WEANING
FOALS - SOME IDEAS OF HOW TO MAKE IT AS STRESS-FREE (FOR YOU AND YOUR
HORSES!) AS POSSIBLE.
March/April/May
are common times for sporthorse foals in New Zealand to be weaned as foals
start to reach the age of 4 to 6 months old. Most studs agree that this
age is quite suitable to wean foals for a variety of reasons. The mare
is often back in foal and entering her second trimester of pregnancy,
so the combination of feeding her current foal at foot plus providing
ample nutrients for herself and her growing baby can start to be compromised
with less good quality grazing around and cooler weather. As the foal
gets older the mares milk becomes much more watery in consistency, and
the foal starts eating grass to sustain themselves. They therefore tend
to drink from their mother much less than they did previously - in fact
the mare may already be gradually weaning the foal herself by not always
letting them drink. You will also notice the foal start to explore the
paddock and spend more time away from their mothers side. Another good
reason to wean foals before winter strikes is that leaving a young animal
on its own without their mother for the first time can be quite stressful
and if done during cold, wet weather can leave them much more prone to
becoming ill.
The main ingredients
in helping both your mare and foal through the emotional and physical
stresses of weaning are companionship, warmth/shelter, good food and familiar
surroundings.
Facilities required for weaning must focus on safety and security. You
will need a strongly fenced high yard, stable or round yard, and a safe
turnout paddock for the weanling (ideally quite small if possible). Ideally
the foal will already be familiar with the yard/stable etc, although it
is less important for the mare to recognise the paddock she will be taken
to. For the mare you really need to be able to move her far enough away
from the foal so they cannot hear each other call out. Some people travel
their mare away to a completely different property if their own property
is too small.
Before you begin the weaning process, it also pays to make sure both the mare and foal are in good health - you don't want to add to their stress of being separated by ill health.
There are two main
methods to wean foals. Some people prefer a clean break or "cold
turkey" weaning by simply containing the foal somewhere safe and
taking the mare immediately away to a far paddock or alternative property
well out of eyesight and hearing range. This method can initially be the
most emotionally stressful for mares and foals, although doesn't pro-long
the weaning process and sometimes there are cases where the mare and foal
are already quite independant of each other at this time and hardly seem
to notice.
Gradual weaning methods involve separating the mare and foal for periods
of time over several days until one day the mare never returns to the
foal. One of the safest ways of doing this is by putting the foal in a
yard right beside the mares paddock (or the mare in a separate yard alongside),
so they can see each other and touch noses through the rails but the foal
cannot drink from her and starts to see her as a less important requirement
in his/her life. You might like to put the foal in the yard at night (with
plenty of food, hay and water) and then back out with the mare in the
morning. (Some people opt not to put the mare and foal back together again,
feeling this just pro-longs the separation even more, but it is up to
you.) The gradual method gives the foal some time to accept being a little
independant on his/her own in the yard, and allows the mares milk supply
a chance to start easing off due to lessened demand.
With this gradual method there will of course still come a point where
the mare will have to be taken right away from the foal, however at least
the foal has already become accustomed to being retained in the yard on
their own, and the previous routine of being yarded and fed should be
continued for at least a couple of days after the mare has gone to give
them further feeling of security and familiarity.
Whichever method you decide on, there are a few more things you can do to help your young foal and mare best get through the weaning process.
THE FOAL
There are two trains of thought as to whether foals should be weaned completely on their own in a yard (although still beside or later turned out with companions), or weaned in a larger yard/stable in with other foals.
During
weaning, foals are obviously very vulnerable and impressionable, so poorly
organised weanings can have a long lasting effect and cause them to become
very herd-bound and insecure about being on their own. The best way to
avoid this is to ensure the foal looks to you for support and as their
new leader. Note that this does not mean for you to pet your foal and
allow them to become disrespectful or too domesticated by any means! There's
a fine balance that must be maintained where you become the foal's new
source of security, yet he/she still knows how to get along with other
horses. If the foal learns to look to you for food and guidance etc, and
the other foal friends and horse companions are secondary, you will be
able to help the foal gain independance and security in people, not just
other horses, which is an extremely valuable lesson for any future riding
horse.
We still strongly recommend weaning your foal with the nearby company of other foals, or an older horse that they already know. However initially it is valuable for the weanling to spend some regular time alone. Although they will take little notice of these friends during the first few hours of separation, having other horse companions is essential to later help with the sudden "dissappearace" of mother, providing friendship and guidance to your young horse who is now facing the world on their own. If your mare and foal have been on their own the whole time, introduce the new future companion/s well in advance before weaning so they are familiar with each other. Even for a group of several weaned foals, having a good natured, older horse run with them is ideal. Avoid a young, flighty horse as the main companion because your foal needs security and leadership and will pick up these traits.
If your mare and foal
are not already being hard-fed and given good quality meadow and/or lucerne
hay, it is a good idea to also introduce them well in advance prior to
weaning so that the foal gets used to eating them with its mother, and
will then be able to have a continued supply of vitamins and minerals
after the mare has been removed. Remember that foals and weanlings generally
do not need large amounts of hard-feed and other proteins such as lucerne
hay which, if fed in excess or in sudden large portions, may affect their
joints as they are growing. The idea of feeding your newly weaned foal
is to provide them with comfort once the mare has gone, as well as being
an easy way of keeping their weight at a good level through the coming
winter and providing the necessary supplements that they where previously
getting through the mothers milk.
Food is also important for the horse to generate warmth, so make sure
you supply your weanling while they are confined with ad-lib quality meadow
hay, with some lucerne and hard-fed also given alongside. Access to fresh
water is also an obvious must!
Depending on how much
you have already done, weaning is a great time to handle your foal some
more and establish the proceedures of wearing halters, leading and having
their feet picked up. This handling helps futher establish your leadership
and trust. Weaning can also be a good time to introduce a cover to your
foal if you want to, especially if they are being weaned using outside
yards, as the cover will provide extra warmth and protection that may
help avoid illness while they are feeling emotionally stressed. Wearing
a cover during their first winter is also great learning for them and
adds to their reportiore of learning experiences. 
Make
sure the foal has moved around while wearing the cover in a safe space
(round yard is ideal) before turning them out in a small paddock, as you
don't want any disasters with fences if your foal goes for a canter and
suddenly feels the cover straps for the first time. If you choose not
to put a cover on your weanling, make sure they have really good shelter
in their paddock as they no longer have their mothers body and milk to
keep them warm and dry.
After the mare has
been removed, the foal will most probably call out for a while (a few
hours to a few days!) and may appear to be a bit down in energy and depressed.
This is where the companion foals/older horses come in as your foal will
greatly look to them (and you if they already have trust in you) for support
and friendship.
You will probably need to keep the foal in confinement for around 24 hours
or more after the mare has been removed to avoid the foal panic-ing out
in the paddock and blindly running through fences if they are still very
upset. Use your discretion as some foals will remain much more upset and
continue to call out for longer than others. Continue keeping a very regular
routine of feeding and yarding them at the same times in the same places
etc for another couple of days or more, as knowing the routine will help
the foal feel more confident about being on their own. When it comes to
first removing them from the yard and turning them out in the paddock,
it is usually wise to use quite small paddocks initially, as otherwise
they can gallop around a big paddock and hurt themselves at the worry
of being on their own and in an attempt to find their mother. As always,
use your common sense and decide what is going to work best for your indivudual
foal using your facilities. Keeping the foal in familiar paddocks will
also greatly help their sense of security and help them settle more quickly.
After several days of this routine, you will probably be able to turn the newly weaned foals out in a larger paddock with their companions and they will settle into eating grass fairly quickly. If you can continue to keep a regular feeding routine now that they are weaned (even just a slice of good hay each night or a little hard-feed, providing they already have plenty of grass) will only assist in building their confidence as they know what to expect, build trust in you and have something to look forward to each day.
If your foal has become more depressed and run down during weaning to the point where they have picked up a cough or cold, contact your vet who may advise antibiotics. By always ensuring the weanlings have plenty of good food, good shelter and companions, you can usually avoid too many complications and before long your little weanlings will be back to being happy and alert individuals, without their mother!
THE MARE
Don't forget your
mare's needs during weaning as she has suddenly lost the precious baby
that she has been dutifully caring for for the last 5 or so months!
Your mare also needs the same requirements as the weanling - good food,
warmth/shelther and companionship to help her make the transistion to
being alone again with no young dependants hanging around. Some mares
are more than pleased for weaning to arrive, especially those with boisterous,
demanding foals! Your mare may already have been kicking the foal away
from feeding from her anyway.... this is a sure sign that your mare is
getting ready to wean the foal. Maiden mares often find their first weaning
experience harder than more experienced mares.
On
the day of the separation, have a safe paddock ready for her to go to
and march her as quickly as you can away from the foal in the yard. This
is usually easier if you are weaning two or more mares together as they
will often lead off together without even realising the foals arent following
them like they have for the past 5 months!
If you are travelling your mare away in a truck or float, load her as
quickly as you can and drive away before she or the foal start calling
out too much.
Because she has just lost her foal, her friends will be more important to her now, so wean the mare with her previous companions in a safe, well fenced paddock, as far away from the foals as possible. If the mare and foal can see and or hear each other calling out, weaning is much more stressful and pro-longed. If your mare is a natural jumper and inclined to taking on gates or fences, you may need to take this into consideration!
Mares can run or pace up and down the fenceline for hours when they realise their foal has gone, and because the weather is usually cooling down make sure you keep an eye on her and possibly cover her if required. Also make sure you keep watching her udder for the next fortnight or so as some mares can get mastitis which can be very painful and require veterinary treatment. If she will let you, it can be helpful just to squeeze her teats and let a little of the milk out to ease the pressure, however remember that the milk supply is created depending on the demand, so the more you milk her off, the more her body will think the foal is still drinking and continue to supply! Dried milk on the mares legs may also need washing off before it becomes too hard and itchy.
Provide your mare with good food at weaning, although it is suggested not to put her immediately into a paddock of long lush grass as this sort of food only aids in milk production.
The bond between mare and foal is great and there have been instances where they have been placed in paddocks together many months after a sccessful weaning, only for the owner to find the mare suddenly starts producing milk again and the foal starts feeding! Unless you absolutely have to, it is probably best not to reunite mare and foal in the same paddock for 6 months or more to be sure the mare will not take the foal back, but this will vary with each case. By this time she may just about have another foal on the ground anyway, and your weanling will be approaching yearling age and have gained a strong independance away from mum.
Weaning
can be a stressful and busy time for owners too - we all hate to see our
animals upset. However remember that at some stage it is a necessary part
of life for your young horse and it generally only takes a couple of days
for both the mare and foal to start happily accepting life on their own.
Good luck with your mares and foals at weaning... we hope it goes smoothly as your future little stars continue on their way to becoming happy, healthy and independant horses.