Need advice on weanling

[Alterrain]

This is probably so silly to be losing sleep over, but here goes…

I have found a foal (born in March) that is very important (to me) breeding. He is a 7/8 sibling to a horse I love dearly, and I’ve been looking for this breeding for years, literally. Its not that “fancy” or brand-name, I guess mid-fancy, but proved very hard to find. So I finally found him, AND it’s a colt (same as his relative) and chestnut turning grey (same color.) I can afford him.

So here is what worries me: He is at a place notorious for not great foal care, very hands-off, they’ve been known to not deworm, trim their feet, etc. So I had my trainer call and they told her basically their fencing was destroyed in a storm in the spring and so all the mares & foals have been “in the shed” since then. Sounds like about 8-12 mares and their foals in a shed about the size of an average indoor ring. Is all this totally going to screw him up for the future? No (or minimal) sunlight, basically no running around, no grass, and this is on top of the usual things I was already worried about coming from them… Or I’m just being overprotective already and he’ll be fine as soon as he “catches up” to his peers?? His weight looks pretty much perfect and in the one picture they sent they had 3 round bales in there and hard feed in the trough.

Usually my trainer would say’ “stop worrying just buy it” or “we’re not buying that one the risk is too great” and I’d just go ahead but in this instance she just said whatever I want to do she’d support and that’s making it so much harder!

[joiedevie99]

Assuming he is moving around inside and not on literal stall rest, he’s likely fine. I’d still schedule a vet check and make the vet aware of the sub-par conditions he’s in. If he passes and you bring him home, work out a schedule with your vet to get him caught up on vaccines, deworming, hoof care, etc.

[Railbird]

A lot of the foals in Europe spend a lot of time in big group barns which I found to be really weird when I went to see for the first time. More like livestock than pets. They seem to turn out fine, though in your shoes I’d ship the foal to a young horse breeder who can have them on turnout.

[Arlomine]

Wait a minute. He was born in March, it is now November, and he has been in the shed since spring?

HARD PASS

Personally, I would not be comfortable trying to “rescue” a young horse from the situation with them as my ideal Sporthorse prospect.

I would not accept this situation lightly.
They have not fixed their fence since spring. There’s no way they’re going to do it in the winter… So that means this baby would be in a shed all winter long? How are they going to wean? When are they going to wean?

Those big farms in Europe do not leave the babies in those sheds for months on end. There have been plenty of studies done that indicate the importance of freedom of movement and turn out and young developing horses to be athletes in the future. They need to move in order to signal the body to lay down adequate bone and muscle.

In addition, the sheer idiocy of leaving these horses inside for that length of time really points to a big malfunction in general on the farm. How could they just decide to leave their fences down and put horses in a building as a solution? You can bet this isn’t the only weird thing that they are doing.

This is not an acceptable situation for raising young animals unless you’re planning on slaughtering them like a veal calf.

[JB]

I agree with @joiedevie99 and @Railbird - it’s not ideal, but an indoor arena with plenty of hay and whatever grain, is far from the worst thing.

But if you do get him, get him now, and out of that situation and into one with more movement. Get a FEC done on him asap, and a farrier visit asap. And feed him like a weanling should be fed.

That setup is WAY better than foals in places like SoCal who are raised from birth in much smaller “pens” with their dam.

[GoodTimes]

It wouldn’t worry me that much. Is it ideal? no. But if he otherwise looks good, and you can get him more turnout and up to date on everything else, then he’ll probably turn out just fine.

Over the years I’ve worked and boarded at a couple different small breeding operations. S*** happens, sometimes to the babies, sometimes to the mare, and sometimes those injuries or ailments meant that baby had to stay in for extended periods. None of the ones that I recall ever ended up with issues.

[Alterrain]

Thanks guys! My initial reaction was that of @Arlomine but I’m starting to think it may be worth a shot. I have been looking for this breeding for so long. Sigh…

[Peggy]

@JB

That setup is WAY better than foals in places like SoCal who are raised from birth in much smaller “pens” with their dam.

As a long-time SoCal horse owner who has kept several horses at the typical barns for the area, I have never understood this. Young stock really needs room to move around and an opportunity to be socialized by living with others, not just their mothers. With a older riding horse you can provide much of what they need with correct management. Not so much with a youngster. People have recently brought two weanlings into our urban barn and I wonder why move them here now…

I saw young horses in Holland in what looked like essentially a covered ring with moveable panels. Don’t know that they were there 24/7.

[JB]

@Peggy

As a long-time SoCal horse owner who has kept several horses at the typical barns for the area, I have never understood this. Young stock really needs room to move around and an opportunity to be socialized by living with others, not just their mothers.

I totally agree! And I know some breeders who send their mare/foal pair off to more suitable living conditions for at least the first year, so the foal can get the start they need.

But not everyone does that.

@Peggy

With a older riding horse you can provide much of what they need with correct management

But movement is still movement, and while the adult horse doesn’t have the issue of still growing, their body still suffers to some degree if they are in a “Mare motel” for 22+ hours a day, and expected to be an athlete for an hour