Please reassure me about weaning!

[ponynut]

The love of my life is reaching that crucial phase- WEANING!
OK every foal has to become a weanling but I am dreading it.
Kizzy my foal is very independent leaving mom at the other end of a twelve scre field to see me. She happily eats hard feed and scoffs hay all day. Kiz only suckles when the water is too far away! I know it is now time to do it.
But I am not looking forward to parting her from mom.
The plan from the livery yard owner is to take them both up to the yard half a mile away from the fields they have lived in and put Kizzy in a stable. Then take mom back to live with the horses she lived with before I found out she was- to my surprise- in foal. A sudden parting.
Would it be better to let the two spend some time in the new place before the split?
Please give me feedback- I am in crisis!

[Pixie]

In my experience it's just as painfull to have a straight seperation than a gradual one. Personally I think a gradual split is worse as it's like prolonging the agony more and I think it is confusing to the mare and weanling.
All mares and foals go through the initial period of stress when first weaned, but they do adapt and fairly quickly in most (not all) cases.
It's better if the foal has either another foal or a very tolerant companion to help it through this stressfull period, however weaning is never easy so it has to be down to the owners personal preference as to which method to use. Good luck!

[ponyvet]

I know it sounds better to give them a chance to settle in together before separating them at their new home, but actually I think the best way is to get it done as soon as they move in. Make sure that wherever mum is kept the foal cannot see her or speak to her for at least a few days. Is it possible to move foal in and bring mum along a few days later? To do this you may need to move them both in one trailer to the new site but leave the foal there and take mum back to the old home for a few days or even a week. That way the foal gets used to it. They do tend to stress out more if they can see or hear mum so A swift separation is always better.

It is a traumatic experience for mum and foal, as well as owners. I know, I've just had to wean one myself.

[Sharon H]

Who are you going to turn the foal out with when she's weaned? Is the mare pregnant again or not? To be fair to the foal I would turn both of them out with whoever is going to be the foal's companions and let her get to know them a bit before I took mum away. If the mare is pregnant again, I personally wouldn't bother going through all the trauma of weaning. The mares will eventually stop the foals feeding by themselves and if they've got other youngsters to play with, they generally 'wean' themselves anyway.

[angel]

i agree with sharon h. if possible let them wean naturally if you are keeping them both. it is now realised that they are better horses if weaned naturally. obvously if you are riding the foal can not always go but she could stay with others in the field eventualy while mom goes out.
get her used to this first though.