Make sure your foals are well handled by the time weaning occurs. This will save you many literal and figurative
headaches, and ensure that the foal’s early experiences of being handled are not primarily associated with anxiety
and fear. A well handled youngster will often experience little to no anxiety in the face of weaning, because it has
already learned that its entire world does not revolve around its mother, and that humans are a source of comfort as
well as leadership and direction.
What to Avoid
While it may be a common practice to wean foals abruptly in pairs by placing them together in box stalls, a study
performed by Rutgers University in 1990 revealed that while the foals appeared to be more quiet, they in fact suffered greater immunosuppression-- a symptom of heightened stress, than foals weaned without a cohort of the same
age class. Additionally, a dominant foal may take out its frustration on its stall-mate, who cannot escape from such a
small space. Sometimes “We’ve always done it this way” is not the answer.
Do not wait to halter break your foal at weaning time, unless you want to deal with a 300 pound orangutan with a
system full of adrenaline, and an empty brain. If you must postpone halter breaking, postpone it until after the week
of weaning. A newly weaned foal will be frightened, confused, and downright dangerous because of its size, and
ignorance of giving to pressure and submitting to instructions from humans. Wrestling a halter onto a wild weanling
and leaving a drag line trailing behind it is only asking for more anxiety, negative associations toward humans and
handling, and the potential for injury. If you must leave your babies wild until after weaning, halter break them once
they have calmed down and are ready to pay attention.
Do not place mares or foals into unsafe enclosures at weaning. This is asking for an accident-related injury. This
could include T-post type fencing, cattle or sheep panels, electric fence, barbed wire, insecurely installed pipe panels,
or broken pipe panels.
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