I know it’s probably a dumb question, but I’ve never heard “why” you wean foals. The only thing I’ve heard about weaning is that its done around 3-6 months.
So what are the reasons you wean?
Interesting question. Our neighbours let their mare “self wean” her foals, and that worked well for them. I think part of it is so that it is easier to feed mare and foal specifically, to switch the foal’s attention from mom to humans, and to keep the babies safe from bitchy mares who don’t want to deal with annoying babies anymore.
We seperate the filly and dam for feeding. The filly was growing too fast from eating a good bit of her moms food so we had to go to seperate feeding areas. One goes in the pasture, the other stays in the stall. The filly gets a little upset but nothing bad. She stands and calls for her mom who could almost care less. When mom is done we put them back together. Ours turned 4 months old today.
Are you asking why it happens in nature at all, or why humans chose to do it earlier than nature might?
My mare weaned her filly and now the filly is missing a dime sized piece from the tip of her ear.
Wish I had weaned earlier, an ear tip is pretty darned obvious on a riding horse.
Some mares are pretty harsh when they tell their child the snack bar is closed.
I think people wean to control behavior of babies and so the mare doesn’t get sucked dry. For the most part, I don’t really do it. The mare and baby have stayed together. After about four weeks I start doing slow times apart where maybe baby stays with babysitter and I ride mom, baby stays tied, I start taking baby out with the babysitter, etc. They are used to being apart for longer and longer time periods. Usually at 7 or 8 months for one reason or another I have moved baby away to a bigger place to run more and get beat up by other horses because mom is way too tolerant.
Ok, sounds like the mares can get agressive when they’ve decided it’s time. Lol. Never knew this.
We let them tell us when it’s time to be weaned. If the mare is starting to get dragged down or the foal is too rough on them, we may do it earlier. Last year, one colt decided to bite his momma’s teat (it bled badly, had the vet out, not much you can do) but the mare corrected him, politely. Obviously, polite didn’t work because he did it again. The mare looked fine (besides a bleeding utter), she wasn’t dragged down but the colt was definitely ready to be weaned.
If all is going well, we let them stay with their moms. We handle our foals daily so they get plenty of human interaction … so we pretty much watch, wait and then wean.
If you’re feeding yours separately now, it sounds like it should be an easy weaning process.
Well, it would be a pain to have a riding horse that wanted to nurse.
[QUOTE=Highflyer;5834724]
Well, it would be a pain to have a riding horse that wanted to nurse.[/QUOTE]
Oops!!! I thought you were a mare!!!
Highflyer, not as much a problem as you think. I frequently start my “working” mares back under saddle 2weeks after foaling, by 2months, they are in full work. I have trailered off the property for lessons with mom and baby. Baby was great, nursed while mom was being tacked up, then we had a very good lesson and had to take one break in the middle for the foal to nurse. One foal stood next to the instructor and dozed for the major part of the lesson, the other ran around some and then picked a spot to snooze - just like at home.
Foals are fine to have around a mare in work, provided you do it slowly, otherwise they try to follow every step and get way too worn out and tired.
BITS, I have a breeder friend that frequently does not wean her filly foals. Her horses live in a big happy herd, and although she pulls the colts out before they get studdy, fillies often stay in the group. She has granddams, dams, granddaughters, sisters, aunties, etc., all living together, and the fillies and mares seem to do a natural weaning process over the winter and early in the spring of the filly’s yearling year. The mares really aren’t producing milk anymore and the fillies are getting their nutrition elsewhere, so it is really more of an emotional bonding at that point. Occassionally an older filly will try to suckle on her dam, but since there is no milk, she usually gives up pretty quickly and goes back to grazing. And once the mares have new foals on the ground, they are usually pretty good about making it clear that the lunch bar is now restricted - and without nasty or aggressive behavior toward the older fillies. But her mares DO have wonderful broodmare temperaments and are very calm and nurturing. I certainly wouldn’t try it with a crabby or impatient mare!
[QUOTE=Highflyer;5834724]
Well, it would be a pain to have a riding horse that wanted to nurse.[/QUOTE]
You do know that if an ear tip is bitten off at 4 months it is a lifetime disfigurement right?
Riding horse was the foals future job. Show career pretty much destroyed by of the ear thing who wants a junior hunter missing part of an ear? I wasn’t about to have them cropped down to a matching size and shape.
Just to clarify, since you seem to need it spelled out slowly. The injury happened during a natural weaning at 4 months of age and ‘not’ while the horse was under saddle at X years old which you have envisioned.
I have always wondered why so early
I have never understood that. I wean 7-9 months when the mare and foal are both pretty ready, the mare’s certainly are ready. The colts typically are the ones I tend to wean earlier (ie 7 months) and it is usually when they begin to get a bit more rambunctious with mama. I have never had a foal “pull” a mare down by waiting but then I have plenty of pasture and I feed them the amount that is needed to keep them in good shape. I halter break the babies in their first month and handle them daily. I feel mama can teach baby a lot more about life than I ever could. It has worked well for me for years, so I’m sticking to it. 
[QUOTE=5;5834964]
You do know that if an ear tip is bitten off at 4 months it is a lifetime disfigurement right?
Riding horse was the foals future job. Show career pretty much destroyed by of the ear thing who wants a junior hunter missing part of an ear? I wasn’t about to have them cropped down to a matching size and shape.
Just to clarify, since you seem to need it spelled out slowly. The injury happened during a natural weaning at 4 months of age and ‘not’ while the horse was under saddle at X years old which you have envisioned.[/QUOTE]
Wow, this seems like a bit of an over reaction to a simple statement. I think the author was replying to the OP, as in why do you want to wean, because “it would be a pain to have a riding horse that wanted to nurse.”
Rudeness is only cool for 13 year old girls and prison guards.
We always wean late also. Mares are happy, foals are happy (well, maybe not happy but it goes smoothly, knock wood)…at any rate, late always seem to cause less of a fuss and less stress than at 4-5 months old. We used to wean early but just love the issue-free peace and quiet of going later.
And, FWIW, I haven’t ever seen our mares show any interest in weaning as early as 4 months so my guess is that 5’s mare is uniquely grumpy towards baby or the poor foal just got a badly timed and badly placed correction from mom. Always a bummer when something like that happens.
[QUOTE=stoicfish;5835084]
Wow, this seems like a bit of an over reaction to a simple statement. I think the author was replying to the OP, as in why do you want to wean, because “it would be a pain to have a riding horse that wanted to nurse.”
Rudeness is only cool for 13 year old girls and prison guards.[/QUOTE]
Plus I was kidding! I guess it was too subtle?
I actually rode a racehorse who was restarted under saddle when her foal was a month old, and her baby was a monster–so much so that I would be leery of doing that again. He liked to run up beside mom and try to bite/jump on her while I was riding her.
oh… i thought you meant riding along on like a 4yo and him seeing his dam or something and trying to nurse… so then i’m picturing like a 16hh horse, trying to nurse lol… and it’s amusing
I’ve only had fillies (I’m opposite of Equine Reproduction) so I don’t know the colt issue. I start riding mom 3/4 weeks after the baby is born, and nursing has never been an issue. Like mzm, it is not a problem. When they’re younger, I ride mom, and baby hangs out in the arena or follows on the trail. Later I start leaving baby with a babysitter and I ride mom. I’ve taken mom to shows without baby at about 4 months, and both were fine with the 5/6 hours of separation. You just need to do it gradually, and have other peeps for them to hang with.
What is “late” to you?
