I dont want to disagree with you and everyone has their own oppinions but she started to walk away from him trying to nurse at around 12 months and would tell him off if he tried but occasionally let him try for a few months after that..so I would call that a natural weaning just in my oppinion not saying your wrongThere is no such thing as natural weaning.
In the wild, as everyone loves to quote, sure a mare will gradually wean off her foal around two years old. What she will not do is teach it to be independent or how to correctly socialise as an adult, with other horses.
This tend s to make a clingy, unsocialised animal that takes it's dams social status in the herd and screams the place down when separated form her!
Occasionally a colt will be higher sexed than usual and this colt can and will breed his own dam form 10 months on.
So, although it is unlikely, your mare could well be pregnant by her own foal, so you could get another surprise!
The other down side is that since he is naturally subservient to her his sexuality could be suppressed which will not help hie other testicle to descend.
Short of it is, wean him now!
Oh I would love to see a pictureSince I didn't have the space or time for the second testicle to drop, I rehomed the colt so, now the vet wants to wait at least 80 days after the colt to test her.
Hey Lindi-loo the pic of your mini looks just like one of my little mares they could be twins
Agreed. "Natural weaning" is completely unnecessary. In the wild, the stallion would drive young males out of the herd and monitor them carefully before that - they would not have to wait for their dam to get around to it. If a mare is pregnant and nursing a yearling as well - well that is hard on her and the unborn foal.There is no way I would take the chance of leaving a colt with any age female after the colt is 8 months old
Ohh what a cutie..I love her smileView attachment 3656
Hi, lindi-loo hopefully this pic goes through, but if it does this is my little mare Destiny
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