Foal handling

[sandsarita]

i feel like an idiot asking this question since i am an experienced horsewoman, but at age 2yo and over. Double that my dad was an old breeder, but quit by the time I was old enough to help. And unfortunately is not much help now.

Anyway, I have a 7wk old filly that is doing very well overall - leads, grooms, handles feet. Only foal at my house though. Out all day except during bad weather, and it’s spring in Oklahoma so it’s happening. When bad weather they come in the barn.

When she is cooped up for over 12 hours her attitude changes. Which I understand. But she begins to express her freshness by bucking and striking out with her front feet at me while leading her out and turning her loose. Other times she never does this.

If she was older I know how to handle. Scare the crap out of her and throw/hit her with whatever I have in hand. If expected carry a dressage whip or lunge whip. With a foal I know she just doesn’t know as I know she doesn’t know better but I have to stay safe. And teach her that is not appropriate.

How owe do you guys handle this type of behavior in foals? She is handled daily and I do not permit her rubbing/ leaning or nibbling on me. But for that it just takes a shove and she backs off. Thanks in advance

[crosscreeksh]

Treat her like you would a 2 year old…IMO!!! Punish misbehaving or bad manners. That’s I the only way she’ll know it is wrong to threaten harm to “the boss” or any human. We don’t tolerate injury or threats to humans…no biting, kicking butting!! Babies are free to run, jump, buck, kick and play…out of the immediate area of humans. They learn quickly!!! A dressage whip or even a long riding crop packs enough wallop to get your point across. Good luck.

[khall]

I have had quite a few foals and some doozies to handle! It is never ok for them to act up in that manner but be careful with her neck yet she is awfully young. Once my foals got a bit bigger, they learned if they started acting up they got to go backwards to and from the barn. Works a charm!

[MCF1991]

I actually kind of disagree. Foals are foals. If she is only 7 weeks it is way too early to be punishing. I can’t stand it when I see people at shows shanking on their foals or beating them. All they know is that they have a lot of energy and don’t know what to do when they are on a leadline. I would simply lead her out with your arm around her and hold on as best you can and as safely. If she is striking at you aggressively, this is different, but other than that I wouldn’t worry. When she gets older like about 8 months to a year, you can then start teaching her right from wrong. I learned from my mom who’s been breeding for 30+ years and we are always complimented about how our horses turn out once they are matured.

[sandsarita]

Ok guys thanks. I think I am going to take the approach that if her wild antics aren’t coming towards me I will ignore. (As in far out of reach of me or just general high energy but not dangerous). If the wild antics are in any way directed towards me, then I will become the big bad. More try and intimidate but if bad whatever I have to do to keep safe.

I dont mind mind her bouncing around some, but no feet in my direction.

[JJ_sLuckyTrain]

Look at how the dam and other older horses set boundaries. They do! And foals are capable from day one of learning those boundaries. I had a tough filly born last year. One of the best things for her behavior towards me was getting her and her dam turned out with an older, alpha mare. I was lucky that the dam and older mare got along well. That led to a major attitude adjustment in the foal for the better. You need to set boundaries but enlist some help from other horses if you can.

[fordtraktor]

If you now know she does it, carry a dressage whip for leading and turnout until she stops consistently for a few weeks. Don’t just let her be naughty. Now is the easiest time to fix this.

[crosscreeksh]

It is NEVER too early to set behavior boundaries!!! You don’t have to be cruel…just make your point that YOU are alpha and bad behavior is NOT tolerated!! The worst broodmares are the ones who let their “kids” climb all over them and be otherwise BRATS!!! By eight months…you’ve lost the war!!! A naughty, month old foal can hurt you…by eight…they can cause real harm!!! I don’t like bratty kids either!!!

[Tory]

I agree with setting boundaries. You don’t have to get crazy, emotional and abusive to set the tone of who’s boss and what is not acceptable.

I understand that when horses don’t get turned out they can get a bit rambunctious, but I would rather set the rules down with a 7 wk old, maybe a couple hundred pound youngster than with a year old 600 lb one.

I’m sure there will be many times in this horses life when she isn’t able to be turned out. Best to get this issue delt with sooner rather than later.

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[pony_grandma]

I have been criticized for this but it has worked for me and no foals, nor humans, ever got hurt. I carry a plastic pitch fork low. When they kick out they hit that. A few pricks, a hey I just did that to myself - and they stop those shenanigans.

[sandsarita]

I think I am going to carry the dressage whip. Definitely am aware that she can hurt me. And the mare, a maiden, really doesn’t get onto her. I don’t want to say she ignores her but she kinda does. Thanks for the ideas. I am going to try them out

[JoannaHCR]

On the Get your boundaries set train. My 5 year old was not handled as a youngster–we got her at 3. A 16.3 (now 17.1hh) mare with less manners than my foals have at 3 months old. Do it now. Thankfully, my mare has a great brain and kind attitude, so she is coming along well, but she is still learning to manage her emotions in situations she doesn’t like–I introduced clippers and she struck out, no one hurt, and she hasn’t done it since the first 2-3 strong corrections… but it was a lot more dicey than teaching our little 6 week old colt that he isn’t to ever strike out!

[ASBJumper]

Agree with NEVER too early to set boundaries. Nuh uh.

You want early? My first homebred was a confident, sassy filly - and when she was a mere 72 hours old she thought it would be fun to come up into my personal space and “gum” my shirt (hard, not tentatively!!) - so I smacked her on the neck once and yelled “NO”. Know what she did? She pinned her little ears, swung around and made a pathetic attempt at a double-barrel. I smacked her so hard on the rump that she went flying 3 feet sideways, again growling and yelling “NO!”. She went to hide behind mom and gave me the stink eye for the next 20 min while I cleaned their stall.
That mare remained dominant and alpha her whole life, but you know what? She never once kicked, struck or bit me. And she loved people and she had the BEST work ethic.

Anyways, to this day I am convinced that had I not laid down the law immediately with her and kept doing it consistently for years after, she would’ve been a hellion.

My 2008 homebred colt was a month old when he trotted up to me and tried to greet me by biting me in the chest - one big, loud smack with the flat of my hand across his muzzle and a big growl and he flew backwards with his little chin pursed, and i walked over to his dam and calmly started grooming her. He came back over for scritches 5 min later and behaved like a little gentleman. And he never bit me or even nipped me after that, not once, in the 6 years I owned him. Or anyone else, for that matter. He was never one to kick or strike, thankfully, so I never really had to reprimand him for that - but he remained mouthy, like, REALLY mouthy. But he always kept his teeth to himself, limited himself to licking and nuzzling when it came to people.

Nobody on this board would advocate forcefully and repeatedly shanking or “beating” a small foal - that’s completely unnecessary. But it’s patently unfair to the foal if you allow naughty behaviour when they’re very young because “oh, haha, so cute - foals will be foals” and then all of a sudden when they’re older (when it REALLY hurts!) you get after them. Talk about confusing!! Consistency is key - you can’t allow them to do things and then suddenly one day decide it’s not ok anymore. They won’t understand that - and might even lash out harder because of that confusion (depending on their temperament).

[Hawkridge]

@ASBJumper

Agree with NEVER too early to set boundaries. Nuh uh.

You want early? My first homebred was a confident, sassy filly - and when she was a mere 72 hours old she thought it would be fun to come up into my personal space and “gum” my shirt (hard, not tentatively!!) - I so smacked her on the neck once and yelled “NO”. Know what she did? She pinned her little ears, swung around and made a pathetic attempt at a double-barrel. I smacked her so hard on the rump that she went flying 3 feet sideways, again growling and yelling “NO!”. She went to hide behind mom and gave me the stink eye for the next 20 min while I cleaned their stall.
That mare remained dominant and alpha her whole life, but you know what? She never once kicked, struck or bit me. And she loved people and she had the BEST work ethic.

Anyways, to this day I am convinced that had I not laid down the law immediately with her and kept doing it consistently for years after, she would’ve been a hellion.

My 2008 homebred colt was a month old when he trotted up to me and tried to greet me by biting me in the chest - one big, loud smack with the flat of my hand across his muzzle and a big growl and he flew backwards with his little chin pursed, and i walked over to his dam and calmly started grooming her. He came back over for scritches 5 min later and behaved like a little gentleman. And he never bit me or even nipped me after that, not once, in the 6 years I owned him. Or anyone else, for that matter. He was never one to kick or strike, thankfully, so I never really had to reprimand him for that - but he remained mouthy, like, REALLY mouthy. But he always kept his teeth to himself, limited himself to licking and nuzzling when it came to people.

Nobody on this board would advocate forcefully and repeatedly shanking or “beating” a small foal - that’s completely unnecessary. But it’s patently unfair to the foal if you allow naughty behaviour when they’re very young because “oh, haha, so cute - foals will be foals” and then all of a sudden when they’re older (when it REALLY hurts!) you get after them. Talk about confusing!! Consistency is key - you can’t allow them to do things and then suddenly one day decide it’s not ok anymore. They won’t understand that - and might even lash out harder because of that confusion (depending on their temperament).

Whoa…hang on a minute…Lance is 9yrs old this year??? Wow. I feel ancient. That is all.

[Fairview_Horse_Cente]

Avoid cooping up for 12+ hours. Once a foal is 3-4 weeks old, they can take any weather, except for freezing rain. If you have an emergency (hurricane), lead them out well in front of their mom.

[crosscreeksh]

@ASBJumper

Agree with NEVER too early to set boundaries. Nuh uh.

You want early? My first homebred was a confident, sassy filly - and when she was a mere 72 hours old she thought it would be fun to come up into my personal space and “gum” my shirt (hard, not tentatively!!) - so I smacked her on the neck once and yelled “NO”. Know what she did? She pinned her little ears, swung around and made a pathetic attempt at a double-barrel. I smacked her so hard on the rump that she went flying 3 feet sideways, again growling and yelling “NO!”. She went to hide behind mom and gave me the stink eye for the next 20 min while I cleaned their stall.
That mare remained dominant and alpha her whole life, but you know what? She never once kicked, struck or bit me. And she loved people and she had the BEST work ethic.

Anyways, to this day I am convinced that had I not laid down the law immediately with her and kept doing it consistently for years after, she would’ve been a hellion.

My 2008 homebred colt was a month old when he trotted up to me and tried to greet me by biting me in the chest - one big, loud smack with the flat of my hand across his muzzle and a big growl and he flew backwards with his little chin pursed, and i walked over to his dam and calmly started grooming her. He came back over for scritches 5 min later and behaved like a little gentleman. And he never bit me or even nipped me after that, not once, in the 6 years I owned him. Or anyone else, for that matter. He was never one to kick or strike, thankfully, so I never really had to reprimand him for that - but he remained mouthy, like, REALLY mouthy. But he always kept his teeth to himself, limited himself to licking and nuzzling when it came to people.

Nobody on this board would advocate forcefully and repeatedly shanking or “beating” a small foal - that’s completely unnecessary. But it’s patently unfair to the foal if you allow naughty behaviour when they’re very young because “oh, haha, so cute - foals will be foals” and then all of a sudden when they’re older (when it REALLY hurts!) you get after them. Talk about confusing!! Consistency is key - you can’t allow them to do things and then suddenly one day decide it’s not ok anymore. They won’t understand that - and might even lash out harder because of that confusion (depending on their temperament).

YOU are my kind of horsewoman!!! I could copy and paste this letter as my own!!
After breeding for 40+ years…I’ve had all of the same situations!! Three years ago we had a filly JUST like yours!! Mother was serene, but for the first few days the newborn filly bit me every chance she got…(only attempts after the first time) and when I slapped…she wheeled and kicked…HARD, both barrels…so I put MY boot in HER butt. So she pouted!!! And GLARED at me. My reply to her was “My farm, MY rules…I don’t CARE if you like me!!” After a week of ugly staring at each other, one evening during dinner hour… I gently restrained her along side her mother…she was pissed off and tense, but didn’t fight. I gently rubbed her body…after about three minutes she let out a HUGE sigh and relaxed. She NEVER did an ugly thing from that day on. She is now 16 hands and three years old…and my BEST friend…I trust her 100%!! The Human MUST set the rules and stick to them. An evil, grown horse is a problem/hazzard…and not really marketable!! It usually ends badly at the sale barn!! Few people want a horse with no manners and a bad attitude!!

[ASBJumper]

LOL@crosscreek It makes my rolly eye muscles hurt when I hear people say (paraphrased) that love and sweet nothings alone will tame even the wildest, naughtiest foal.

[JoZ]

A whiffle bat is awesome. Can’t imagine it ever actually hurting but that BONK noise? Scary stuff! Speak softly, yet firmly, and carry a whiffle bat.

Three years ago I was asking on here whether mares could overdo it in the discipline department. I got to see my beloved colt clocked by his dam for interrupting her while she was eating. While some people had great suggestions for removing the pressure and stress around mealtime, most also said that the mare should be left to her own devices and that I would be glad that she was a disciplinarian. He became the most respectful little guy I’ve raised, mainly because almost all the other ones I raised were out of one very very doting mare. That mare’s babies always needed some remedial level-setting after weaning, no matter how consistent and firm I tried to be prior to that.

Two things helped me see things clearly – one has already been said, that the baby’s herd members would be fair and forceful right from day one. The other is that a swift response does not cause head shyness or fearfulness. They understand cause and effect. If you walked up to the baby and for no reason slapped him in the face, he might become wary. If a swift punishment follows a transgression immediately, especially if also accompanied by a growl? That baby knows! You’ll see the positive effects.

[crosscreeksh]

@ASBJumper

LOL@crosscreek It makes my rolly eye muscles hurt when I hear people say (paraphrased) that love and sweet nothings alone will tame even the wildest, naughtiest foal.

YES!!! Those same people are on this board after a few year begging for help!!
We use the “5 second rule” method. If you miss the chance to punish in the first 5 seconds. Forget it. No second chances or second “swings”!! Pay closer attention the next time. Our stallions are the BEST behaved horses in the world…because they were taught right as babies by us or their breeders who knew how to do it!! A kick from a foal hurts like crazy…a kick from a six month old or adult BREAKS things/bones!! Most of our horses sell to repeat buyers who LOVE their brains and manners!! It also helps a lot when you start training. It used to be called “instilling respect”!!

[crosscreeksh]

@JoZ

A whiffle bat is awesome. Can’t imagine it ever actually hurting but that BONK noise? Scary stuff! Speak softly, yet firmly, and carry a whiffle bat.

Three years ago I was asking on here whether mares could overdo it in the discipline department. I got to see my beloved colt clocked by his dam for interrupting her while she was eating. While some people had great suggestions for removing the pressure and stress around mealtime, most also said that the mare should be left to her own devices and that I would be glad that she was a disciplinarian. He became the most respectful little guy I’ve raised, mainly because almost all the other ones I raised were out of one very very doting mare. That mare’s babies always needed some remedial level-setting after weaning, no matter how consistent and firm I tried to be prior to that.

Two things helped me see things clearly – one has already been said, that the baby’s herd members would be fair and forceful right from day one. The other is that a swift response does not cause head shyness or fearfulness. They understand cause and effect. If you walked up to the baby and for no reason slapped him in the face, he might become wary. If a swift punishment follows a transgression immediately, especially if also accompanied by a growl? That baby knows! You’ll see the positive effects.

True…a whiffle bat works well…but I don’t have enough hands to carry one around all day as I work!! I always have my hand and/or work boot with me!!