. I think, basically, horses come to believe we are stronger than they are and that we are actually quite nice when they get to know us! I won't comment further on that!

Bless him - what breeding is he? I hope I can still hang onto them at 72 (only 9 years to go!) And you're right - if you teach a foal you're stronger than it while it's still true (with my IDs, that's the first week!!) they remember it for life unless you let them learn differently!

As many of mine end up 17hh tall and weighing 3/4 of a tonne, it's an important lesson!

 

[Maesfen]

Couldn't agree more with all of what Janet has said.

Incidentally, Sparks decided he quite liked being a wild 'untamed' foal this summer and we had a few press gang moments but he's decided he quite likes humans now including the farrier but likes to keep us on our toes as he thinks he's a higher being put on this planet for his own amusement. Last week he decided to play up with said farrier for his first foot, near fore so after the initial of both farrier hanging on to leg and me hanging on to rope - and still finding us attached at the end of his dance - he gave up and stood like a lamb for the rest of his feet and had a sulky look on him the whole time; I swear if he could glare at us he would but unfortunately for him we take no notice and what's worse is we laugh at him; he's not quite got over the shock of that yet but he's always the first to shout and come flying up when he sees us so I don't think any harm's been done except to his honour!

 

[AdorableAlice]

Excellent advice that has made me smile and think about my first few weeks with my feral baby. OP, have a look at my thread called My Next Equine Project' there is lots of brilliant advice from some very experienced people on it.

Curiosity got the better of my Little Ted, despite him being terrified he gradually wanted to come to me. It has be remembered though that he was alone in the box with no company either side of him so I was his only refuge.

Six months on he is still nervous with strangers but with his regular handlers he leads politely, ties up, can be groomed all over with just the near hind prone to a panicky kick and will allow his head and feet to be handled nicely. I am so pleased with him now and so glad I kept going as I really would not want to start now. In six months he has grown more than a hand and would be impossible to deal with if he started to throw his weight around now.

Ted was certainly a challenge, but taught me a lot and for the OP, my main bit of advice would be to be consistent, persistent and fair to get the unhandled baby on side. I had a number of moments with Ted when I thought it was all impossible, especially when we went through a period of terrible kicking over the handling of his hind feet. I lost count of the number of times he kicked the padded hand across his box.

 

[Dry Rot]

Mine are Highands, so relatively easy. My primary experience of training is in falconry (long before the current popularisation) and working dogs, so I suppose some of my ideas are controversial. I broke an Anglo-Arab about 40 years ago but nothing since until the Highlands which I started breeding when I retired a few years ago. So de-sensitisation is something I am well used to.

With the two foals I have inside now, I have used the long stick technique. I dangle a head collar on the end of the stick and try to touch the foals all over with it while they are inside. They are loose and untied so it can get interesting. Initially, they can be explosive but I just keep going until they realise it doesn't hurt and they just accept it.

I have occasional help from a very good girl who has worked with racehorses, show jumpers, and x-country horses, so she has lots of practical experience and can ride. We recently took two young Highlands from tacking up to backing in three short 30 minute sessions. Again, I used the long stick with an old coat dangling off the end. The coat was dragged all over them until they just accepted it. The transition to a human rider was straight forward.

I sold an unbroken 2yo last year which the purchaser wanted vetted. The vet wanted her inside somewhere dark so she could examine her eyes. That wasn't possible, so I suggested throwing a coat over her head. The vet didn't think that would work. It did! The pony had seen it all before with the old coat and was not unduly bothered.