# Putting mare and foal back together after weaning???



## luckyjac (27 November 2010)

Hi, any advice on my problem would be greatly received.

I have 7 month old filly who has been weaned from my mare, who is NOT in foal again for 8 weeks now, which I am pleased to say went extremely well. My filly is out with another broodmare who has taken her under her wing, and another pony mare, the fillys mum was taken to another yard and is back in work. Everyone is happy and fine...except me! 

Having 3 horses in 2 separate yards, along with young family etc is proving to be extremely hard and have been toying with the idea of bringing my mare home, trying her in the field opposite the one the girls are in, with an old gelding for company. They would be able to see/hear each other with only a track width separating the two fields. I just dont know whether this would work, currently no one has been worried about any one else in this situation, ie there are fields surrounding with other horses, but they do not 'know' each other. Obviously the foal would not be able to try nurse, which I have been under the assumption would be the main problem of putting them back together, however, would they recognise each other and try to get back to each other now? I really am struggling but dont want to give myself a far worse problem as they are all very settled. I need my horses to all be in the same place sooner or later and anything I am doing now could all be in vain as they might be no better in a year than they are now. My mare is very clingy at the best of times??? The other problem in all of this is that if my mare does not get on with the gelding she will not be allowed to stay with him, which opens up all new problems with giving notice etc, because once i have tried her, if all is fine I would want to leave her, but cant give current stable up in case she has to go back???


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## Kallibear (27 November 2010)

My lad lived next door to his mum (with another mare) just a couple of weeks after weaning- not remotely interested in her. Same for a friends mare and foal.

if the filly's forgotten mum and made friends with other horses, and mum will be happy being friends with the old gelding then I can't see there being a problem!


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## Alexart (27 November 2010)

It can be fine, but it can go wrong - ie the foal can start feeding off mum again and you're back to square one and have to start weaning again from scratch!!  Personally I'd leave them apart physically for at least 3 months, you could try with them in next door fields to see what the reaction is, as babies tend not to be as clingy as they were before weaning, but I'd still keep them apart - a pain I know but not as bad as having to wean again!


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## MissTyc (27 November 2010)

I leave mine physically separate until the spring following weaning (usually about 3 months). Had only one problem, whereby a 12 months old gelding starting drinking off mum again. Ended up getting rid of mum for different reasons but had to keep them apart until she left as he would let him drink.


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## millitiger (27 November 2010)

I weaned Millie at 4.5 months and her dam came back and went into the same field again when Millie was around 7 months.

it helped that Millie had always been a very independent foal but she never bothered with her mum when she came back and vice versa.

they lived together in a herd of 4 or 5 until millie was a 2yro (when dam was sold) and never had an issue.


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## Smile_and_Wave (27 November 2010)

Mine lives next door to his mum as well weaned about a similar lenght of time ago as your foal, i havent put them out together yet and probably wont but they see each other over the doors and over the fence they have the odd whinny but neither seem paniced or worried about the situation, she actually is uite grumpy with him now and tells him off if he starts sniffing around but she has never been much of a maternal horse


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## charliesarmy (27 November 2010)

I was vey worried about bringing my mare back home..but had to as like you own set up young children going to two places..not bad over summer months but into autumn had to bite the bullet..anyhow mare still looked a bit full in the udder when she came back but showed no milk..although mare did the foal extreamly well, when she came back she obviously showed a recognition for him but point blank turned her back on him, which I think was more alarming for him..they are now out in the same field,she can be a bit narky with him she is defo the boss but seems to tolerate him more than the pony..good luck!


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## CrazyMare (29 November 2010)

Mine live together. I sent Callie away at 5 1/2 months (she had to go to my friends, as Holz was on box rest for a tendon sheath injury that she picked up in the field). That was October, Callie came home in January I think.

They are out in the field together and stabled slightly apart, but love sharing a stable if I am mucking out & they are staying in (they are only 13.2h in 16x15ft stables!)

Makes my life so easy, as they get on really well, but are happy to be apart too, so they go out on their own if I am doing something with the other.


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## imafluffybunny (7 December 2010)

My mare and filly had about 2 months apart and were then back together. 
The mare was not a pushover so would have never had let her drink once back so really worked well. I think mares that are a pushover may need a little longer!! 
My horses are in a herd so the attachment is not there, you would never think the two were related when you see them.


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