So as weaning approaches I am pondering who to turn our filly out with. She was our only foal of the year so I am not sure who on our farm will be the best match if any. Right now the yearling filly is turned out my daughter’s pony gelding. They are a match made in heaven. The yearling filly is laid back and is a sister to this years filly. Yesterday I let the yearling in the field with mom and baby. Mom chased her off and she respected her space 
Put her back in her field (that shares the fence line) and found the filly and her sister checking each other out all afternoon. This morning I put a halter on mom when I turned them back out together and the two checked each other out, ran and played. Mom never even batted an eye and was happy to stand and eat hay. I then turned mom loose and she wandered away leaving her filly to play with big sis. Only once did mom make a face at the older filly and that was over a pile of hay. I will leave them for a couple of hours today and continue to do this until weaning time next week. I know in a perfect world I would have her turned out with other weaners but the only other two foals that belong to friends are colts. My question is does anyone ever turn their only foals out with yearlings or am I better of keeping her by herself which I would hate to do? Love to hear others experiences
Sounds like it’s going to work OK to turn them out together. The other option is not an option IMO.
My mares with foals are turned out with the main herd of older horses, from the time the foals are of an age of being mobile and aware. Usually about 2 months old. I’ve found this method to work very well. It’s a mixed herd of yearlings, two year olds and a few three year olds, barren mares, various turned out older horses, mares and geldings. Friendships form between foals, and older horses. I had one older gelding (thought he was herd stallion) adopt his nephew, teaching him to be a lead horse, a high social status. The foal still went and sucked on his mother, but ate hay with his uncle. Foals play with each other, and yearlings, and all older horses protect the foals. Foals get babysat by other horses, mares are OK with this, happy about it actually. A break for them. Then the foal becomes part of the community, raised by the herd rather than just mom. Forms good, healthy relationships with a number of other horses. This makes foals very easy to handle, perfect manners always. And weaning is easy because foals already have relationships with other horses.
Thanks for sharing your experience 
I was sort of sad that she didn’t have a buddy to grow up with. Last year we had two and I loved watching them play together. We have two in foal this year, so fingers crossed They will have a friend from the start.
I only had one foal this year too, a colt. I have a yearling filly, who has been out since she was weaned last year with a baby sitter mare, and a couple of older horses. I tried weaning this colt by putting him with the yearling and baby sitter, but they are so bonded that they weren’t very nice to him. So, after an introduction I pulled the older mare out, leaving the weanling and yearling together. It has worked very well. They play, and she is assertive enough to teach him manners without hurting him.
I am also going to try to wean with a yearling buddy this year. I have two foals here but one is leaving very shortly after or at weaning while the other will be here about month or so post weaning.
I turned my yearling filly out with moms and babies for awhile and got the babies used to her. All went well and I plan on using her (and eventually introducing my yearling pony gelding also) as a buddy for the colt that will be here a little while post weaning. Hopefully all will go well!
Worse come to worse I have an old retired mare I can use also but I think this colt will be too much for her…she doesn’t play like she used to!
Good luck! Let us know how it goes.
So far so good. I just got home from picking up my son from school and they were out there running and playing together while mom was under the tree eating hay. Our little girl isn’t afraid of her big sis at all and is holding her own. Fingers crossed.
My 2 weaners are out with a yearling filly and my 21 yo retired mare. They had the benefit that they have been turned out before weaning with these 2 every night for 3 months.
That being said, they love the yearling and she likes them too!
Nice photos of the two!!
I did but…
I did that with my now 6 yo but I had an advantage. I had a small herd of mother, baby, yearling, and older mare. All four lived out together from time the baby was a few weeks old. When it came time to wean, I tried to put the weanling in with the older mare who had been company for the yearling when she was weaned. Older mare wanted nothing to do with the weanling. So, I switched and put the yearling in with her. Worked great! :lol:
Thanks Kris. My filly and her mom just returned home from my friends farm. So I am trying to give them as much time as possible. Just checked on them and all three are hanging out under a tree together.
Thanks for sharing. I think it is going to work out well.
Day 3 So far so good. After my yearling was done with her breakfast in her paddock I turned her out with my filly and mom to eat their hay together. Then I realized that there was still some feed left in the weanling bucket. the yearling went to check out what crumbs were left and the weanling said,“No” this is mine. I was shocked. She is very bold and sure of her self. The yearling hung out until she was willing to share a few bites which she did. Then they went to share some hay together. It started to drizzle out so they thought it would be fun to run and play in the cool rain. It does my heart good to see that they are having so much fun together. After they ran around and played they went back to eating hay together. Mom was thrilled to eat up all the alfalfa while the two girls were distracted by each other.
It should be fine to put your weanling with a yearling filly. I don’t like to put a weanling filly with yearling geldings, as the boys just play so differently. But fillies together should be fine.
That is what I was thinking about the colts. This filly is giving her big sis a run for her money though. Tonight is the first night they are having a sleep over. Dinner went smoothly and our little filly choose to eat hay with sis instead of mom. Hope all is well in the am. I know both are wiped out from running and playing all day.
it all depends on the temperment of the yearling. Both of the stallions we have had have been used for weaning buddies and love the kids. Some yearlings are quite alpha and agressive and that would be bad. Just have to take it on a case by case basis with temperment.
I put the yearling fillies with mom and baby and then when I wean just mom gets pulled out of the field, baby is still with the yearlings - they teach her the ropes and both my yearling fillies always keep the weanling between then as if protecting her.
I’ve done it a couple of times with fillies and both times it worked well. My current pair are now a yearling and a two year old–they’ve been together since the yearling was weaned. They are full sisters but the younger one is quite small for her age and the older one is very tall. It makes no difference. They are best friends and get along wonderfully. My only worry is how sad they might be when some day they have to move on to new homes and not be together.
I don’t think leaving a weanling filly all alone is an option. I think the yearling sounds like the best option. I also have an older (16) gelding that makes a super babysitter. He’s very kind and gentle, but it’s really better if they can safely go out with another young horse.
I often turn weanlings out with older foals, last year I had a yearling pony colt who was smaller than the weanling I turned out with him but generally not the case. This year my one foal (3.5 mos) is turned out with my 14 yo 16.2h Hanoverian and a 15.2h 3 yo Thoroughbred. She liked the Hano mare better at first (looks a lot like her mom, but taller) but now she pals around with the TB more. They race all over the field together while the Hano mare looks perplexed. They’ll be standing next to each other and then all of a sudden, BOOM, one of them leaps into a gallop and then there goes the other one…
Jennifer
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I put the yearling fillies with mom and baby and then when I wean just mom gets pulled out of the field, baby is still with the yearlings - they teach her the ropes and both my yearling fillies always keep the weanling between then as if protecting her.[/QUOTE]
This is exactly what we are doing. Seems to be working out so far.
Camohn the yearling is more submissive and laid back then the weanling. She lets the weanling delegate when she is aloud to share her hay already. It is really funny to watch.
Clairon I am hoping to turn out the pony with them too after we take mom out and I remove his back shoes. That way if one has to leave she still has someone else and vise versa.
Third Charm that is my favorite part of them being turned out together. Watching them zoom around. It does my heart so good to see her have friend
My end goal is to have everyone together so I begin the association with the mare and foal being in a herd as soon as I can and I pull out the ones who can’t handle the concept of precious foal…most do though. Yearling fillies are great foal companions…yearling to 3 yo colts can play too hard. When I wean I pull the mother mare to an adjacent pasture with a companion…the fence between needs to be safe. I would even borrow or buy a yearling or 2 yo youngster to have a playmate if I have a particularly dour herd…play is very important. When I had a solo colt I borrowed someones colt and they did great and when he left my colt went back out with his mom as he needed manners and someone to say no. He is a lovely 4 yo now.PatO
Thank you pat for sharing you experience. It looks like it is going to work out well. The yearling is doing great in the pasture and has started staying in there full time. My filly prefers to share hay with big sis and is even nursing a lot less.
