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Fwd: [RC] Foal help - Karen SullivanHi Sandy,
I weaned my colt at the end of 5 months, mainly becuase i really wanted to get back to riding with the mare, and a great opportunity came up for me.......A friend had a mare with a slightly younger, but big foal, out on a 20 acre cut grass hay field. We took my mare and baby over...and sure enough, he started to play and hang out with the other baby...which was just incredibly great he had a youngster to play with. He was VERY independent, and his Mom was already starting to graze well away from him, and both were comfortable with each other out of sight.. A week later, once he was comfortable with the place and other horses, I took the mare home, leaving youngster in a now familiar place. That is a key, don't move the baby to a strange place. My friend said he did some calling for the first day, then was fine. The mare ran around here back at home looking for him, for about an hour, then, back in familiar surroundings, was fine....the milk will dry up on it;s own, although she still has some. Exercise will help.
From my one rat experience, it's important that they are eating well before weaning, and mine was getting some beet pulp and about half reccomended amount of Equine Junior (on advice of my vet), as well as eating hay
Now.....my vet said to wean at 4 months...but that does seem young...other friends and internet said to go more from 6 to 9 months if you can...you get a more self-confident baby..but my pair were already sort of self weaning...
I would have left mine out at the friends indefinitely to play with her filly, but I ended up finding a fantastic home, and delivered him about another week later after fully weaned to a place with another youngster to play with, and an eager buyer who handles him daily!!!
That did seem all a bit rushed to me, and stressful (two moves within 3 weeks), but he handled it fine.
But, if you don't have to wean yet, why don't you do more trailer loading work, and take him for short rides alongside the mare...?
Karen
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