How to add a NEW mare & foal in with the others

[Mini Love]

1st I want to say hello to everyone, I was member a year or so ago but could not find my account??

 

So many changes since then, after having to put down 2 of the rescues I said no more & was just going to keep Dollie & Booker. We bought a new place put in a mini barn & new fenced in pasture, then my heart gave in for a mare & foal. So i am looking for in put on how to get all 4 in the same barn & pasture.

 

The barn just has an open common area it is 18 feet by 10 feet and there pasture is just under an acre, we keep it mowed low, I am cutting dirt in some spots lol.

 

I have the mare & foal on the other side of there barn ( I kicked out all the boy toys lol ) its just make shift with a small out side area were everyone can see & even touch through the fence, the foal makes contact all the time with the others, The mare come close but no contact she is more interested in hay/ food all the time.

 

i want to have them all together, what would be the best way to do so & what should I expect??

 

When I got Booker at 2 months old he had no mom so he was kept by his self with a fence between him & the others, well one mare loved him and next thing i know - he was in with them, she butt rub on the fence to were he got out ( learn my leson on 2 by 4 welded wire fence - not worth a crap for mini's ) I put him back & he got out a few more times and then i was like so be it.. Never an issue they all did great.

 

so I dont know how this should be done, the foal is around 2 to 3 months old -

 

Should i keep them in there own area for a few months ( My farrier will be back on the 11th so it wont be untill after then at least)

Should I move one at a time or send them out together

 

Booker & Dollie eat together & its very little - mini & pony purina

Missy & the foal are on mare and oal with purina mini & pony

 

I think feeding them all at the same time will be the bigest task

 

the door way to the barn is 6 feet so I plan on getting a gate & feeding Missy & the foal in the barn, But I can see Booker & Dollie bolting to me for the food 1st.

Would it be better to feed Dollie & Booker in the barn.. they get feed out side.

 

what to do what to do

 

This place is new to Booker & Dollie, we have olny been here for 6 weeks & we have been working on things, changing things... Could the new ones be added smoothly??

 

Well if any one has been in my spot and has found a way to make it work well please let me know.. or if you did something in a way to say NEVER do that PLEASE let me know.

 

Its great being back & I am glad to have the 2 new ones it filledmy heart again - not that will ever replace Mollie or Stormy, just open my heart again to help ones in need

 

[Marty]

I kinda do it backwards. Instead of adding the mare and foal in with the others, I add one of the others in with them. Slowly. When they are used to that one and all is quiet, in about a few days, maybe even a week, I'll add another as long as it is remaining peaceful. And then it goes on until they are together.

I feed all horses in their own separate stalls. I feel that no horse should be hurried and have to eat under duress that someone else is going to steal it. That would cause fighting and choking and bolting down food and all that is not necessary. If you don't have stalls for each horse try lining up buckets along the fence line several feet away from each other. That can cause chaos too. But really, because of your set up I would be worried that if a feed fight breaks out that baby would get caught up in the crossfire and hurt. He needs his food especially since he is an orphan. Best wishes.

 

[charli]

Hi and welcome back. I am new with minis as well and feel that I learn so much from this site but I might have an idea for you. We have 4 minis in one area and my oldest mare is the 'leader of the pack' and likes to think she can steal food. So to make the others comfortable (and to get enough nutrition) we actually do what Marty said with the buckets but we also have small dog leashes connected on the fence by each bucket. We clip the leashes to the halters and the minis each have to stay at their own space during feeding. I got the leashes at the dollar store and they work great. The only downside is that the horses have to have halters on all the time.

Good luck and thanks for taking care of the less fortunate!

 

[Mini Love]

I kinda do it backwards. Instead of adding the mare and foal in with the others, I add one of the others in with them. Slowly. When they are used to that one and all is quiet, in about a few days, maybe even a week, I'll add another as long as it is remaining peaceful. And then it goes on until they are together.

I feed all horses in their own separate stalls. I feel that no horse should be hurried and have to eat under duress that someone else is going to steal it. That would cause fighting and choking and bolting down food and all that is not necessary. If you don't have stalls for each horse try lining up buckets along the fence line several feet away from each other. That can cause chaos too. But really, because of your set up I would be worried that if a feed fight breaks out that baby would get caught up in the crossfire and hurt. He needs his food especially since he is an orphan. Best wishes.

Hi Marty

This is Lisa, the one with the farrier issue's a couple of weeks ago - everything worked out well dollie is back to herself.

The foal belongs to the mare, they are both eating mare & foal feed and they eat together out of a 1/2 a 35 gallon barrel - Booker and Dollie use the other 1/2 its long and gives plenty of room for them to both have there heads in and eat.

I am going to have to work on my set up for sure.. it worked great for Dolie & Booker - heck i am still working on the feild fence putting clips on - I am clipping every wire

for now it will stay the way it is I dont plan on doing anything untill after the farrier comes back then mare needs trimed and is still people shy & we are working on that

 

[Mini Love]

Hi and welcome back. I am new with minis as well and feel that I learn so much from this site but I might have an idea for you. We have 4 minis in one area and my oldest mare is the 'leader of the pack' and likes to think she can steal food. So to make the others comfortable (and to get enough nutrition) we actually do what Marty said with the buckets but we also have small dog leashes connected on the fence by each bucket. We clip the leashes to the halters and the minis each have to stay at their own space during feeding. I got the leashes at the dollar store and they work great. The only downside is that the horses have to have halters on all the time.

Good luck and thanks for taking care of the less fortunate!

Thats a great idea i wish it would work for us, but i dont keep halters on all the time. I am just going to have to change or add to my set up

Thank you

 

[AnnaC]

We had a similar 'problem' last year - in fact we have it every year! All our foaling mares move to their own paddock as they foal, but they still share a fence with the rest of the girls who are left behind. Once the youngest foal is around 3 months old, we put them all back together again. As all have been in contact through the fence, we dont have any trouble. The mares with foals do seem to demand that their babies stay close to them for the first couple of hours, but soon give up this idea as the naughty children take themselves off to investigate their new friends 'close up', plus explore the new pasture.

I would think that your four will be well enough 'known' to each other to mix together quite happily after the 11th, but maybe put halters on Booker and Dollie for the first couple of hours so you can grab them if necesary? Also would it be possible to catch these two and pop them in your barn for their feed, BEFORE you appear with their bowls? In time you may well be able to put 4 individual bowls out in your pasture (not near the fence, give them plenty of room) and find they are all happy with this arrangement (you may have to stand there to guard the foal so it actually gets its own food)

On a different note - you say that at the moment the mare and foal are in a small space. Can you shut the other two in the barn for a short time each day to let the mare and foal have a turn in the larger pasture. It is really important that young foals have the space to race around and strengthen their legs, hearts and lungs. This will also be important for the foal should there be a little 'chase about' when you put them all together.

Nice to see you back on LB. Good luck with your furkids, I'm sure it will be fine!

 

[Mini Love]

We had a similar 'problem' last year - in fact we have it every year! All our foaling mares move to their own paddock as they foal, but they still share a fence with the rest of the girls who are left behind. Once the youngest foal is around 3 months old, we put them all back together again. As all have been in contact through the fence, we dont have any trouble. The mares with foals do seem to demand that their babies stay close to them for the first couple of hours, but soon give up this idea as the naughty children take themselves off to investigate their new friends 'close up', plus explore the new pasture.

I would think that your four will be well enough 'known' to each other to mix together quite happily after the 11th, but maybe put halters on Booker and Dollie for the first couple of hours so you can grab them if necesary? Also would it be possible to catch these two and pop them in your barn for their feed, BEFORE you appear with their bowls? In time you may well be able to put 4 individual bowls out in your pasture (not near the fence, give them plenty of room) and find they are all happy with this arrangement (you may have to stand there to guard the foal so it actually gets its own food)

On a different note - you say that at the moment the mare and foal are in a small space. Can you shut the other two in the barn for a short time each day to let the mare and foal have a turn in the larger pasture. It is really important that young foals have the space to race around and strengthen their legs, hearts and lungs. This will also be important for the foal should there be a little 'chase about' when you put them all together.

Nice to see you back on LB. Good luck with your furkids, I'm sure it will be fine!

Hi AnnaC

Nice to hear it has and can be done and everyone still be happy. I will have halters on Dollie & Booker, As it is right now I would have better luck getting Dollie & Booker to come to me with out food, they will come when you call for them & follow you were evry you go... Dollie was once people shy, it took months to over come it. So I dont see Missy, the mare easy to catch or people friendly for at least a few months.

The small area they are in - is a indoor area of 18 feet by 10 feet and the out side is 25 feet by 20 feet They have been with me for 11 days nows and have shared the fence for that time to, I am thinking of just keeping that side ( it was for the boy toys ) and make it just like the other side and maybe keeping the out side area ( with better post 9 i had to through it together for them ) and a permanet set up ) with a gate in to the acre pasture with Dollie & booker... still with the hope of them all being together 24/7 But I will have a back up area/ dry lot if needed....

1st I will have to see if that will smooth over.... umm honey can i have that side to? and will you fix it like the other side? Please? He will let me, he is so good when it comes to my animal issues.. we had to start from scratch when we bought this place, lots & lots of work over the last 2 months

i have time to bounce some ideas that will work best for all of them

Thanks again

I have time to think on it

 

[midnight star stables]

Hi and welcome back. I am new with minis as well and feel that I learn so much from this site but I might have an idea for you. We have 4 minis in one area and my oldest mare is the 'leader of the pack' and likes to think she can steal food. So to make the others comfortable (and to get enough nutrition) we actually do what Marty said with the buckets but we also have small dog leashes connected on the fence by each bucket. We clip the leashes to the halters and the minis each have to stay at their own space during feeding. I got the leashes at the dollar store and they work great. The only downside is that the horses have to have halters on all the time.

Good luck and thanks for taking care of the less fortunate!

You could halter the horses before each meal and remove the halters once the horses are finished eating. I do that when I turn my horses out each day, and bring them in at night.