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| The boys were cautious around the mare. |
Friday night the BO asked me if I wanted to wean my foal this weekend. Rory is four and a half months old now, eating well, and quite independent already so it's time. I was expecting to do it next weekend, but a week either way isn't going to make a difference. Since the plan was to bring the two foals into the barn and put them together for the first day or two I suggested bringing them in that night. I hoped that having a barn full of horses for company would reduce the panic and stress on the boys.
After the other horses were in, we walked out into the field, put the foals halters on and led them away and out the gate. Neither mare was particularly concerned. One whinnied when she heard the gate, but didn't leave the hay. Rory got a little excited going into the barn, but didn't give me any trouble. He whinnied a couple of times.
They went into the same box stall, and we gave them some hay (left the water bucket out at first in case they got rowdy). They circled a bit and shoved past each other, but there was remarkably little calling. Both watched the mare in the next stall intently. The other foal later got a bit free with his feet, kicking at Rory pretty seriously - fortunately not connecting much. I found them in separate stalls when I arrived on Saturday morning. It's funny. Before they went out all the time, they looked huge in the stalls, taking up most of the floor space when they were lying down. They are bigger now than they were then, but they look tiny and lost in the stalls.
Saturday night they went into the standing stalls (which is where they will winter). The other foal took it calmly and was quite relaxed. He ate his dinner and nibbled on his hay. Rory wanted to turn around and check everything out. He got himself right up to the front of the stall trying to turn around. I did shorten his tie a bit so he couldn't get quite so far round. He didn't fight the tie at all, but he wasn't happy either. He did settle after a bit and snooze, still tucked right up at the front of the stall. They were fine when we left them for the night.
Sunday morning is my chore morning. So I went into the standing stall barn with my stack of feed buckets, shut the door and turned around to find the other foal looking at me over the bum rope from inside Rory's stall, and Rory looking at me from the other side of my stack of buckets saying "Got my breakfast?" They'd obviously been out for a bit as the aisle was covered in evidence. Fortunately foals don't make as big a mess as horses - they didn't trash the hay stack.
I moved them back to the box stalls for the morning so they'd have more room. Rory again looked tiny as he lay tucked up in the corner. In the afternoon they went out with another mare. I put the other foal out and went back for Rory - both were upset at being separated, but okay to handle. Outside their mothers could hear them calling and there was a good bit of whinnying back and forth - most of it from the other foal and his mum. Rory and his mum called a bit, but gave it up more quickly. The horses in the surrounding turnouts all came to see what the excitement was. Neither foal tried to bother the mare, I think in part because they could hear their mothers. She warned them off when they got too close to her hay, and they carefully went around her.
They were on their own for a bit over an hour when the mare got ridden. They settled enough to eat a bit of hay, but really didn't stop moving around.
After the other horses were in, we walked out into the field, put the foals halters on and led them away and out the gate. Neither mare was particularly concerned. One whinnied when she heard the gate, but didn't leave the hay. Rory got a little excited going into the barn, but didn't give me any trouble. He whinnied a couple of times.
They went into the same box stall, and we gave them some hay (left the water bucket out at first in case they got rowdy). They circled a bit and shoved past each other, but there was remarkably little calling. Both watched the mare in the next stall intently. The other foal later got a bit free with his feet, kicking at Rory pretty seriously - fortunately not connecting much. I found them in separate stalls when I arrived on Saturday morning. It's funny. Before they went out all the time, they looked huge in the stalls, taking up most of the floor space when they were lying down. They are bigger now than they were then, but they look tiny and lost in the stalls.
Saturday night they went into the standing stalls (which is where they will winter). The other foal took it calmly and was quite relaxed. He ate his dinner and nibbled on his hay. Rory wanted to turn around and check everything out. He got himself right up to the front of the stall trying to turn around. I did shorten his tie a bit so he couldn't get quite so far round. He didn't fight the tie at all, but he wasn't happy either. He did settle after a bit and snooze, still tucked right up at the front of the stall. They were fine when we left them for the night.
Sunday morning is my chore morning. So I went into the standing stall barn with my stack of feed buckets, shut the door and turned around to find the other foal looking at me over the bum rope from inside Rory's stall, and Rory looking at me from the other side of my stack of buckets saying "Got my breakfast?" They'd obviously been out for a bit as the aisle was covered in evidence. Fortunately foals don't make as big a mess as horses - they didn't trash the hay stack.
I moved them back to the box stalls for the morning so they'd have more room. Rory again looked tiny as he lay tucked up in the corner. In the afternoon they went out with another mare. I put the other foal out and went back for Rory - both were upset at being separated, but okay to handle. Outside their mothers could hear them calling and there was a good bit of whinnying back and forth - most of it from the other foal and his mum. Rory and his mum called a bit, but gave it up more quickly. The horses in the surrounding turnouts all came to see what the excitement was. Neither foal tried to bother the mare, I think in part because they could hear their mothers. She warned them off when they got too close to her hay, and they carefully went around her.
They were on their own for a bit over an hour when the mare got ridden. They settled enough to eat a bit of hay, but really didn't stop moving around.
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| Little lost weanlings |
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