Weaning

[fionahogg]

What are the various ways in which to do this? Our yard is also a stud so we have a lot of mares and foals around. Weaning is always very stressful for everyone. The general method employed by the owners is that they seem to just seperate the mare and foal for increasing lengths of time over a shortish period of time. I don't have a say - I'm just a mere livery - but it seems to me that there could be a less stressful way of weaning...?

Fiona

[Maci]

I'm not at all experienced in weaning, but I thought about it, and here's my suggestion o a way a little less stressful on the mare and foal:
I agree with seperating the mare and foal for short periods of time, that grow a little longer each time, but if you put your horses in pasture, when you do seperate the two, you can put them each in the pastures beside each other, so at least they'll have the comfort of looking at each other and knowing that you can come close to her if times grow stressful for the foal. And when the foal starts to become more independant, and doing his own thing, you can introduce other foals, as playmates, to take his mind of the weaning.

Well, That's My Opinion.
Kind Of Vague, But You Get The Point!
Maci :)

[Allie]

there are less stressful ways, but none are going to be close to stress free. All the horses at the ranch are wened by leaving them with the herd (which they are used to) and leaving mom with a friend in the pen near the barn. That way the babay still has all his playmates and can go through all the normal interaction but still gets weaned.

One good way to do it is to first put them in pens next to each other (each with a friend or two) where they can smell and touch each other for a few days, then move to pens where they can only see each other, then farther distance, then completely seperated.

We think weaning is sostressful, but it is just as stressful in the wild, and out there there isn't any transitioning, so who knows if it isn't better for the foal in the long run to just be seperated. If you have the time and patienc and more than just the two horses, you can just let mom wean the baby on her own.

Allie

[intouch]

Our young un weaned himself at 9 months - he went into the wrong box one night and stayed there! He had a feed from mum the next morning then was quite happy to be within sight of her but not in contact till her milk ended. Now (at 2) he is fond of her but equally happy to have anyone else for company, or even be alone for short periods. I suppose, like kids, they're not all the same!