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Foal Articles
You know,
I was thinking just recently that bringing up a young horse has delights
and pleasures not experienced with older horses.
Our role as their human 'leader' is such an important one. To be entrusted
with shaping the life of a young horse has responsibilities similar to
that of raising your own children.
You can feel proud of your horse's achievements, knowing you helped make
them what they become. And as our level of knowledge increases, we can
take pride in helping our youngsters become calmer, smarter, braver and
more athletic horses, faster than ever before.
I've raised foals since I was 10 years old but only now, can I appreciate
just how sensitive we can be to their needs and in their training.
Just for fun, I thought it would be nice to share the experiences I have
with Zach, my latest foal through a regular column in this newsletter,
so here goes….
Actually
Zach is a 'share foal'. My good friend Suz owns the mare who was a top
stockhorse in her day, winning the Mountain Cattlemen's Cup in her prime.
Grady (Zach's dam) is a Quarterhorse Thoroughbred cross, and has now had
foals by a Quarterhorse, a Thoroughbred and now by my Arab stallion, to
produce Zach. Suz and I decided to try the cross and if it worked to continue
to breed from these two top performing horses.
Well, we're more than pleased with Zach who has the best attributes of
all three genetic pools. His Quarterhorse genes give him the strength
and gentle nature, the Thoroughbred has given him length of leg and the
Arab, his good looks and flashy movement.
He was born on October the 24th, delivered into human arm as his front
leg was back and had to be straightened before he could make his grand
entrance to the world.
Those legs were so long he looked like a big spider to start with. He
wasn’t 'foal imprinted' as such (he was born on a stud farm as Suz
and I were away) but he got plenty of friendly game and gentle yielding
with the porcupine game in the first few days.
At the
age of 2 weeks, he had to be moved from the stud so he received a crash
course in leading and loading onto a float.
By using a savvy string around his girth, the leading was achieved without
too much trauma. Ideally, we would have had him and mum in a small yard
to allow him to drift without escaping, however we had to make do with
the situation. The pressure he encountered from the string around his
girth was released as soon as he looked in my direction or stopped trying
to move away. It didn't take him long to figure out how to get me to release
pressure. From there it was just a matter of time to convince him to take
a step or two then more and more.
By moving his mum away a few feet (she was kept in a position where she
could always see him), it encouraged him to try some forward steps after
responding to a step to the left or right.
Pretty soon he was able to follow the feel of the string forward, then
backwards with an extra string around his chest, so I could walk beside
him to the float and maintain control. By using my hip against his side,
I could move his hindquarters a bit if he tried to go too fast or needed
to change direction.
At this stage he was responding well to the porcupine game so I introduced
some driving game in zone 4 to support the feel on the string for forwards.
He made
the walk to the float (about 150m) quite calmly and was then allowed to
smell and look at the float. All was OK until mum stepped on the tailboard
and it made a big noise. We loaded her slowly, pausing halfway in to encourage
Zach to stay close and follow her. After a few tries he got used to the
sound of hooves on the ramp and walked in beside his mum. We'd removed
the centre divider so he could lean close against her.
As he hadn't been taught to tie and I didn't want to risk him getting
scared and jumping out over the tailgate, I rode in with him.
He was a little jumpy to start with so I was able to reassure and him,
helping him to cope with the stopping and starting, traffic coming up
behind us and balancing for the corners. He handled the 20 minute trip
quite well and once unloaded, was led to his new paddock, allowed to drink
then released when he was quiet and relaxed.
For the
next month he was given lots of friendly attention and the occasional
short session with the string to reinforce his first leading lesson.
Then a halter was introduced and I added another string to the one around
his girth, and ran it up through the halter. He would gradually become
accustomed to some pressure on it, but by having the string around his
girth I had a way of keeping strong pressure off his poll which is where
foals have the most opposition reflex.
In the past, I've experienced foals flipping over or fighting the pressure
terribly because it is such a strong instinct. Its so much easier to hold
them with the girth string (it comes out between their front legs) and
it has the added benefit of teaching them to handle the pressure of the
girth for riding later.
At the
age of 6 weeks, Zach had his second experience travelling on the float
as Grady was being returned to my stallion, Mandala Royale for service
again.
This time the trip was an hour long which was tiring but he coped quite
well.
It’s a blessing to have a mare who handles the float with ease,
relaxed and munching on hay all the way.
They were put in a paddock adjoining the stallion so they could become
acquainted with him and the other mare he ran with.
In a few days Grady was in season so with Roy (the stallion) tied up,
we introduced Grady and Zach into the paddock to meet Pepsi, another Quartehorse
mare. She turned out to be very keen on having Zach to herself but Grady
is a good mum and kept herself between Zach and Pepsi, until she could
trust her more. After a few days, the foal was spending more time with
Pepsi and Roy than his own mum - she was just the milkbar!
Once
the mares had figured out their pecking order, Roy was released to meet
his new herd members.
As a mature stallion he knows the rules and after the initial charge towards
them with keen greetings he kept a polite distance.
Unfortunately, Pepsi became so possessive over Grady and the foal, she
had to be caught and tied out of the way to allow Roy to mate with Grady.
Zach was a little unsure about things to start with but soon learned to
stay out in front of mum when dad was having his fun!
There's nothing better than to see a family of horses, doing what comes
naturally.
Zach really enjoyed playing with Roy who was eternally patient and very
gentle with his discipline.
And in the process Zach learns about pecking order and most importantly,
how to be a horse.
Follow
This Foal - part 2 - Early Education.
Photos by Suz Haywood.
Foals
grow up quickly and that's exactly what Zach is doing. He's going to be
quite tall, probably 15.2-3hh and he has a lively, bold nature.
It's so important in these early months, to continue the education we
started so our young horses are able to cope with many situations we humans
will expose them to in the future.
Apart from playing with him at liberty every day, mostly being friendly
and reinforcing the porcupine game when he pushes into my space, I've
also had to use a bit of rhythmic motion or driving game to convince him
I'm not a plaything.
Most colt foals like to play rough and while his dad calmly puts up with
nipping, rearing and chasing, its not acceptable to do this to humans.
One thing I need to watch for is when I walk away - he is likely to chase
after me to play so I always carry my 'savvy string' and swing that around,
playing a friendly game with my shoulders which is enough motion to show
him the boundaries of my personal space.
The same with feeding time, by swinging a string or stick around as you
approach with the feed, you are reinforcing your 'alpha' horse status
by not allowing them to push into your space and grab the feed until you
place it down and invite them in or step away.
The next
steps in Zach's education were to teach him about hoof trimming and being
wormed.
As he has very long legs which he spreads wide to reach the grass, he
was wearing down his front hooves unevenly, requiring a small amount of
rasping to keep them straight while his legs are developing.
With one person holding/distracting him with lots of rubbing, the transition
from lifting up each hoof for a short period which he was already coping
with, to holding firmly for a period of time to rasp was smooth.
Taken in small steps and ensuring that I released the leg only when he
was relaxed, enabled me to gradually increase the length of time he would
hold each leg up.
Then a little rasping followed by a release, soon had him de-sensitised
to that sound and feeling so the whole job was accomplished in around
30 minutes.
To prepare
him for worming, I spent some time each day playing friendly game with
my fingers in and around his mouth until he was relaxed and confident
with this. I did this at liberty so the temptation to hold him against
his will was removed, and I had to use plenty of approach and retreat.
Then I used a syringe containing water to de-sensitise him to the feeling
of that around and in his mouth, followed by releasing some water which
he didn't seem to mind. The next step was changing the water to apple
sauce which he didn't seem to mind either.
Once he was comfortable with this, using the real wormer was no hassle-
it just tasted a bit like a bad apple so I followed it up with some apple
sauce again.
At the
age of 10 weeks Zach was gelded as he had both testicles down and it would
be much easier on him at this age. By gelding him with just a sedative
and a local anaesthetic, he was able to remain standing and recover quickly.
He was also given his first tetanus injection.
Gelding colts while they're still on their dams, reduces the likelihood
of swelling and infection as the foal is moving around, getting up and
down etc. all of which helps keep the wounds open and draining.
All I needed to do the following day was run my fingers along the wounds
to clear any blood clots and keep a check on the swelling which was gone
completely with a few days.
Since
being gelded, Zach has returned to Suz's place at Montana, near Deloraine
where the grass is plentiful. He has lost his gingery foal coat and is
now a handsome dark grey colour.
In the next issue I'll tell you about his third float ride and teaching
him to tie up.
Follow
This Foal -part 3 - Tying and Travelling.
The last
issue of this newsletter described how Zach learned to have his hooves
trimmed, be wormed and cope with being gelded.
He'd travelled on the horse float twice and in preparation for his third
trip, we taught him to tie up.
He accepted this without any fuss which I'm sure was due to all the preparation
he had.
This included regular leading sessions and learning to follow the feel
forward with steady pressure. I made sure to test that he could cope with
the pressure of the halter on his head by putting him under gradually
increasing amounts of pressure while leading him from Zone 1 (in front).
He reached the stage where I could cause him to trot behind me without
any resistance.
The next step was to have him in a yard where there was a smooth round
rail I could loop the rope over a couple of times. He was positioned alongside
his mum but not so close he would get tangled in her rope.
This way, if he pulled on the rope, it would slip a little so he got some
gradual pressure rather than a sharp sudden jerk which could instigate
the fearful reaction we so often see when a horse pulls back.
I asked him to back up so he could feel the pressure come on and his willingness
to step forward when he felt the pressure told me he was ready to leave
there for a short time.
Its important when first teaching a horse to tie, to make the sessions
short and release them when they are standing quietly, not when they get
agitated.
Also, by having Zach tied in a small yard, if he did pull away, he would
not be able to get far or scare himself by dragging the rope while in
a reactive frame of mind.
After a couple of short sessions with the rope wrapped around the rail,
he was ready to tie to an inner tube which has some give but is more of
a solid feel.
To test that he was OK with this, I stimulated him a little by causing
him to move left and right with the flag on the carrot stick, being careful
to only stop the stimulation when he came forward to release the pressure
on the rope.
If we stop the flag moving while he is putting pressure on the rope, it
teaches him that pulling back is the best way to get rid of the scary
flag!
Well, in true form, he coped so well that I felt confident he was ready
to be tied in the horse float.
The added bonus of tying him in a confined area is that he's unlikely
to be able to pull back with a lot of pressure as he would come into contact
with the back of the float, providing you judge the length of rope just
right for this to happen.
From
here it's just a matter of repeating the process in a number of different
situations and gradually increasing the amount of time he can tolerate
being tied. To start with I would only expect a few minutes, but after
2 or 3 sessions, this could be increased to 15 minutes then 30 minutes.
Like young children, young horses get bored quickly so if tying for longer
periods, maybe a little hay in a net will help him get the idea that tying
up can be a comfortable thing.
Well Zach's 3rd and 4th journeys in the float were straight forward and
uneventful. He loaded like a level 1 horse, being driven in beside his
mum and came out slow and steady at the other end. I must say, having
a mum who's relaxed and confident in the float is a major part of the
process in developing that in a foal.
For the past 3 months Zach has been paddocked with his mum and another
gelding for company. As the colder weather developed he learned to enjoy
the extra grain feeds his mum was getting and so had daily contact with
humans. It was not that necessary to do much more with him except a regular
hoof trim until weaning time which will be covered in Part 4.
Follow
This Foal - part 4 - Weaning.
I get a lot of people
asking "what is the best age to wean a horse"? I think if you
can look to nature you have the answers - most mares who are foaling every
year in the wild would chase their foal off just prior to having their
next one so natural logic is the key. Weaning too early or too late can
invite perverted behaviour.
The age I mostly wean my foals at is between 7 and 9 months, taking into
account the following factors:
the mare being empty or back in foal, the pasture conditions, the weather
conditions and the availability of time to commit on a daily basis for
a period of up to 2 weeks.
Weaning can be traumatic for the foal especially when approached normally
with instant separation!
Done naturally, the mare would start to chase her foal off when it was
weaning time, no doubt due to hormones changing in preparation for the
birth of her next foal.
Her reluctance to feed the weanling would increase gradually to the point
where the foal was no longer feeding, but still allowed to share the close
bond they have.
Once the mare had foaled, the weanling (probably close to a year old)
would form closer bonds with other herd member, most likely other youngsters.
In order to replicate this as closely as possible, I started the process
with Zach (now 8 mths) and Grady being joined by a gentle old mare who
could be a surrogate mother to Zach. Any quiet, gentle horse will do the
job. They were pastured together for a few days before I started separating
Grady from Zach and Sara (his surrogate) for short periods (30 minutes)
to longer ones of a few hours. The separation was done over a double tape
electric fence with Grady kept in a smaller area so she was constantly
visible to Zach.
By increasing the time daily, it only took a week before he could go for
the full day without a drink.
At this stage I would put them back together during the nights. The next
stage involved moving them to larger adjoining pastures and giving Grady
a friend. I also introduced another young gelding to Zach and Sara in
the hope that Zach could relate to him a little more in play.
For the next week, I allowed Zach to suckle once a day which helped to
ease the tightness of Grady's bag. Her diet was reduced to very little
pasture and a small amount of hay. Then the daily suckling was decreased
to every 2nd day for a week . By then Zach was enjoying the company of
the others and seemed to be independent enough to cope without his mum.
As Grady's bag had mostly dried up, she needed to be moved to more pasture
as did Zach so they were taken to join separate herds. Ideally, these
would be in adjoining pastures but as this wasn't possible, we put Zach
in a secure yard with his herd mates while Grady was led away to her new
herd.
After a couple of whinnies Zach settled quickly and a few hours later
was pastured again with his mates.
Apart from trying to suckle a few of the other horses, he showed no anxiety
from being separated from his mother and he has since formed a pair bond
with Ruby, a 2 year old filly.
Another
big benefit in the whole process was the confidence Zach gained in being
caught and led a little each day. He also became accustomed to wearing
a rug as the weather was pretty horrible and probably due to the combination
of being cold and coping without mum's milk, he developed a cold which
he overcame quickly.
Weaning need not be a traumatic experience if done gradually. This also
decreases the risk of injury to mare and foal, and allows the youngster
to suffer less anxiety in the future when they need to be ' 'weaned' from
their pair bond. Of course you could approach their next separation in
much the same way.
Really, it's just a matter of looking at it from the horse's point of
view.
How would you feel if you were a child, suddenly locked in a cell away
from your mum, and in the case of some young horses, away from everyone
else too?
Follow
This Foal - part 5.
Life in the Herd and Winter Feeding.
Since
being weaned, Zach has been on supplementary feeding as well as plenty
of good pasture.
As the winter progressed, his feeds were increased to twice daily and
consist of lucerne chaff, boiled barley, Equisoy, dolomite, copper sulphate
and seaweed meal.
He has paired up with Ruby, a 2 year old filly also being fed daily and
it was lovely to see the two of them work out when to leave the herd and
wait by the gate to be led across to the yards for their feeds.
This daily catching and leading has been a nice way of consolidating Zach's
education and while being fed he is groomed and has his feet checked.
As the weather worsened I relented and put his rug on as he is growing
so quickly he needed to get the most from his feed, rather than using
it to keep warm.
He seems to be quite comfortable in the herd, accepting his lowly position
and sometimes tries to entice Manny to play who interestingly was very
much like Zach as a youngster.
Apart from this daily handling, the occasional hoof trim and worming which
he loves thanks to apple sauce, nothing more is asked of him except to
remain respectful in all situations.
One of those is when feeding carrots by hand. His buddy, Ruby, has been
getting homeopathic drops twice daily in carrot so it was hard to resist
giving Zach the odd piece.
He then became a little too demanding, even though he only got carrot
randomly, so I've had to cease giving him any at all.
Feeding by hand to youngsters can promote nipping so its better to give
them a scratch or a rub in their favourite spot (except the rump as they
will often turn it to you unexpectedly).
It is pleasing to note Zach's calm, thinking nature when he is faced with
various natural obstacles. He'll put his head down and look at things,
before carefully stepping over or through.
With an inquisitive and friendly nature, he is a delight to have around
and come summer, I can't wait to start taking him places to broaden his
life experiences.
FOLLOW
THIS FOAL—Part 6: INJURY AND CONFINEMENT
Well
it seems to be inevitable that if you have a young horse, you have to
deal with some sort of injury at some stage .
Zach almost reached 1 year old unscathed but then after galloping around
a new paddock with the herd as they do, he showed up lame the next day.
With no signs of swelling or stone bruising, I gave him a week to recover
thinking he may have just pulled a ligament.
He was no better after a week and being in the herd meant he was having
to move (out of everyone’s way) too much for healing to take place
so I confined him to a yard with his friend, Ruby.
He appeared much better after a week and with the help of treatment with
Photonic therapy (Laser light on acupuncture points) I thought he was
on the mend.
But then after some playing and running with Ruby he became lame again
so I separated them and he improved after another week.
By that time he was really looking for some grass as a change from the
hay and lucerne diet so I made a little electric fenced area, but as he
hadn’t had some recent reminders about electric fencing, he and
Ruby charged through, galloping into a big paddock and once again he was
lame.
I then suspected there was something else going on so took him to the
vet for an ultrasound and proper diagnosis.
He hardly showed any lameness but when pressure was applied above his
left hip, he told us that’s where it hurt.
The ultrasound showed a fracture in the pelvis which is a common injury
in young horses as all they have to do is put their foot in a hole or
slip over when running to have this happen.
Fortunately, the prognosis is good as young bones usually heal well so
with constant confinement to a small yard for a month then gradually moving
him to larger areas should see him heal.
All the extra handling while confined is completing his education and
he’s learned to respect electric fences so I can graze him on small
areas for part of the day.
So now that he is a yearling and knows how to lead, tie up, have his hooves
trimmed, be wormed and travel in a float, the only thing he needs is more
experience of different situations in the big wide world and to leave
his buddy without being herd bound.
When he’s recovered my goal will be to teach him the four purpose
games (yo-yo, circling, sideways and squeeze) so he is confident and controllable
in the varied places we go at home and away from home.
I hope you have enjoyed following his progress so far and I will keep
you informed of his adventures up to and through starting him under saddle
in future newsletters.
FOLLOW
THIS FOAL—Part 7: Recovery
Well the good news is that Zach has made a full recovery from his fractured
pelvis and is now enjoying life with the small herd in a huge paddock.
He graduated from a small yard to increasing sized areas up to 60 x 60
m with his friend, Ruby over a period of 3 months. When it was obvious
he could cope with a bit of a frolic without showing any lameness they
were both taken back to the herd.
I anxiously watched as the went for a flat out gallop around the big paddock
and relieved when Zach showed no lameness in the following days. Now he
has been weaned off his rug and daily hard feed so he can just be a young
horse and enjoy the freedom of youth.
I now have a new foal to occupy spare moment so the wonderful experience
of shaping a young horse’s life begins again.
This little fellow is the first QH x Arab foal I’ve bred and is
by Zach’s sire, Mandala Royale out of the purebred Quarterhorse
mare, Compact Pepsi Cola.
Both parents are 20 so as he is such a special colt, I’ve named
him Royale Special Cola.
He was born on the 29th of December in broad daylight while I was out
giving a lesson so I didn’t have the opportunity to imprint him
right away. However being only an hour or so old, he had no fear of humans
from the start and accepted being guided into a yard then onto a float
several hours later when the mare had to have her retained afterbirth
removed. So far has learned to lead with a girth string, pick up all his
feet, accept a worming tube with applesauce and be brave around people.
Like most foals, he loves a scratch just about anywhere so he accepts
touching all over, even when he’s lying down.
I think he’s just perfect of course—apart from a lovely nature
and conformation, he has a beautiful balance of being friendly and respectful—just
the way they should be when handled right from the start.
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CYNTHIA'S YOUNG HORSE
EDUCATION DVD
This
double DVD set which is packed with 2.5 hours of step by step instruction
was filmed at one of Cynthia's Young Horse Days. It covers all aspects
of training young horses from birth to two year olds, showing you everything
from:
~ the first approach and touch
~ catching
~ haltering
~ leading
~ hoof handling
~ worming
~ tying up
~ trailer loading.
Foals, weanlings and yearlings at various stages are used for the demos
which show the most gentle, natural approach to take with your training.
Although it wasn't filmed on a professional camera, the editing and production
is very good and enables you to find the chapter and information you want
on each subject.
This information is essential for you to give your young horse the best
possible start in life and comes from Cynthia's 30 years of experience
with training foals and starting young horses.
It is excellent value for $50 inlcuding postage within Australia.
To
order click here.
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Early
Education
Tying & Travelling
Weaning
Herd Life & Feeding
Injury & Confinement
Recovery

Royale
Zach at 2 days old.

Zach
has his first friendly human contact.

Zach
has his first leading lessons alongside Grady.

Roy,
Grady and Zach doing what comes naturally.

Royale
Zach at 10 weeks of age proudly shows off his Arabian and Quarterhorse/Thoroughbred
qualities.

Here
I am teaching him to yield backwards to steady pressure.

Preparing
him for hoof care with regular handling of his hooves. Don't leave this
for the farrier - it is your responsibility to have your horse trained
before he gets there to do the job.

Before
I put the halter on, I check that he is yielding his hindquarters with
just the string around his neck.

Whenever
your foal meets someone new, he will be a little cautious, even quite
scared, so get them to play some friendly game with him before trying
to proceed. Here, my vet, Colin Gulbrandson, does just this before starting
the gelding procedure.

Worming
is no fuss when you've spent time preparing with applesauce.

A
relaxed Zach is tied short enough that he can't get a leg over the rope
and not so high that he can get his head under the rope.

By
his 3rd float journey, Zach loads like a seasoned horse due to his mum's
confidence and his previous good experiences with travelling.

Zach
(left) with the herd.
Zach
at 3 yrs of age just prior to starting under saddle (below)

STARTING
YOUNG HORSES UNDER SADDLE By Pat Parelli.
A good
start is everything to a young horse so the question most people are
asking themselves is whether to start their own youngster or send it
to a professional. Then, once started how long they should continue
riding them?
I will try to shed a little light on these questions.
Horse teach riders…….riders teach horses.
This is a principle that is often overlooked and this is when humans
get into trouble with their horses.
Some people are natural riders, but that does not necessarily mean they
have the knowledge or skills that it takes to start a horse that has
never been ridden.
Another consideration is whether the horse in question behaves within
what is considered the normal range of behaviour when it comes to accepting
the human, the saddle, the rider and the bit.
My opinion is that starting young horses under saddle is an advanced
subject, and the best results for both the horse and rider that I’ve
seen is from natural horsemen that have passed Level 3 and have an affinity
with young or green horses.
When selecting a professional, there are two things I would consider.
First does he or she use Natural Horsemanship? Secondly does he or she
specialise in young horse training?
If a young horse is started in the spring of his second year, how long
should you keep riding him?
We shall start by asking the question “How long do you want your
horse to last? Do you want a partner for life or a horse you might have
to throw away in 2 or 3 years?”
If you want a partner for life, I would put him back in the pasture
for a few months once you are sure he has accepted the human, the saddle
and the rider. That usually takes 10-20 hours of riding for most young
horses.
I would then prescribe another 10-20 hours when you bring him back in.
The next year I would double these figures. When he is a full four years
old he can start to accept a more comprehensive schedule.
Part
of the service offered by Parelli Approved Young Horse Trainers is good
advice on a program to suit your young horse.
Zach
with Cynthia and Manny at the Young Horse Starting Course April 2004.
New
Article on Progessive Weaning
Foal Rejected then Accepted
The
Mare's Farewell
Come here, my
son, come to my side,
There's something I must say -
The words I've said to all my sons
Before they've gone away.
Tomorrow at the saleyards, son,
Your future life will start,
You've seen not yet the world of men
In which you'll play a part.
Though I am but a carthorse, son,
And worn out now, and old,
I once was strong and proud, like you,
With head held high, step bold.
'Twas men that made me like I am
Through thoughtless ways, and cruel,
To some you're just a horse, my son,
A four-legged mute - a fool.
But son, remember when you're tired
And heavy seems your load,
Among the cruel there are the kind
Who'll help you walk the road.
This is your mother's wish for you,
That life may bring no sorrow;
I hope, my son, you'll find a friend
In your owner - come tomorrow.
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