Handling a very young foal
From: Nancy
I just brought a mare and 1 week old foal. By the time I received them the foal was 2 weeks old and has not been imprinted. She is now 4 weeks old and finally beginning to enjoy our company and letting us to touch her. She seem to think we are her new playmates. She does like to be scratched but we have not been able to hold her long enough to get a halter on her. Every time we try she thinks we're playing, she'll jump up on her hind legs or turn around and used her hind legs to kick. We have gotten bruises from her. We have to got to get the halter on. Do you have a method other than getting someone to hold her down. Which is what someone has suggested. We have come this far I sure hate to ruin her disposition now. The mare is 6 yrs and as sweet as she can be. She'll let us work with her and yet keeps her from harm from the other horses. I have not put them with my other two horses, (they are 24yrs and 29yrs). They have noticed each other when I bring them in for the night. I've only been an owner of these horse for 7 month. I've done volunteer work and I'm on the board for therapeutic riding for 10 years.
I have gotten your new book, The Horse Behavior Problem Solver. So far it has helped me a lot. Thank you for any suggestions.
Nancy
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Hi Nancy! My first question is this: Why do you have to put a halter on the foal? She is too young to be restrained by the halter, and she is too young to be led by the halter, so... why is there such urgency about this matter? Think about this a little bit whilst you read the rest of my response.
Holding a foal down shouldn't be a method of doing ANYTHING with a foal, unless there's such a terrible emergency that the foal will die if you don't restrain it by any means possible. In other words, if your foal is spurting blood from a cut artery, and the only way you can stop the bleeding is to put her on the ground and keep here there, do it - THAT would be a valid reason. It's NOT something to do just because you're frustrated at your young filly's high energy level and short attention span. ;-)
High energy and short attention spans are normal for young foals. Rearing and kicking are also normal behaviours for young foals. If your filly is beginning to enjoy your attention and let you touch her, you're already on your way toward handling her successfully - don't spoil your success by trying to rush the process.
If you absolutely must immobilize a young foal, for instance to administer an injection or to treat a wound, you need to stand side-on to the foal and put one arm around its chest and the other around its hindquarters, as if you were going to lift it (and if it is very small and you are very strong, you CAN lift it). In that position, it can't go forward or backward, it can't rear, and it can't kick. When she is a little older and a little stronger, you'll probably prefer to use a "foal rope" (like a "come-along" or "butt rope", only longer) that will let you control her without putting pressure on her head or on the delicate tissues of her neck. My preferred way to hold and direct a foal is to make it into a "suitcase" with a foal rope. Hold the middle of a 10-foot, flat-braided cotton rope directly over her back. Loop one end loosely around her hindquarters (like a traditional "come-along") and the other end (not as loosely) around her chest. Bring both ends of the rope back to the middle, and hold the middle and the two ends together in your hand, just over the top of her back, directly behind her withers. Now you can keep her in one place - or ask her to walk along with you. The front loop restricts her forward movement, the rear loop keeps her from walking backwards (and if you walk forward whilst holding the "handle" firmly, the rear loop will encourage her to come with you). This lets you begin to teach her simple verbal signals such as "walk on", "whoa", and "stand", easily and without hurting or frightening her. Since there are no knots involved, and no hardware, you can remove the rope in an instant, just by dropping the ends and lifting the middle of the rope. Or, if you get confused or tangled or need to answer your cell phone, you can just drop the rope on the ground and let the filly walk away from it. Stay safe! No matter who tells you that their system or equipment is "just as good" or "better", use ONLY a simple, soft, cotton rope with taped or knotted ends. Don't use a nylon rope or a round rope, and don't tie any knots or add any hardware. If you can't find a flat-braided rope, you can make your own - just buy a length of 5/8" cotton rope, untwist the sections, then braid them and tape the ends.
For the sake of your filly's health, don't make her spend half of her life in the barn. Spending nights in a stall is not a good thing for foals - the ammonia at floor-level will challenge her respiratory system, and can lead to problems later on. Unlike humans, who need eight hours of sleep each night (although we don't all get that much!), horses need only about four hours, and they usually take their sleep in short naps, not over a single four-hour period. The rest of the time, they're active. When you put horses into stalls "for the night", it corresponds to the time that YOU may enjoy spending relaxing in the evening and sleeping through the night, but for the horses, it means that they are being confined and their movement restricted for many hours - and for no reason. Help your filly develop her bones, tendons, muscles, balance, and brain - leave her and her mother in their field. In any given 24-hour period, they will both get all the sleep they need, and they will also get the activity and fresh air that they need. This first year is a very important time for your filly's neuromuscular development. She needs to be out playing in her field, keeping busy, learning and developing. This is time that can't be made up for later - the development she'll achieve this year is crucial. The busier she is, the better. If you can possibly find another mare and foal to share the field, or take your mare and foal to share a field with other mares and foals, that would be ideal.
She'll develop socially, too. As she grows, she will become more and more interested in you and everything you do. If you're out there interacting with her mother every day, the filly will soon be pushing between you and her mother, trying to get more of your attention. The fact that her mother is a sweet, friendly mare will make your job much easier. Let the filly come to you in her own time - she will. When she does, don't grab her, or she'll learn to stay away from you. Instead, move slowly and scratch her where foals like to be scratched: on the sides of the neck, on the withers, and just above the tail. If you take the time to let her learn that she's safe with you and can trust you, the next few years will be much easier on everyone.
Jessica
