The dreaded subject - Weaning!

[bicky]

Hi there, as most of you will know I have a fab tri-coloured cob Teddy 2 Shoes who I bought at 8 days old and took delivery of at 5 weeks old, along with his mam! The idea being I would get to handle him and he would get used to his new home and friends prior to mam leaving. Well, I'm hoping to wean him in the middle of December......but the very word fills me with horror! I'm such a wuss!

Here's the set up I have - 3 acres divided into four grazing areas that I rotate. New built stable block, which he is used to and for company he will have my cob Kinzzy and another cob gelding who is arriving within the next few days. Both of them are 14.2hh. Kinzzy tolerates him well and hopefully our new livery Bounty will too!

So, how would you wean him? I'm not keen on gradual weaning and intend to calmly take mam away one day because she is starting to get dragged down. She could be in foal again too! I suppose my main concern is how to manage him safely once mam has gone! I know it won't be the easiest thing in the world, but i want to manage him the best way I can. Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated! Cheers!

[Alex Underdown]

I'd shut him in a stable with the top door shut - this will stop any injuries from trying to climb fences etc! Take mum away - am assuming she is off back to where she came from so will be ideal as he won't be able to hear her calling. Wait an hour or 2 until he has calmed down, make a big fuss of him and just generally distract him, and then put him back out with Kinzzy and the new gelding - he'll probably run around looking for mum to start with but as he won't be able to hear her he should settle pretty quickly and soon forget her!! If you're really worried then shut him in over night with whichever of your gg's he's most buddied up with and then you can let him out in the morning and keep an eye on them all day and see how he reacts. If still acting like a loon looking for mum just shut him in again at night, after a few days even the most clingy foals soon calm down and forget all about mum!
Good luck!!!

[bicky]

Morning Alex! How's your fluffies...... and the one and only Wessel?
Thanks for your post, you sound all calm about it! I'll be a nervous wreck! You'll be able to hear me yelling from your house!

[Alex Underdown]

They're all fine thanks, and still out thank god as we've still got grass - I just hope this rain hasn't moved in permanently!!
You'll be fine weaning little dude, I've weaned tons of babies and the best most hassle and accident free way is to just shut them in for a bit - you've got the added advantage you can move the mare well away out of ear shot - ours can still hear the mares even when the mares are down the lane - so yours will be far easier!!

[CityLights]

Put loads of soft bedding in a stable put hayledge on the floor, make suer he has water, shut him in close a top door and leave him, leave him for a day and then open the top door if he is being chilled out and seems ok make sure Kinzzy is in and he can see her so he has friends, i would if you have alittle yard in front of it i would let kinzzy wander on the yard but not get too far away and just leave them

[My Crazy Clan]

I am going to be different, I would never just take them away from their mums its gradually or nothing for me, I would just feel awful, I wouldn't want my child taken away so quick, would you? I also hate the way its done at sales, it sould be banned.

So I would start now, buy separating them in paddocks or the stables, little buy often.

[XxFudgexX]

I did it the same as you as in bought Fudge at 4 mths and he came with his mum to get used to been handled and make friends with the other ponies, on the day the mares owner came we didnt have a stable with a top door so kept hold of him till the mare was well on her way home then let him out with his friends he settled down really quickly.

[CityLights]

Originally Posted by Rhea

I am going to be different, I would never just take them away from their mums its gradually or nothing for me, I would just feel awful, I wouldn't want my child taken away so quick, would you? I also hate the way its done at sales, it sould be banned.

So I would start now, buy separating them in paddocks or the stables, little buy often.

if you do it gradually, like the actual way of waning gradulelly to remove the mares in a field over a period of time you risk soo much injry to the foal its untrue, they jump out or try to run through fences run up and down and hurt themselves and often become quite poor if they do or even ill, if you shut them in a nice warm stable they cant escape or hurt themselves they have lots of nice food and you can easily tend to them and monitor them