Foal Training?

[Tremor]

As breeding season is coming close for me and many others I thought that I would ask this question,

"What do you introduce to your foals and when?"

As in halter training, bathing, clipping, loading, standing tied, hooves, etc.....

I'm sure you all will be bursting with your own methods on training, and I'm open to here some!

Thanks,

Julia

 

[wcr]

The best training in the world is just spend time and play with them. Don't take a young baby and start a formal "training" routine with them. When I foal out a mare I do the things I need to do and after the foal starts nursing well I get the heck out of the stall and let them bond. I tried the imprint training when it was all the rage and didn't notice any difference in non-imprinted trained foals. I saw a blind study using PMU foals where a horse person was asked to evaluate 2 foal groups and decide which was the imprinted group. They got it wrong. That is the reason I don't interfere after foaling.

Foals are little blank slates and are learning everything about their new world. I always say that God made foal itchies to help train them. Spend time learning the best places to scratch, touch them all over, rub down their legs, pick up the feet. The next day, not when they are bonding. As long as you are gentle anything you do with them is training.

 

[targetsmom]

OK, not much experience here, but I agree with Kathi in spending time touching, rubbing, scratching,and handling feet after the mare and foal have bonded. I am NOT in a hurry to halter the foals because I am concerned about hurting their necks. So if I need to restrain a foal for any reason I will use a trick I learned on the forum. Use a full size mini halter (or anything that fits) like a dog harness, putting it on upside down over the foals head and neck and buckling it around the foal's belly just behind the elbow. You should then have the ring to attach the lead just behind the withers, in a very handy place! I use this arrangement for clipping, hoof trims etc until the foal is well used to a halter and being tied (around weaning).

I do have a teeny weeny size halter that I will put on the foal IN THE STALL for him/her to get used to. Then in the summer, foal and mom get lead round (with helper).

 

[txminipinto]

We try to handle the foals at least once a day the first few days-weeks of life while they are in the barn. If they are destined to attend Area or National shows, they generally stay in the barn with turnout in a paddock with their dams. If that's the case, we start haltering them about a month of age (depending on how close the show is). Halter for a week, then add a drag rope for a week. We use a drag rope to halter break babies (not 24/7) just when we're out there and they are confined in their stalls. When they step on the rope they learn to give to pressure on their own, without fighting "the big mean 2 legged monster". With in a week, they can start giving to pressure with us and eventually being lead behind momma.

I have found this way to be the least traumatic in halter breaking. We don't train to stand tied until they are weaned and in groups of two. Then they learn to stand tied in their stalls next to their buddies. Within a week, they are all politely standing tied.

 

[Charlotte]

There is an article on our web site that covers a lot of this. But as many people there are that own miniature horses you will probably get that many different answers to your question.

Good and timely questions!

Charlotte

 

[Genie]

We use the time in the first few weeks while mum is eating, to sit in the stall and handle the foal quite a bit.

We call them by name and get them used to walking up to us for scratching and pettting.

We have tiny halters which we use to take them to their paddocks and then remove them while they play. We again put their halter on to lead them back to the barn.

We spend time running our hands all over the body, ears are handled a lot, and picking up their feet.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

After forty years of what seemed like endless fighting I gave up, ten years ago, and started to enjoy my foals instead. These days a halter goes nowhere near them until they are following me of their own will, and you would be amazed how quickly that happens!

Since I do not show foals I do not bathe or clip or anything like that until they are yearlings, all the groundwork on the babies is aimed firmly at turning them into quiet well behaved, well balanced little companions.

So they are handled, fed, scratched and loved. They are introduced to lawn mowers, traffic, dogs and children, Everything that they will encounter in later life.

The way to a foals heart is through bum scritches, btw......