Imprinting

[Matt73]

Hi Everyone

I have a foal due on March 11 (330 days) give or take. Do any of you actively imprint your newborns? I've heard good and bad things about it. ie. If done correctly and not too aggressively it's great. However, if the handler lets the newborn go if it struggles, for instance, it learns that it can always get away; training later on can be difficult if not impossible, it's suggested. Who does this on here?

Thanks!

Matt

 

[disneyhorse]

I don't really believe in imprinting. I actually prefer a non-imprinted horse to an imprinted one, because I find that I'd rather deal with a horse's slight distrust than one that has less respect for humans.

Of all the minis I've had, it's the ones that were born out on a big pasture with no human contact until I bought them that ended up being the friendliest and easiest to handle with fewer vices. Don't know why that is.

Andrea

 

[Buckskin gal]

We imprint our foals when they are first born and have excellent results with it. A soft terry towel to rub them all over and dry them, talking sweet nothings to them and just being there is all good for them or anyway we find it is. Mary

 

[Matt73]

Thanks Guys! I'll probably towel him/her off once mom has had her way and leave it at that. I want to be as interactive as I can be without being intrusive. Somewhere in the middle of what you've both said! Thanks! I'm so excited. Can you tell? :bgrin

 

[Westwood Farms]

I Too have had them both ways. And I have had it work both ways, too. Sometimes they are friendlier with a wild mama, and others, that have been imprinted are wild as cooter brown. I sit in the middle, and just do lots of loving and attention. That seems to work for me.

 

[shminifancier]

This is what I called imprinting. This is what I did for the first week, picked her up like this and carried this little girl around she was so nice after doing this. I even have the Video by Dr Miller on Imprinting, i very neat one to have in a collection~!

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

I was lucky enough to have Dr Miller as my vet for years till he retired. He is an amazing and wonderful man who really cares about his patients and there owners.

I saw him years after he retired and once he was known for imprinting and not only did he remember me ( I was a kid at the time he was my vet) but my horse by name. Just really cant say enough about what a wonderful man and wonderful vet!

Anyway that said we did discuss and perhaps you can say debate imprinting. I do it with my foals to an extent. I handle the foals we dry them off, we touch ears(we dry them) check feet, dip cord and all that stuff and then of course handle them daily, most of it playing with them. I dont put a halter on, dont clip, dont insert fingers in there rear that is just to much for mom, foal and lets be honest for me after the lack of sleep and stress of mare stare

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really for the most part we allow the foals to show us how much attention they want. SOme follow us everywhere- we had one that would play soccer with raven for hours cars would stop and watch the 2 of them. i have some that are more shy and reserved and we just sit quietly in the stall usually they cant resist there curiosity for to long and come for pets and love.

I just dont see any reason for ignorning them when I am right there and the rest of the horses get hands on attention I think over all it makes for a nice well rounded foal . They are used to being handled, kids, family pets, traffic, heck even helicopters hovering over the pasture

There own personality plays a part in how they grow up and even those not handled can end up very friendly but at this point I dont see a reason not to do some form of imprinting anyway

 

[Miniv]

For us, imprinting is much like what Lisa - RuffnTuff, described. Rubbing them down with a towel from the tip of the nose, over the ears, the tail, and down each leg. We follow it up the next day with just lots of rubs and scritches and love.......

There've been times when we've had back-to-back foals born and haven't done as much follow-up handling as usual.......and I can tell the difference with them as they get older.

MA

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I agree with the interacting- I keep the mares up for the first three days and I just interact with the foal, letting it know that people are OK and that Mama is pleased to see us- what mare is not pleased to see a feed bucket???

I also agree that you will know what to do when your foal is born- just listen to the mare, she will let you know what she is most comfortable with.

You may actually have to do a lot more than towel the foal of- most of my foals need a little help to find the milk bar and I have to say that since I routinely now offer a bottle of milk, basically so I can get some sleep- foaling is a lot easier all round, Mama can rest, baby can rest and, importantly to me who will have five more stacked up in the aisle- I can rest!!

 

[kaykay]

im with lisa. i do touch everywhere especially ears and mouth, tail, hooves etc. But i do not put a halter on, clip or run noisy things. Some people say this leads to spoiled horses. I will admit i spoiled my first foal horribly and learned my lesson. (at a year old she still thought she could sit in my lap which was totally my fault lol) with training she was fine. She is still the friendliest horse on the place but knows her limits now.

I have also bought many many never handled horses. some of them can be a real struggle. If you get them young such as at weaning age its not too bad but if they are older it can take quite some time to bring them around.

 

[Suzie]

We imprint by toweling off the foal, doing the navel, passing that first stool with help, making sure the foal is eating well. Then we leave mare and foal to bond for 2-3 days. Being around but not intruding. Then we gradually start more hands on touching. Lifting hooves (every one in turn) touching ears (for easy haltering later) desensitizing areas where this horse will need to learn to give to human contact later on. We do gently restrain the foal and only turn him loose when he "gives" to the pressure. And we talk to them constantly. I think it is important to find that one spot on every foal that calms them, forehead, butt scratch, whatever-seems different on every one. Then when we start working with them, we have our calm spot to reassure them when things get tense. I guess we call it imprinting, I call it "humanizing" them. I still want them to be horses, just trust me 100%.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Humanising" is a good term, better, I think than "imprinting" which can mean so many different things to different people.

I also like "Desensitizing" but this is also, possibly, open to misinterpretation.

 

[ChrystalPaths]

Oh Matt, you'll do great. I do like Lisa and the others, I dry them off and do the umbilical, then go from head to toe and inside the mouth (cleft palate check) touch the privates (gotta know!) and then step back for the nite, after checking momma and maybe giving a bit of banamine for pain. Come morning I talk and talk and enter gradually and slowly. Some moms are grumpy, I keep a banamine handy for more cramps. I then sit down and talk to baby and mom while she eats and babies being SO curious have to check out this funny looking thing and then fall in love with it cuz it touches nice, sounds soothing and man! those scritches are to die for! All my babies are in your pocket. I like em that way.

 

[Bess Kelly]

I'm with Suzie.......I find that the first couple of weeks of working with them pays off BIG TIME later. The foals that I have handled extensively & deliberately the first 1-10 days have far more trust with me. Those I have taken the time to handle legs, feet, ears, etc., will still accept that handling as they age.

Ones who have not been handled (and I have had both!) are little helluns when they are weaned and need all the extensive training. In fact, some who were well handled during first 10-15 days, then left without much training (just daily petting, feeding, etc) were still easier to train/handle/trim, etc., than those who were only handled minimally for a day or two.

Personally, I am grumpy with myself when I do NOT take this time with a foal.......and have to then work so much harder later on.

: I think WHY didn't you DO THAT??? WHY???? :no:

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