What can you do with a foal?

[1keegan]

Our foal is ten days old.

He ventures pretty far from mom and is very active.

We've ordered a halter for him and are wondering what types of things you do with your foals at this age?

How do you halter train a foal?

We are also wondering when we can start driving or taking low jumps with the mare after foaling?

What do you do with the foal when driving the mare?

Leah, Age 12

 

[lildrummer]

Hi Leah,

Love the foal. Let him come to you. In stall, just sit with him. This is a great bonding thing. Just sit quietly, and look at him or her. Let the foal explore you, very much as you do with a cat. Just Be. Let him get use to you and others. Pet and rub on him as he come to you, with gentle gestures. Enjoy watching him w/the mom and be part of the heard. If you do this, in time, it will be easier to halter him.

Lildrummer

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

I agree that you should definitely work on the trust issues with a foal first. Then after they are friendlier it will be much easier to teach them to lead because they will follow better. I just do light tugs and then walk a couple of feet and encourage my babies to follow.

As for the mare, if you are letting her out and she feels fine to run around you are probably safe to start doing some light work with her. You will have to keep the foal with the mare when it is younger for two reasons, the younger foals need to nurse very frequently and also at the young stages the mare is a lot more protective and wont like to be separated but as the foal gets older then you will just have to leave the foal in the stall while driving (I wouldnt be comfortable letting it play alongside the mare and cart) just start out with a very short time away from the stall with the mare, try to make her focus on you but dont over stress her or the foal. Depending on the mare you may not be able to separate them, or at least not for very long. I have had mares that I can take the baby for a walk and they knicker alittle but that is about it and I have had some that completely lose it and throw themselves around trying to find their baby. You will have to decide if it is going to be safe for you, the mare, and the foal based on how they react the first time you separate them. This is just what I do and hopefully someone else will give their experiences and opinions!

 

[Matt73]

Stick a halter on him now when you're around (don't leave it on him, of course). Attach a lead (don't lead him yet of course...just put it on and off, drape it over his shoulder). Get him used to stuff early. Then, when you do start to lead him around it's no big deal. Pick up his feet. Touch him all over. Etc. Good luck!

 

[midnight star stables]

Touch his ears too

 

[~Amanda~]

I personally wouldn't worry too much about training him to do anything specific yet. I would work on touching him all over: ears, mouth, feet, etc. I would take the halter off and on so get him used to it and drape the rope over and around him a lot so he gets used to the feeling. I would pick up his feet and play with them a little too.

 

[Katiean]

The foal has been addressed very well by others. As for the Mare. I would not do any work with her that involved seperaiting the mare and foal. We have a mare here that will adopt any foal on earth. I took her on an outing to my brothers house. She was there for about 3-4 hours while the mare with the foal stayed home. On our way home our the adoptive mare (it wasn't her baby and he was home with his mother) exploded. She ran off with the cart (with me on board). It took a few seconds to get controll of her and I made her do circles right there in the road. Just think if it really would have been her baby. I think I would wean before I did any real cart training with a mare. I know I would not accept a mare with a foal for training she is busy being a mom.

 

[barnbum]

I agree with everything that's been said. We've only had four so far and God willing #5 and 6 (last ones) will arrive within a week, but we just play to build trust. When visotrs come I instruc them to just sit quietly along the fence and let the baby come to them. I (not visitors) will lay things on their backs and rub lead ropes on them a little bit. Brush them--let them feel what it's like to be brushed with a curry comb. Run your hands all over them--ears, bellies, face, legs. Go with the foal--if he/she loves it--keep going a bit further; if he/she is shy or nervous--go very slowly taking baby steps.

Mares get too nervous about not being with their foals--so I'd wait until the baby is weaned well before working mama again.