Will he be okay alone?

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angellauren

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I'd planned for both my loan pony and my new foal to arrive tomorrow. It's taken forever to try and arrange for them to come the same day etc, etc!

Anyway, their coming from different directions and with the weather it's looking like one will make it and the other won't. Argh!

My loan pony is having to stay put until the weather improves by the looks of it so I've got my 7 month old foal arriving tomorrow.

Now he's come off the mountains in a big herd, been brought down to the main yard to socialise a bit and be weaned and now I'm just a bit worried he'll get a shock to the system being all alone for perhaps a week? I'd feel a tad sorry for him to be honest, his little world has been turned upside down lately!

There's nothing I can really do, but do you think it's acceptable?
 
Is there any way at all you can get another horse or pony for him as company? I would be exceptionally worried leaving him alone for a week!

Good luck, I hope you find a suitable solution :)
 
i would ask around people i knew in my area to see if they would be prepared to keep a pony with him till the other arrives, i would expect to pay all costs incurred and look after pony in my own time, i would also offer to pay if i needed too. if not i would look for somewhere local to put him with company till the other one arrived.

what a pain for you, i would be very reluctant to keep any recently weaned foal on its own, but more so if it has come of the hills and not been handled much if at all.

i once took a call where i work at the vets as a lady had taken her well handled sweet foal home to a stable in her garden to wean it leaving the mare at the stables with company. the foal was on its own in the stable in the garden-by the time the vet got there the foal was a stitch up job as he had damaged himself by throwing himself round the stable, the foal then spent the next 3 days heavily sedated until they could move him to be back with company. i dont think keeping a foal alone for the first time without a back up plan is ever a good idea
 
It's not ideal but it's not a permanent choice. For the interim, as BorgRae says - anyone who can loan a companion or can pop him next door to someones.
Are you stabling or leaving in field and how long are you around each day?

I'd watch behaviour when foal gets to you and decide how you need to manage it 'til loan pony comes if you can't get another sorted (stabling/field etc). I'd be wary of creating separation issues though.
 
Well, it can't be helped.

Keep him stabled, and then turnout only in a small - well secured area, with a headcoller in (and monitor him).
 
Not ideal but im sure he will be fine,give him lots of visits & it maybe an ideal time for him to bond with you & for you to show him humans are actually quite nice.Keep an eye on the situation but im sure he will be fine.Good luck.xx
 
I think it will be OK, if you can spend plenty of time with him it will a good taming/bonding opportunity.
I definately wouldn't turn him out on his own though, just leave him in with the top door shut until his friend arrives.
 
No, it's not ideal.. Everything has been fine until she text me today saying she couldn't and it's tomorrow so I'll be lucky if I can find anyone :mad:

STRESSSSSS

Why would you not turn him out alone, stupid question I'm sure but my friend keeps her pony on it's own and he's no trouble? I personally don't approve and would never do it where possible but is it really terrible for a short period of time? He'll be in a walled garden so I can't see him going very far!
 
You have to be very careful about turning out - because he could well panic on his own (this is not a pony, but a weanling - big difference). He's also wild - and you need to be sure that you can re-catch him.

But done properly, you should be fine. Obviously you'll need to monitor him - and not leave him alone whilst he's out. But providing your walls are high enough then I would - with caution.

How high are the walls??
 
angellauren said:
Why would you not turn him out alone, stupid question I'm sure but my friend keeps her pony on it's own and he's no trouble? I personally don't approve and would never do it where possible but is it really terrible for a short period of time? He'll be in a walled garden so I can't see him going very far!
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Reasons:
He's very young
He's in a strange place
He has no other equine to reassure him its safe
He hasn't had much handling

I have never turned out a weanling on their own with no other horses in touching distance.

I'd be very worried about damage to pony as have seen what a frightened pony can do - they CAN scale fences (have seen a dartmoor yearling go over a std 3 rail post & rail - it climbed it!), they are not good on the brakes & have gone through even the best fencing.
Please, keep weanling in a suitable stable, or find a companion, or find local yard where he can at least see others from a stable for the next week - or failing that do not let him come UNTIL comanion has actually arrived. Most good breeders will help out on this & keep him a bit longer for you if you pay costs incurred
 
Can't he stay where he is for a week? Or if you went literally door to door you might find someone with an older pony they would lend you for a few days, or a stable at their yard.
 
It's like a 10 metre high brick walled garden.

It's just all very last minute, I don't know what to do :( I've got less than 24 hours to sort something out.

Spare pony in Shropshire anyone?!
 
angellauren said:
It's like a 10 metre high brick walled garden.

It's just all very last minute, I don't know what to do :( I've got less than 24 hours to sort something out.

Spare pony in Shropshire anyone?!
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As littlelegs has suggested - leave him where he is until the loan pony comes.
 
He will be fine! He will be all lost and scared, put him in a stable with a nice bed and hay and water and let him be! He's going to be travelling alone, so no big deal. At least he will have company in the next day or so! When I moved Freddie as a nearly 2 yr old he had lived in a herd of youngsters and was fairly wild, we had to sedate him to put him in the trailer and he was put in his own field for 3 weeks as the Mares were trying to kill him, he was fine x
 
Easier said than done!

Loan pony would be coming from Ammanford in Wales, she said that Builth Wells is really bad and Brecon, does anybody know what the roads are like round there???

I've had a look online and can't see a problem?
 
Devonshire dumpling said:
He will be fine! He will be all lost and scared, put him in a stable with a nice bed and hay and water and let him be! He's going to be travelling alone, so no big deal. At least he will have company in the next day or so! When I moved Freddie as a nearly 2 yr old he had lived in a herd of youngsters and was fairly wild, we had to sedate him to put him in the trailer and he was put in his own field for 3 weeks as the Mares were trying to kill him, he was fine x
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7months and recently weaned is very different though.
 
Ask around, you'd be surprised at how easy it is to borrow a companion short term! A friend in the same horsey circle asked for a companion to borrow whilst hers went into the vets recently and was able to choose which to use!
Of course this may not be realistic due to transport etc so I'd personally ask if the vendors would be willing to keep for another week.
 
A bad or good weaning can be the basis for so many things a horses life I would leave him where he is until you know the loan pony is going to arrive failing that you need to barrow a pony fast.
On your own at seven months is a big ask.
 
Personally i would get in touch with the person you are buying the foal from and ask them to keep the foal until the loan pony has arrived. Pay livery for the foal so they aren't having to keep the foal and they should be fine about it. I wouldn't keep a young unhandled foal on it's own, it's asking for trouble.
 
Devonshire dumpling said:
He will be fine! He will be all lost and scared, put him in a stable with a nice bed and hay and water and let him be! He's going to be travelling alone, so no big deal. At least he will have company in the next day or so! When I moved Freddie as a nearly 2 yr old he had lived in a herd of youngsters and was fairly wild, we had to sedate him to put him in the trailer and he was put in his own field for 3 weeks as the Mares were trying to kill him, he was fine x
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is this the same freddie that you have mentioned in previous posts that has big issues with separation when you put him in a stable?
 
angellauren said:
Easier said than done!

Loan pony would be coming from Ammanford in Wales, she said that Builth Wells is really bad and Brecon, does anybody know what the roads are like round there???

I've had a look online and can't see a problem?
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They are clearing but thats the main roads - to get off a mountain road in a 4 x 4 would be risky and cant imagine any one would want to travel a horse safely until at least the weekend when the rain will have melted lots of the snow...

Sorry I would look at a week away and try and leave the foal where he is..... Hell be happier and you less stressed x
 
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