Opinions on Weaning

[LindaS]

Hi
I will need to wean my foal in August. Can I please have some ideas, how to do it best. Is abrupt or gradual weaning better?

Help!

Regards
Linda

[ponymadgal]

Start by putting them apart in stables next to each other, then try going form that, then when they can manage being away for a while, put your mare into another yard so they are seperated!

[shirley]

Does it have to be done at all by man or woman. How about letting nature take its course. Your mare will not want her foal around her all the time, and will soon push him away for herself, when the time is right.
Mothers in nature do this all the time, day in and day out, why do we have to be different with horses?

[LindaS]

Shirley
I would agree with you generally, if my mare would be a broodmare. I bought her last year for riding without knowing she was in foal. I didn't ride her from September until the foal was born in March. I want to start riding now as soon as possible. The foal is already now with 3 month extremly independent and spends more time with the other youngsters than with her mother. She is well developed and I don't think the weaning would harm her.

Regards
Linda

[Esther.D]

Gradually - try to separate the foal for longer and longer with other youngsters (if possible) it will soon be far more interested in playing with the other babies than missing mum :)

[mad mare1]

Linda, please don't wean the foal that early, you may, and I repeat the may, harm her future developement. Especially if you want to breed from the daughter, she may not bond with the foal, I have known that to happen very occaisionally. Seek advice from your vet before weaning early. If the baby is really independent, then by all means ride your mare, but keep her within earshot and sight of her baby. Try bringing your mare in, and riding her,if it is safe to do so, in the field with baby at her side. Then baby gets exercise, and so does mum!!!

[Just.Jump]

Actually, no, some mares in the wild (check out national geographic videos, I have one on horses and it documents some of montanas mustangs) will let the foals wean until they are driven out of the herd my the stallion. A mare was pregnant with a foal, nursing a yearling plus a two year old, all at the same time! I would say don't wean until at least 6-7 months, possibly 8. Weaning too early causes alot of problems. A "crazy" horse at my yard is practically wild-minded because he was taken away at 4 months or something, and now only a select number of people can even get near him. I haven't worked with him for a while though, but as far as i know, he won't be useable in a riding school at all, and will definately be a one person horse. He's about 3 now.


I don't have weaning experience, but I wuld definately wait until the mother seems agitated by the foal nursing and the foal is happy eating harder feed as well. You can do it gradually, but that could simply prolong the stress of the ordeal. I know alot of farms that simply wean all foals in one day. the foals and mares usually call all day and then stop by about evening time and are done.

[Just.Jump]

Also, adding, after having read your reply to Shirley.

At my barn, my coach occaisionally breeds the mares, wether it's because she is planning on selling them after the foal is weaned the following year or otherwise. She rides the mares for a couple of months in the beginning of the pregnancy, and then continues with only very light riding by advanced students until theres only about 4 months left, then leaves them be. She gets back to rides them once the foals are strong and healthy. We've had lessons where everyone is working on their own thing and the foal is bucking around thinking it's all fun and games. Go ahead and ride your mare right now! If you don't want to go into the arena, then ride her in an empty feild or her own paddock. Everything will be fine :) Beside,s then the foal will spend more time familiarizing with you, which is good.

[shandy84]

Shandy was weaned at 3 months and it has caused a lot of damage mentally and physically she is very nervous and doesn't ever like you to leave her is terrible with seperation anxiety with any horse or human she forms a bond with, there was a time I had trouble leaing her alone with her buddies as she was so dependant.

It also made her very suceptible to bullying and that in turn worsened her anxiety and even now she cannot be put in a field with many horses most she fights or gets bullied by and this causes her to get very depressed.

I have both my youngsters which have been weaned abruptly Bramble was slightly older but it still caused issues I personally would wait another month or two and then gradually seperate them, I'm sure as mum will onl be doing a bit of walk to begin with to brng her back to fitness you could ride in their field and the foal could follow if you were that desperate to get back to riding

[chev]

Latest studies show that a foal actually has a physical need for it's mother's milk until 7 - 8 months. Certainly weaning before 6 months isn't to be recommended - early weaning has been linked to (among other things) cribbing and windsucking.

The absolute best way I've found to wean is to have a group of broodies together with their foals and remove one mare at a time. Weaning foals in pairs in a stable is preferable to weaning them alone, or with an older companion. If neither option is available to you, I'd do it gradually - take mum out for short periods of time and build up from there - but always make sure foal is not left alone - even shut in a stable weaning a foal alone borders on cruelty IMHO.

[Greta]

William is being weaned at the moment. We started by seperating them by night, putting William with his big sister. Now they are seperated during the day and stabled seperately. They have barely stressed and Gina is a very protective mother!!!

Roxy was weaned 'naturally' and the two are basically the same, except that the physical stress on the mare is less (being ridden & producing milk for her foal) the way I'm weaning William.