Need advice for weaning !

[lnight89]

Hello everyone ! Ok so I've had horses since I was 12, I used to breed my appoloosa mare and she always weaned herself around 6 months, was always super easy! Well I've recently purchased two mini horses. The lady who I bought them off said she free breeds out in pasture. I bought an 8 year old already pregnant mare and her almost 1 year old filly , last week. Now I was assuming that this filly had been weaned awhile ago. When in picked them up they were all out to pasture together so as I said I just assumed she was weaned and all was good. Well I got them home and realized after about ten minutes that this IS NOT the case. She still let's her nurse when ever she wants and the filly goes crazy if I seperate them. Now normally I would just say ok well you can both be upset for awhile and seperate them and get the weaning over , but I'm worried I might stress out the pregnant mare! Any ideas or advice as to what I should do??? She's due in three months. Thanks in advance! !

 

[Mona]

NOW IS the time to get the filly weaned. Mama will probably thank you for it. And I would keep them apart at least for a couple of months. Can you separate them so they are still next to each other, but so filly cannot nurse? That filly cannot be nursing or Mama will not have the colostrum needed for the life of the new foal.

 

[Jean_B]

I found the easiest way to wean is "cold turkey" and keeping them as far apart as possible so they cannot hear each other. In fact, the last few years I have sent my weanlings on the day they are weaned to "boot camp" - where they go to a farm some miles away where the high school equine class works with them on manners, leading, loading, standing for the farrier, etc. No mares bellering, and no answering bellers from the babies. When I cannot do that, I keep them in paddocks on opposite sides of my property. One day, and they quit. But as Mona said, do it NOW, and I would wait longer than a couple months. I once separated a mare and her filly for SIX months....and when I put them back together, the filly tried to nurse, the mare let her and actually put down milk (she was like a milk cow and her babies were fat as pigs, so I wasn't too surprised).

 

[lnight89]

Ok thanks! I have a stall next to her but I unfortunately don't have one far enough away to not hear her, or the funds to have her boarded for a few months. My biggest worry was the stress on the mare but if you think it won't harm the fetus with her being all worked up than I should start that today!

 

[lnight89]

So far , momma is not too happy :s

 

[Magic Marker Minis]

Once she figures out her filly is next to her she'll settle down. Try putting hay down to help distract her.

 

[lnight89]

They've both calmed down a ton! And seemed really happy to be groomed and fussed over so that's good. I called up the previous owner and she said she had them split up for almost a month and they were fine, she said normally Sugar doesn't let her foals goes back to nursing after that long but she obviously did. Thanks for your help guys!

 

[chandab]

If the foal was weaned until the move, it could have been the stress of the move that turned her to try to nursing, again. A comfort thing more than milk need. As long as they know the other one is there, this "weaning" will probably go pretty smoothly.

 

[lnight89]

They were back together and she was nursing for about two weeks before I got them. But all is well this morning in the barn! The Mom couldn't care less the filly is already listening to my commands better and is way more into me and the kids so went well all around! So happy for the advice

thanks!