New Weanling Colt. . .

[~katie~]

Ok as we all should know I just purchased a bay pinto weanling colt and that this is my first weanling I've ever had. He (no name as of yet) is very shy around people but settles right down when you start to pet him. Loves people as soon as he sees you won't eat him lol - yeah us evil baby horsie eaters lol.

Well he has been handled a total of 3 times by humans his whole life yet is such a people perosn once you pet him. . .and within 2 hours he's nickering at me when he sees me. So below is what I need to know. . .

1- He hasn't had his feet messed with so what do I do to teach him to have his feet messed with?

2- He (as far as I know) hasn't been tied yet but what do I need to do for this?

3- Anything to help him be less shy around others?

4- He's just been clipped so will he need a winter blanket? If so. . .what kind?

Any helpful tips will be greatly appreciated! I look forward to showing this boy in halter classes! He certainly will catch the judges eye out ther with the big guys (reg. sized horses lol)! Wish me luck this February through November!

 

[nootka]

1- He hasn't had his feet messed with so what do I do to teach him to have his feet messed with?

----I would first teach him to lead and stand tied, but after this has happened, you can pet him and talk to him softly and run your hands down his legs, but start somewhere more neutral like his shoulder and top of rump and work down, watching his body language. He will begin to relax and reward him for relaxing by backing back up to the places he is totally fine w/ and scratch him in his coat, etc.

2- He (as far as I know) hasn't been tied yet but what do I need to do for this?

---a safe place to tie is paramount. A quick release snap and a halter and lead as well as sturdy tie ring is good. I like a good ring set into a wall so the horse cannot get his legs through anything or hurt themselves on anything in their struggles. Of course, they should first be leading well and understand give and take on the halter before you try leading. After they relax and stand quietly for about 30 seconds the first time, then release him and move on. Best setup for training a horse like him is to run the lead through the ring and you hold one end of it. As he struggles, try to make sure he stays firm, but if things get too hairy, you can release the lead a little and let him go so he doesn't get hurt. Also when he relaxes, you can release the lead and give him his freedom, more, also always talking softly to him and being reassuring. With a colt, I always try to avoid the feeding of treats as a reward as it encourages mouthiness, imho. I would rather use praise and the release of the pressure.

3- Anything to help him be less shy around others?

--Others meaning people? If so, then he will just take time. First, he needs to have confidence and trust in you, and that comes from you making sure he knows the rules and always being consistent and keeping him from getting hurt. He will soon trust you and learn that the things you do are not scary, but fun and comforting and then you can introduce him to people a little at a time. Maybe give him a feed dish and have someone new standing near the dish. A treat could be in the dish (far more acceptable than feeding by hand, in my experience), and you lead him up to the pan so he can eat it.

4- He's just been clipped so will he need a winter blanket? If so. . .what kind?

---I'd get a winter type blanket. Supreme Equine Design makes great ones, IME. They last a long time and they fit beautifully. If it's cold there, he should have one. Unless you're in a very warm climate, a blanket is necessary if he's clipped.

I am by no means an expert, this is just what I like to do with horses of a similar age and experience level.

Liz M.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

First off- congratulations.

Do you have other horses around?? If not, this little one is going to get very lonely, very quickly. If no others around he will already be very lonely, which is why he is nickering at you. What on earth got into the people who sold him to you to clip him?? He has not been handled and possibly his first experience of being held was when he was clipped?? This is not good. Still, it's done, and you are going to need a good warm blanket, in fact you probably need a blanket now, anyway- I never clip and turnout without a blanket. So, Yes is the short answer, get a blanket- get one that fits him for now, one that is a tiny bit too bit for winter and then I would wait before buying any more till you see how much he's grown!!! I would NOT tie him or consider tying him until he is leading and thicks the halter is a nice thing to have on his head. Over the next week or so put as much quality time as you possibly can into him. My foals were and still are totally manipulatable without a halter on their heads, so teach him halter training without the halter- move him around, get him to move forward, everything but no halter. Once he trusts you not to eat him (ALL humans a purple horse eaters from Mars, according to my mares!!

) Slip the halter on him, make a game of putting it on and off and playing with it, and have no lead on it. NEVER leave him alone with the halter on him. Once he is totally accepting of the halter, and the lead, not sacred etc, drop the lead on the floor and let him tread on it, this will get him pulling himself up short, but not scare him. Again, you have to be there to watch over him. Once he is OK with this and giving well to his head then you can think about tying him up. There are lots of shortcuts. If you do them you will have a halter broke foal in no time at all. If you do it my way you will have a halter trained foal that will never throw back or panic when tied up. Wrap the rope round a post or a bar and hold the end. Let him take up the slack and maybe pull a little. Have someone there to help if possible, just standing passively behind him with his weight on their legs, so he cannot throw hi weight back and hurt his neck. Once he has moved forward, release him, make a fuss of him, walk him round and do it all over again. If you have no-one top help, put a gig loop of soft rope round his backside and use this to balance him. Do this two or three times during each play session. Once he is totally accepting of the whole process, THAT'S when you actually tie him, make sure you tie him to something that will NOT break, that it is a good slip knot and that you have a sharp knife handy!! None of this should be needed, but better safe than sorry!! Once he is accepting of the tying up you can start the leg handling. I would not attempt to do anything about the feet until he is good with his legs. If the feet are really bad you need a Farrier you can really trust, to just put him quietly on the ground, sit on him and get it done really quickly. Since for the rest of his life he will be pared standing up, chances are he will never equate this with having his feet done in the future. Good Luck with him, and keep us posted.

 

[~katie~]

Thanks guys for helping me out!

And yes, I do have other horses - but one is a 15hh Quarter Horse and a 16hh Arabian/TWH/TB cross and they will be put in seperate places. Would a pygmy goat be a good companion for him?

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I have never found anything to compensate properly for lack of other horses- could your little one share a fence line with the biggies??

 

[nootka]

Yes, Jane (rabbitsfizz) is right, another horse will be a great companion, but I don't ever condone the mixing of minis and full size horses. I think as she mentioned that sharing a fenceline will be the next best thing.

I hadn't thought of that and of course she has some great training advice, too.

Another possibility that may help you in the long run w/training is to consider if you will be using him for breeding or not. If not, then you might consider gelding him. His mind will then be on the tasks you present to him, and his attention span will be better. In other words, your job will be much easier.

Liz M.