Question for all you breeders: what are some good books on raising a WB foal…especially the weanling to three year old phase. Emphasis on training and handling, but nutrition and health also would be great. Would like to give it as a gift to my buyer…she is a horse person and intermediate rider but this is her first foal
I have heard of some books about raising young horses, but most of them start around 2-3 yrs and deal mostly with backing. John Lyons has “Bringing Up Baby” if you want to go the NH route (no round penning as I recall), which is great for just instilling manners & respect in a youngster.
I honestly can’t think of any books specific to WB babies…maybe others can.
For the first 2 years basically just teach them their ground manners and expose them to stuff like clippers, bathing, farrier, tying & leading, loading in a trailer, blanketing, respecting personal space, leaving the herd, etc.
All the stuff they are going to do as grown ups. As for nutrition, there are lots of articles & books on that, but they are usually separate from the actual handling. If you joing “The Horse” online magazine, they have articles on health/nutrition for all ages of horses…lots of good info there.
The Formative Years: Raising and Training the Young Horse from Birth to Two Years By Cherry Hill
http://www.amazon.com/The-Formative-Years-Raising-Training/dp/0914327194
I dont think this book is still actively in print but you can still get it 
I found this book to have a lot of very good ideas and information. Yes some of it may be dated. There are almost nothing out there for the age you are talking about. I have loaned my copy out but make sure I get it back.
I second “bringing up baby” I am in now way a “NH” type person, but enjoyed the book when I purchased my first weanling.
This one helped me a lot: The Young Horse: Breaking and Training by Jenny Loriston-Clark. It’s available on Amazon
