Foals and young horses

Good experiences from day one

Horses learn all the time, through every interaction with the people handling them. That is why World Horse Welfare stresses that a foal's training should be compassionate and consistent from the very start.

At World Horse Welfare's rescue and rehoming centres, foals are handled kindly from the day they are born. The charity's grooms describe their approach:

• Make friends first. Plenty of scratches, so the foal learns that being around people is a good thing.
• Introduce a headcollar early, putting it on and taking it off without leading from it while the foal is very young.
• Teach leading gently. At first, a lead rope around the neck and an arm behind the hindquarters, with the foal following its mother; or a "foal bag", a longer rope in a figure of eight around the chest and hindquarters, until the foal's muscles and skeleton are more developed. One foal was introduced to leading from a headcollar at nearly four months old.
• Handle legs and feet as soon as possible, keeping it positive. Foals need to pick up their feet happily so the farrier can check them. Some foals need a farrier's help with their conformation, and early treatment can make a huge difference to their future soundness.
• Meet new people calmly. Bringing foals into the yard with their mothers from early on lets them meet people such as the farrier with as little stress as possible.

Mares and foals in the field

Mares and foals benefit from living in a group. If several mares and foals are turned out together, the foals have playmates of a similar age. But Defra's code of practice warns that some mares become very protective of their foals, sometimes called "foal-proud". They may be a risk to other horses and to people, so take care when handling them and keep them apart from other horses and the public if necessary.

Health checks and paperwork

• Vaccinations. The University of Liverpool's equine practice says flu and tetanus vaccinations can be given from 6 months of age. Talk to your vet about the right schedule.
• Worms. The Liverpool practice recommends worm egg counts for the mare and foal every 8–12 weeks.
• Teeth. The British Horse Society advises checking foals for developmental problems, with more thorough checks and rasping often starting from 18 months. The Royal Veterinary College recommends checks at least once a year from around two years, so the eruption of the adult teeth can be monitored. See Teeth.

Passport and microchip

In England, if you own a horse, pony or donkey, you must get a passport for it before it is 12 months old. GOV.UK sets out the steps:

1. A vet implants a microchip. This has to happen before you can apply.
2. Apply to a Passport Issuing Organisation (PIO). For a pedigree foal, use a PIO that manages its breed's studbook. Apply by 30 November of the year it was born, or within 6 months of its birth, whichever is later.
3. Allow up to 6 weeks for the passport to arrive.

A passport issued after 12 months counts as late: it is issued as a duplicate, and the horse can never be used for food. The rules are different in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Weaning

Weaning is when a foal becomes independent of its mother, moving from her milk to a wider diet. It happens naturally, and the word is also used when people decide to separate them.

World Horse Welfare's advice is to copy natural weaning as closely as possible:

• Natural weaning is best for the wellbeing of both mare and foal. In feral herds it usually happens when the foal is about a year old or more. Signs it is starting include the foal spending more time with other horses and suckling less often, the mare stopping the foal from suckling, and the pair spending more time apart.
• Gradual weaning can work if it's skilfully managed, and may begin at around 8–10 months. Wean in groups: for example, similar-aged foals with a familiar older "nanny" mare in one field, and their mothers in the next. The foals spend a short time in the separate field each day, gradually longer, until both groups are comfortable apart while they can still see each other. Only then increase the distance, a step at a time. Individual stabling isn't recommended.
• Sudden separation isn't recommended. Taking a foal away without preparation, such as by trailer, is extremely stressful, ethically questionable and often has long-term effects. Mares and foals should never be shut in a confined space without being able to see each other.

The University of Liverpool's equine practice advises that a foal shouldn't be weaned before 4 months, and that the ideal time is between 6 and 12 months, depending on the mare and foal. World Horse Welfare adds that both should be healthy before weaning, and that colts shouldn't be weaned around the same time as they are castrated.

Some signs of stress are normal: calling to each other, running up and down the fence line, or aggression towards other horses or people. If reactions are extreme or go on for a long time, World Horse Welfare suggests putting the groups back together and trying again when the foals are a little older.

Why it matters. Foals that have a stressful weaning are more likely to injure themselves, fall ill or lose weight. They may struggle with attachment as they grow up, or develop stereotypic behaviours such as crib biting or weaving. Stress can affect the mare too. See Stress and stereotypic behaviour.

Growing up

Friends. After weaning, World Horse Welfare turns its youngsters out in a small herd with some slightly older ponies, which helps them learn vital social skills.

Strong bones. World Horse Welfare advises giving young horses a well-balanced diet, experience of different ground surfaces, and short but repeated spells of low-level concussive exercise from a young age, which help their bones cope with ridden work later. The exercise shouldn't be excessive.

Education on the ground. Until they are old enough to be brought into work, World Horse Welfare's youngsters keep learning from the ground: in-hand agility, in-hand showing, and walks to explore the world. They also practise loading, with both ramps of the trailer open to make it light and inviting, and a haynet inside.

Starting work

World Horse Welfare describes how its grooms back a horse to ride, one step at a time, moving on only when the horse is comfortable:

1. Groundwork: teaching the horse about personal space, then lunging in walk and trot
2. In-hand walks outside, then long reining
3. A saddle fitted by a saddle fitter, added to the lunging and long reining
4. Leaning over the horse, then taking a few steps like that
5. Sitting on and walking a few steps, then riding on a lead rein
6. Short hacks, and finally riding off the lead rein

For one mare this took about nine months of groundwork and six more of backing.

When a young horse comes back into work after a break, World Horse Welfare revisits every step of the backing process. It checks feet, teeth and tack first, because youngsters grow and change shape so quickly. Its young horses work three or four times a week, with plenty of variety and turnout, so they stay interested in their work.