# How long after foaling can mares start to be brought back into work?!



## EquestrianFairy (24 July 2008)

-No rush just an idea of time limits?


----------



## Tia (24 July 2008)

Depends on the mare, depends on the foal, depends on how fit/unfit the mare was during pregnancy.

One of ours was ridden right up till about a month before foaling - she started going back out for rides when the foal was about 6 weeks old.  By the time the foal was 3 months old, the mare and foal were good to be separated for rides of around 3 or 4 hours.

Another mare of mine was only ridden up till she was about 4 months into her pregnancy as she was lame.  I just left her till she had foaled and after foaling she started going out for rides when the filly was around 3 months old, but her foal was pretty clingy so I only did very short rides for a month or so until she became used to Mum leaving.  By the time the foal was about 5 months old, the mare could go out on much longer rides.

So two extremes; I don't think you can really put time-limits on these things, just take it day to day.


----------



## EquestrianFairy (24 July 2008)

My mare was being ridden until 3 days before she popped (suprise foaly!) so was relatively fit, foal is now two weeks old and both baby and muml arent especially clingy.

How do you start doing it? do you just plod around the field with baby following for a few weeks?
Ive never had to bring a foaled mare back into work before.


----------



## Tia (24 July 2008)

Again it depends.  One mare I had was quite clingy with her foal, however the foal was not particulary clingy with her.  I used to take both of them out of their field and ride her with the foal just running alongside us.  (I do have rather a lot of land though so no harm could come of this.)  The foal used to ride out with me from about 2 weeks old till he was about 3 months old and then I started leaving him behind with his other little friends.

With all of the mares (except any that come out with their foals) I tend to ride within eyesight of the foals for the first week or so.  If the foal gets upset then I will simply ride the mare back to them to calm them, and then go off again for a little while.  Once the foal/mare is happy with this, I then start taking the mare out of eyesight, but still not very far away so that I can return quickly if the foal gets into a state (none have though).  I wouldn't say it generally takes very long for them to get used to being separated - a couple of weeks max.

I assume you do have companionship for the foal in the field?  Mine all had other little ones to keep them company, and 2 of mine had their Dad in the field; both are very attached to their Daddy so never really cared too much that their mothers were not with them, particularly the oldest one who is a real Daddys girl.


----------



## EquestrianFairy (24 July 2008)

This is really interesting!

The baby has a yearling, the yearlings mum and another mare for company although i was debating putting her in the stable when we go out? is that a bad idea?

I have started to put baby in the stable and feed mum outside the stable so there is a barrier bwteen them for a max of 5 mins. Or i bring mum out of the field and baby stands by gate (about 2 feet or so away) neither get worried. 

I have 3 paddocks so i can use one to ride in with baby following with no harm to come to anyone. 

The paddocks are each adjacent to each other so i could perhaps when i start riding without baby remain riding in the paddocks so that they can see each other, the biggest paddock is 3 acres but it does down a slope where at the bottom you are out of sight for a few moments. 

The school we have is still visable from the paddocks but further away.


----------



## Tia (24 July 2008)

It sounds like you have a good set-up there, which many people do not have, so that puts you in good stead.

With something like this, it really is "each to their own".  A lot of people wouldn't even ride a mare until the foal has been weaned; that is most definitely not my way though.  I believe that riding mares should be back out doing what they do, fairly quickly after foaling - get them back into the swing of things again, so to speak.

Lots of people prefer to lock the foal in a stable - again this is not my way and I don't care for this type of enforced separation.  I prefer to take it slower and to make sure no-one become upset and this has worked for me.  If you do choose to leave the foal in the field, make sure your fencing is very safe as you don't want the foal to injure itself.  I'd say, whatever way you do it, just stay close for a week or so incase you have to return quickly.


----------



## Natch (24 July 2008)

Tia, please don't take this as criticism because I don't know the first thing about foals really, but... 3 months old and without mother for 3-4 hours? Isn't that too long to go without milk for a baby so young, and a new/young digestive system? (as I say I don't know so I might be wrong)

I would worry about the mental effect on a young foal of mummy going out of sight for 3-4 hrs at a time, but that might be unfair if the foal is introduced to it gently and doesn't seem to mind... I'd also seek the vet's advice as to when mum's physical condition is likely to be good enough to be able to cope with a rider and exercise again. I know if I had just had a baby I would like to be brought back into any exercise slowly!

If it were just me and I didn't have any other advice, I would start riding mum gently somewhere where foalie can potter about with us too (check) but wouldn't progress to hacks where mum will be out of sight of foal for more than say 1/2 hr until foal is weaned.


----------

