THE YOUNG HORSE: FROM BIRTH TO BACKING

From 4 months to 2 years old

- FARRYN DAY

As your young foal starts to develop into a little horse with a personality of his own, it is important to continue his education in the same simple, step-by-step manner outlined in Part 1 of our Young Horse series. Hopefully, you have been able to spend lots of time with your mare and her foal in the first few months, making the next step in the process of educating your young horse much easier!

HERD LIFE

Ultimately, it would be wonderful if all foals could grow up in a herd environment, gaining the necessary knowledge from their elders, while having young playmates to help develop their minds and muscles. The average age to wean a foal is around six months old. Some stud farms prefer to wean their foals later, while others prefer to do it sooner. I fall into the ‘later is better’ group and have found that weaning the foals at around eight months of age is less stressful, for both mare and foal.

However, should you watch a herd of horses, you will notice that the weaning process begins long before this time. As the foals become stronger and more curious, they start to venture further away from their dams. Soon, they will start to play with other foals, and it is not uncommon to find the yearlings and two-year-olds getting involved in the games too! Just as with young children, being able to move freely and play, is incredibly important for the development of foals. As they jump, run and play, they are not only developing their bodies, but also becoming aware of how their bodies work.

The herd ‘community’ is also crucial in raising a well-adjusted and well-mannered young horse. The herd environment provides safety, as well as structure, and the older herd members and other broodmares are not afraid to dispense quick, firm but-fair discipline.