Elena Vieira Breeding Stock Username: Opheliaimmorttal
Post Number: 136 Registered: 11-2005
Posted on Saturday, July 01, 2006 - 01:58 pm:
Hi! I was just wondering how much time people spent with their foals and doing what? I try to spend time with Riley everyday but sometimes I can't and it makes me feel quilty. I usually do Clinton Anderson or just take him out and around or go up to the house and just stand there and walk over tarps and stuff. It is usually about 30 miuntes and then I go in throughout the day and scractch him-pick up his feet etc.
Hi, I was just about to ask the same question. Our colt is 2 wks. old today, and we started a halter on him about 6 days ago. We play with him and put on his halter and mess with him while his mother is eating her morning and evening grain. Today, we brushed him all over, and even picked up his feet and cleaned out his hoofs. He is also teething, so he nibbles EVERY thing!! I want to change his name to "Nibbles"! He is a pure-bred Arabian stud colt, born on Father's Day. Lots of fun!!
I'm learning as I go, depending on my friend who raises QHs. My TWH mare Angel is very sweet, but she was quite a handful when I got her at 2 1/2, and if my friend hadn't helped me, I wouldn't own her today. She's 7 now and has her first foal, a filly born April 17. We got her accustomed to the halter her first week, asked for two or three steps forward. I didn't imprint "by the book," but handled her all over for maybe 5 minutes a day the first two weeks. We couldn't turn them out in the pasture because Angel tended to go off and leave Brandy, so I had to go out 6 days a week for the first month, turn them out for two or three hours under supervision, then stall them. After a month Brandy socialized herself with the herd, so we could let them loose. After that my friend advised me to leave her alone and let her be a horse till it was time to wean her. But by the time she was two months old, it took two of them two hours to catch her in the field because she wouldn't follow her mother in! So they said she needed some work NOW! I go out there (30 minute drive one way) three times a week, halter her in the stall, take both mama and baby in the ring, lead Brandy around for about 15 minutes, then ride Angel (currently working up from half an hour). When I lead Brandy I ask her to do things like whoa, stand still, walk again, turn right, turn left, move her haunches over on command with pressure, same for shoulders. All this on the advice of my friend/trainer. Also while riding I pony her around the ring once or twice. The rest of the time she is loose in the ring. Before turning them both out to pasture, I handle and brush Brandy for 5 or so minutes, using that time to put Wipe on her legs, face, etc. Also am working on holding and handling her face, as that is her only thing she doesn't like. Well, let me qualify that--sometimes she does NOT want to be led, so she might fuss and fight which makes the 15 minute lesson into twenty or 30 minutes--till she stops resisting and does as asked. I've been following this schedule for over two weeks now and can see a real improvement in her willingness to "work." She may pout (yes, really!) but she usually does what I ask. She is quite happy to be brushed, etc. I'm feeling much happier with this schedule of things; I remembered what a "snort" Angel was and was quite hesitant just to let Brandy go for too long without working on her manners. Even at half an hour of "work" three times a week, she still has over 166 hours of being a horse! I've gathered that lots of people do lots more with their foals than I do, but this seems to be working for us for now. Hope the input helps.
We have done it both ways. A ton of handleing or just min. We have found that as long as they have human contact as a new baby into weaning that letting them be a horse seems to be good. It has depended on what we are doing that year with the foals/showing/4h as to what that years foals do. I really think letting a foal be a foal is good to some degree. Making sure that they know the basics is a must. I to think that weaning should take place at a later time then sooner. Mom under most conditions can teach the foal many things about being a horse and not seclude them from being a animal. I had a mare that we got on a lease(from my brother-in-law). the gal that had her to begin with only tossed them outside for a couple of hours at a time. Stalled her in a barn the rest. Spent every waking hour cleaning up after her and the other 4 horses she owned. When we picked up the mare and brought her home, she was a nasty mare, didn't know how to behave with other horses. But loved the outside(I wonder why ?) It took her many days before she socialize with the other mares and for mud puddles it was funny the first day that she saw one ... it was like what is that , then within time, she grew to like them and even decided to roll in them. It was great to see her be a horse again.
Everyone does things differently,you have to do what you are comfy with.
I've raised three babies now. One is 5 one is 2 and I'm working on a filly that is a week old. The first two we spent an hour evey night with them, and their good trail horses but they dont want to please they just do it to get grain and go out to pasture in the end. With this baby I spend every free second brushing, walking, clipping, any thing i can think of with her. I can tell already that she loves being handled she really tries hard to learn and Sky(the mare) and I have grown alot more close, she has began to figure out that we're here to help(she came from a home where they left her in a pasture till she was 4 but now shes a great western pleasure horse) We did inprint the baby when we first saw her at about 30 minutes old (we did with all the others also)and i think thats what really made a strong bond. I understand that some foals dont get touched till weaning and it works for them, but we like to avoid that hastle and already have them willing(plus we dont have that training expertise) good luck
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Our colt is 2 wks. old today, and we started a halter on him about 6 days ago. We play with him and put on his halter and mess with him while his mother is eating her morning and evening grain. Today, we brushed him all over, and even picked up his feet and cleaned out his hoofs. He is also teething, so he nibbles EVERY thing!! I want to change his name to "Nibbles"! 
) It took her many days before she socialize with the other mares and for mud puddles it was funny the first day that she saw one ... it was like what is that , then within time, she grew to like them and even decided to roll in them. It was great to see her be a horse again. 
