# what age should a foal leave its mother ?



## hannah28 (10 August 2010)

hi 

ive just been looking at my horses history, ive learned that he was sold at 5 months old, to me this seem young ? im no expert so i hope you could tell me ?


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## xbiscuitx (10 August 2010)

although most foals are weaned at 6 months i would have thought it ok for 5 months, although not ideal. However, maybe the mother rejected it? was she pregnant again? But anyway i would have thought that it would be fine


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## Allover (10 August 2010)

My foal was weaned at 5months with no problem (i dont think he realised mum had gone!!!) i believe a really important thing at weaning is that they get to stay with other horses their own age to socialise and learn life skills!


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## hayinamanger (10 August 2010)

A well grown colt foal, already eating hard feed and with another foal of similar size/age for company would be fine for weaning at 5 months..the mare has usually had enough of them by then! I wouldn't routinely wean a filly foal before 6 months unless there was a welfare issue.


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## Enfys (10 August 2010)

I don't think it is particularly young. It all depends on the foal really. 

This colt is just 4 months and _could_ be weaned, he's independent and well grown, I know many, many people who wean their colts (and by colts I mean foals of either sex) at this age. His Mum is weaning him now, more often than not she boots him off her and she doesn't have much milk for him. I have some 4-5 month old colts coming (still on their dams) in this week sometime, I'll give them all another month and then wean them all together. Feeding through the winter takes a lot out of some mares and I prefer them all to go into winter with some meat on their bones.


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## Enfys (10 August 2010)

elderlycoupleindevon said:



			A well grown colt foal, already eating hard feed and with another foal of similar size/age for company would be fine for weaning at 5 months..the mare has usually had enough of them by then! I wouldn't routinely wean a filly foal before 6 months unless there was a welfare issue.
		
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Hi, 

Interesting, is there a reason why you'd give a filly foal longer on the mare than a colt?


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## Beatrice5 (10 August 2010)

I read that importnat changes to the gut happen at 7 months so I plan to wean Henna then even though she is a strapping lass - it will also help her Dams weight loss programme  along with the colder nights.


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## Laafet (10 August 2010)

We wean ours at around 4 months if their mother is infoal and upto 6 months if not. They are all independant at this stage and used to eating on their own in a creep pen. They do not seem to be affected by the split as they are quite happy with their foalie friends rather than boring old mum who probably doesn't want to share her dinner any more!


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## chevs (10 August 2010)

Hi, I've just completely weaned my filly @ 14 months. It was so stress free. I opted for the gradual method and it worked wonderfully. My mare is not coming back into work or back in foal so there was never a rush to wean. My mare is an extremely good doer and never lost weight/condition feeding her filly for this long.   They moved to seperate fields on Sunday and neither of them neighed or looked for the other. So glad i did it this way.


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## Beatrice5 (10 August 2010)

Chevs that sounds really lovely but I am DESPERATE to ride my mare again so have decided on a gradual wean starting a 7 months aiming to be back riding properly next spring when Henna will be a year old ( march foal and a little suprse one too   )


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## Eothain (10 August 2010)

I have to say, I think some of you are going a little over board in how long your foals stay on the mares! I mean the quality of mare milk decreases once the foal hits day 30 and since foals can digest hard feed properly at day 90, they could, if needs be, be weaned at 3 months.

Our last mare foaled on Sunday and I can assure you once day 90 comes, she'll be off her mother before she can say neigh!!!


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## almorton (10 August 2010)

i weaned my last one at 14weeks, mother was VERY glad to be rid and has done foal no harm at all! infact i managed to handle her more and managed to put the manners on her she needed, as mum was far too soft! 
i dont see the need to leave foals on, especially if you mare is unhappy or going downhill condition wise


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## competitiondiva (11 August 2010)

A friend bought a warmblood foal which developed pneumonia and had other problems soon after getting him, it turned out when she actually looked at his birth date that he'd been weaned at about 3 months!!! Which I was outraged at, but apparently this can be common amongst warmbloods if the mare is in foal again??  

I bought a welsh D cross colt who was weaned at 5 months and he's fine, and I weaned my own at 6 months.  I think alot of this all depends on how the foal is growing, if the foal is doing too well then it may need weaning earlier, plus it depends how the mare is coping, if she is losing condition and not producing enough milk then again an earlier weaning date would be better. If both are doing fine and circumstances allow it then a later date can be used.


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## Alexart (11 August 2010)

Weaning under 6 months old is a bad idea - they have done studies to show a foals gut enzymes and its ability to digest fibre and hard feeds don't reach maturity until 6  to 8 months old at the earliest and they are still gaining nutrition and hydration from the mares milk as they are still producing the enzymes for it in large amounts.  So it is still an important part of their diet, they need it as the nutrition of the grass decreases at the end of summer.  So even from that point of view a foal weaned early will not do quite as well as it should have done if left on for longer and is quite a set back to its development and as it will have lost a large part of its fluid intake it can't be good for it colic wise either - why the hurry to wean earlier anyway it's not as if you can start backing it or anything!!! 

I know people do wean to try and get out of feeding the mare extra if the foal is born late in the year - but you end up having to feed the foal extra which it can't gain as much out of  as an adult horse - so not really saving any money, and I have heard people make the excuse of it makes the foals more clingy and more responsive to people so makes them easier to train - at 3 months it would be the same as taking a 5 week old puppy away from its litter and mum.
Foals also learn alot of their social behavior from mum and how she interacts with the rest of the herd and how she deals with scary situations, she's always there if something scares foalie to back it up and provide comfort until it learns to do these things on its own, like any baby animal - horses learn by example.  I know most mares do get to the point where they are pushing baby away and not letting it feed when it wants which a lot of people see as the mare doesn't want her foal but if you actually watch she only lets it feed on her terms - an important lesson in personal space and respect that will be very handy when it comes to being handled by people!

So yes technically you could, if it was an emergency, wean at 3 months personally I'd only do it if it was a life or death situation, but doing it on purpose is a false economy in the long run and doesn't have any benefits at all for the foal physically or mentally.


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## almorton (14 August 2010)

from personal experience ive seen more problems from heavy topped foals left on too long. 
joint problems, OCD etc are rife esp in warmbloods. 
im not saying mine are poor far from it, but its not ideal to leave all foals on until 6months! 
and if a foal is taking your mare down hill, but its too heavy topped and growing too fast, how are you supposed to put weight on your mare whilst keeping it off the foal? !


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## Alexart (15 August 2010)

Foals are designed to put on plenty of weight before their first winter - I know people nowadays want them looking like miniature adults so judge their weight the same way but their first winter is when they grow the most, especially at the end of the winter just before spring, so extra weight, or puppy fat, is needed to give them the resources and also keep them warm as they also have a larger surface area than an adult to their volume so loose heat more quickly - hence the fuzzier coat than an adult, they are also more active. 
The fashion now is to feed foals hard feed, stable them and rug them which doesn't do them any favors and means they don't loose that extra weight as they are designed to do, making them more prone to OCD, instead of just minerals, good quality add lib forage and as much turnout - preferably left out with access to shelter. 
I've seen alot of youngsters now kept in 'show' condition all winter so are put out fat in spring, as heaven forbid you see its ribs!! - they are supposed to look awful, ribby and gawky until they hit the spring grass, they always loose their puppy fat by spring unless stuffed with feed, it's only the first winter they look quite so hideous but it's normal!! 

I bred very good doer large type horses which are very prone to OCD for years and I have never had a foal that I would be worried about its weight to the point I would wean it unnaturally early - they all come out of winter just right for their age ready to go onto good spring grass.

If the mare is dropping weight then she needs to be fed properly as the grazing is obviously not enough to help her hold it as the foal is needing extra and the mare is having to use her own resources to provide it.


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## Shilasdair (15 August 2010)

I agree with Alexart (great posts).
The foal may be nutritionally less dependent on its mother with every passing month, but there are important social and life skills it has to learn, which it can only learn from its mother and the herd.
The idea of weaning foals by shutting them in a stable, or putting them into a herd of other foals is ridiculous; I thought people were more enlightened now.  
S


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## flaxen (15 August 2010)

Beatrice5- there isnt any reason why you cant start riding your mare now. 

My mare has a 9 week old foal at foot and she has been back in ridden work for 2 weeks now. While I school her in the field ( I dont have a school ) he potters about around us amusing himself. 

When I hack her out he gets shut in the barn they have as a stable with my companion pony in his pen at the end. He neighs a couple of times and then is quiet. He has learnt that although mum goes away she does come back. Once my mare has her tack on she is in riding horse mode and doesnt even call for him. I dont see it harming him at all.


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## almorton (15 August 2010)

alexart, i completely agree, tho i think you have missed my point!
my problem is i have a mare that gives FAR too much to the foal, the more i feed her the more she feeds the foal, and the foals end up colossal! i appreciate the need to build up a bit for winter, but not at the risk of damaging joints.
oh and i dont feed foals much hard feed at all, they all live in the field with a pen and shelter for proper bad weather, with other youngsters for company! 
i weaned the last one early with the vets approval, he couldnt believe the foal wasnt twice the age!
so i guess it depends, as always, on what you have got. horses for courses and all that!


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## Serenity087 (16 August 2010)

All these posts are fabulous, but can someone tell our mares they should be waiting intill 6 months?

Emma was absolutely adament Milo was getting weaned at 5 months, whether the rest of us liked it or not.  He was then turned out with a bunch of ponies who are fab babysitters - Milo was still playing with them when he was 2!

Dorey is already giving her child the what for at 4 months.  If she needs to be weaned early, then that we shall.


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## Maesfen (16 August 2010)

almorton said:



			alexart, i completely agree, tho i think you have missed my point!
my problem is i have a mare that gives FAR too much to the foal, the more i feed her the more she feeds the foal, and the foals end up colossal! i appreciate the need to build up a bit for winter, but not at the risk of damaging joints.
oh and i dont feed foals much hard feed at all, they all live in the field with a pen and shelter for proper bad weather, with other youngsters for company! 
i weaned the last one early with the vets approval, he couldnt believe the foal wasnt twice the age!
so i guess it depends, as always, on what you have got. horses for courses and all that!
		
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I couldn't agree more with you, each case has to be taken as a stand alone, none are the same.
Before I had the foster boys two years ago, I was very much in the camp of they must be at least five months old, older if possible.  Having reared the boys to become strapping lads and I defy anyone to be able to tell they were bucket reared as against reared on their dams, tbh, if a foal needs weaning at three months now, it wouldn't bother me *as long as the foal had company of a similar age to play with; all foals need that interaction with another - and it was suitably fed of course*


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