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WALKING H i 6) RSE
October
BY DR. M. E. ENSMINGER Clovis, California
Most foals are weaned at four to six months of age. Thus, foals born late this spring are ready for weaning now.
Weaning The Foal
Among good horsemen, weaning of the foal is more a matter of preparation than of absolute separation from the dam. And the simplicity with which it is accomplished depends very largely upon the thoroughness of the preparation. Age of Weaning
When either the foal or the mare is not doing well, when the mare is used heavily, or when the dam was re-bred on the ninth day after foaling, it may be advisable to wean the foal comparatively early— say at two months of age. On the other hand, when both the mare and the foal seem to be doing well, when the mare is idle, when breeding has been delayed following foaling, or when it is desirable to develop the foal to the maximum, the weaning may very well be be delayed until six months of age.
If by means of the creep or a separate grain box, the foal has become accustomed to the consumption of considerable grain and hay( about 34 pounds of grain per each 100 pounds live weight daily), weaning will result in very little disturbance or set-back. Likewise, if the ration of the dam has been decreased( lessened by one-half) a few days before the separation, usually her udder will dry up with no difficulty. Separation of Mare and Foal
When these preliminary precautions and preparations for weaning have been made, the separation should be accomplished. This should be complete and final with no opportunity for the foal to sec; hear, or smell its dam again.
Otherwise, all which has been gained up to this time will be lost, and it will be necessary to begin all over again. Perhaps the best arrangement is to shut the foal in the stall to which it has been accustomed and to move the mare away to new quarters, making certain that all obstructions have first been removed so that there is no possibility of injury to the foal while it is fretting over the separation.
After the weanlings have remained in the stable for a day or two and have quieted down, they should be turned out on pasture. Where a group of weanlings is involved, undue running and possible injury hazard may be minimized in this transition by the following procedure: First turn two or three of the least desirable animals out and let them tire themselves out, and then turn the rest of the weanlings out and they will do very little running.
With a great number of foals, it is advisable to separate the sexes, and even to place some of the more timid ones to themselves. In all cases, it is best not to run the foals with older horses.
Drying-Up the Mare
Some successful horsemen use the following procedure in drying- up mares:
1. Rub an oil preparation( such as camphorated oil or a mixture of lard and spirits of camphor) on the bag, and take the mare from the foal and place her on less lush pasture or grass hay.
2. Examine the udder and place oil on it at intervals, but do not milk it out for five to seven days. It will fill up and get tight, but do not milk it out. At the end of five to seven days, when the bag is soft and flabby, milk out what little secretion remains( perhaps not more than a half a cup).
Mechanization Triggers Light Horse Interest; Common Stable Vices Mechanical power has been sort of a Doctor Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde to horses. It caused the decline of the draft horse, but the rise of the light horse. Sounds confusing, doesn’ t it? Mechanical Power
Back in 1910, U. S. Department of Agriculture’ s Yearbook of Agriculture reported as follows: He( the horse) has been assailed by the bicycle, the electric street and suburban car, and the automobile; but all combined have not prevented horses from increasing in numbers and in value. [ And get this.] As a source of farm power and as a substitute for human labor in combination with machines, the horse’ s economic place on the farm is more strongly established than ever before.
Of course, subsequent events proved how clouded U. S. D. A.’ s 1910 crystal ball was: Horse numbers increased up to 1915, at which time there was a record number of 21,431,000 head. From that date forward, the relentless wheels of progress steadily lifted from the horse his role in agriculture and commerce; automobile, truck, and tractor numbers increased, while horse and mule numbers declined.
Ironical as it may seem, mechanization is responsible for the rise of light horses. Flere’ s how: In the middle ages, the rich man rode a horse and the poor man walked. When I was a boy, the rich man rode in a horseless carriage and the poor man had a horse. Today, the rich man has a horse and the poor man has a car. More Mechanization and Automation
More mechanization and further declines in work horse numbers appear inevitable. But automation and mechanization are making for a happier position for the cow pony and for horses used in recreation and sport. Among such developments are the following:
1. Hauling range catle and sheep instead of trailing, primarily because of saving in labor and time.
2. Pelleted rations, which permit easier storage and mechanical feeding.
3. Mechanical manure disposal and lagoons. 4. Autmoatic watering devices. 5. Bulk handling, rather than bagging, concentrates. 6. Telephones in the barn. Other labor-saving methods now commonplace on many light horse establishments include: The use of salt