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Sylvia Scott |
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April 2007 |
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Greetings from the Dear Friends: Well, spring has sprung here in Virginia in all its beautiful glory! We're greatly enjoying the warmer weather, watching the trees blossom, bulbs sprouting, and getting busy with all the projects we want to get to now, both farm-wise and horse-wise. Our horses also are enjoying the exit from winter, warmer days and the new spring grasses sprouting up now. It's this time of year that we have to watch carefully for founder (laminitis), however, as too much early spring grass ingestion can produce that metabolic problem in some horses. It never hurts, when in doubt, to give them limited and controlled access to these new, lush spring shoots in pastures for a while, until their systems become accustomed to the lusher new grass more slowly (paddocking them half time). For some horses this is no problem at all; others, you have to watch carefully, particularly in the early spring! Spring is also a good time for a thorough "spring training tune-up." If you haven't ridden much in the winter, don't just saddle up your horse and get on now that it's spring. Take some time for a refresher review of your horse's training, starting with productive ground work. Make sure they pass your groundwork safety tests first before getting on. My Whispering Way 12-Step Total Training System is the perfect solution for training your horse the gentle, natural horsemanship way, but also is ideal for simple spring training tune-ups. I use these steps before and when riding myself always! Recently while spring tuning-up Rodi, our Icelandic horse, in the round pen, our barn cat, Hailie, as she often does, entered the round pen, hoping to get some stroking attention from me. Since I had just finished an advanced desensitizing review lesson with Rodi, and since Hailie was already happily rubbing her body through Rodi's legs and mine, I spontaneously thought..."wonder if I can teach Hailie to ride Rodi, at the same time desensitizing Rodi to a cat (a predator!) on his back?" Using advance/retreat and bonding tricks of the trade to keep both relaxed throughout that lesson...well...the picture below shows the end of that delightful and fun desensitizing lesson. Hailie loved it so much, she rode around on Rodi's back for about 15 minutes and Rodi treated his "cargo" very gently there. Desensitizing is always a fun part of training. Get creative with your desensitizing lessons and there's no end to what you can desensitize your horse to, making him a far more confident and calmer horse, in the end.
Incidently, Rodi is for sale to the right home. He was our daughter's horse, but now that she's off to college, and with a demanding full time college schedule, along with her part time job, and since she is already shopping grad schools for up the road (will be on the lengthy academic track for quite a while!), she feels she no longer has the time for Rodi and won't for many years. She and we would like Rodi to have an owner now who is: natural horsemanship educated (or willing to learn), and who has the time to devote to him, because every horse deserves that one-to-one devotion. Rodi is a registered Icelandic (5 gaited) gelding, just turned 11 years old, and he has an extremely sweet, very gentle personality. I have completely retrained him the Whispering Way natural horsemanship way, and he is a wonderful, willing and cooperative partner! For more details and more pictures, CLICK HERE If you are interested, contact me at sylvia@naturalhorsetraining.com Our Internet Horse Rescue Benefit Was a Huge Success! We wrapped up our Internet Horse Rescue Benefit we ran during the month of March, and want to thank all of you who specified a worthy horse rescue from our online listings to receive a donation from the Virginia Natural Horsemanship Training Center when placing your orders with us. We've now tallied all of the March sales that specified a particular horse rescue and will be sending along a donation equal to 10% of each individual sale to the rescues you specified. Thanks again to all of our newsletter readers who participated in supporting these extremely worthy organizations! Our Program We continue to receive a lot of positive feedback on our Sylvia Scott Whispering Way™ 12-Step Total Training System DVD set. You can read a few of the many feedback testimonials we have received, some of which I've placed up on my web site here: CLICK HERE FOR TESTIMONIALS With our Remote Coaching Program well in place now, too, a great number of people are benefiting immensely from this backup support route (no matter where they live!) after they have purchased my videos. Here is a typical email response from a remote client who is learning my training program through my DVD's: Sylvia, You don't know how much this backup support email means to me. Like I have said a hundred times, and I know I am sure you are tired of hearing it, I'm very new at all of this and I am still a little unsure of myself. I am so glad that you are there to walk me thru this process when I need it, because it can be very frustrating if you don't know the signs and if you don't understand what your horse is really going thru emotionally and I think that is where I was. I just thought it was all behavioral, but now realize it is very emotional for him as well. I will definitely work on the things you have suggested here and I will let you know how our progress is going. I was getting very discouraged but now I am very excited to get back out there and keep trying and being consistent with what I am asking for. Thanks again for all of your help, you don't know how much I really appreciate it!! T. B. - Greenville, Ohio Get busy with spring "tuning up" your horse! Check out and order today the Sylvia Scott Whispering Way™ 12-Step Total Training System! Or think about getting my Complete Package, which contains: my Round Pen Leadership DVD, my Whispering Way™ 12-Step Total Training System 3-DVD set, and all the tools (natural horsemanship halter/12' lead, extendable-retractable training wand, training string, and the handy pocket card that lists the 12 steps) that you need to train your horse yourself, the natural horsemanship Whispering Way!
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Q&A Focus This Month Since spring is often thought of as "foaling time" and since I have been receiving a lot of email questions in this particular category lately, I will be devoting this month's newsletter Q&A section to the general topics and issues that come up in this breeding/pregnant mare/foaling, etc., category. I have enlisted the expertise of Bob Claymier of Desert Rose Ranch for some of them, because Bob, who is a natural horsemanship trainer colleague I highly respect, is also an active breeder and one of the best breeding/pregnant mare/foaling experts I know. Bob is also in the production stages of his new breeding/pregnant mare/foaling/foal care video and I will keep everyone posted when it is formally launched up the road. We're all excited to finally be getting Bob's years of experience and expert advice in this category onto video for many more to learn from him for years to come! We all can learn from each other! Sylvia Scott
Check
These Out! Amazing Freestyle Dressage Performance - Someone sent me the following link to watch an incredible freestyle dressage presentation by Andreas Helgstrand -- watch it; it will blow you away! CLICK HERE TO WATCH Andalusian Stallion "Dance" Presentation - And here's another absolutely beautiful video -- a breathtaking "ground dance" with the gorgeous Andalusian stallion, Apassionatta. CLICK HERE TO WATCH Horse
Problem Questions From You & Question - What age to breed a filly/mare?: Hi Sylvia, I was wondering at what age I can breed my filly? She isn't old enough yet, but I would just like to know. Thank you. T. W. - Internet Sylvia's Answer: Hi T. Thanks for writing. I'm going to bounce your question here to a natural horsemanship trainer colleague of mine, Bob Claymier, who is bigger breeding expert than I am. Bob's response: Hi T – You pose an interesting question. Like many things in the horse world, man has intervened and often not on the side of what is good for the animal – such as racing Thoroughbreds at two years of age. In this case, however, we can prolong the breeding time until the female is more mature, whereas in the wild she might be bred at a much younger age and perhaps when she is 2-3 years old. There is a good reason that we define a filly as a female horse up to the age of 5 and a mare after that because she is still maturing during that time. All other things being equal, I would probably suggest waiting until the horse is at least 5 before breeding which would make her a minimum of 6 when she first foals. In all honesty, however, I have often bred at 4 years of age and I suspect others have done so at an earlier age. In the cattle business (which I used to dabble in) - the goal would be to produce an offspring as soon as possible and not really worry about the long term negative consequences on the mother. You must determine what your goals are (especially related to the respective mare) in breeding and let that be part of your decision making process when determining when to breed. If you don’t really care about the impact on the mother (which I hope is not the case) then you could breed as soon as she is sexually mature, which means you could start much as is done in the wild. If you want your horse to fully develop before breeding and not be terribly impacted by the event, then I would wait until she is 5 or older. There is an upper limit because the mare’s eggs are produced at her birth (unlike the stallion’s sperm which is produced near real time) so the longer you wait, the more reproduction problems you can expect and mares usually begin to develop breeding problems in their early teens especially if they have not been continually bred from an earlier age. I hope this answers your questions and I would be available for further discussion should you wish to pursue this issue. Cheers, Bob Claymier I agree with Bob there! I also want to direct you to a particular link on my web site to help you ongoingly assess the growth of your filly, and this page discusses the general ages that crucial "growth plates" close up in horses, and is something we need to take into account when starting a horse in saddle as well as when we decide to breed -- bred too young and you are potentially putting too much dangerous pressure on still-closing growth plates in the female horse, so...is something to indeed think about!: Question - Should I round pen a pregnant mare?: Sylvia: We recently picked up another mustang from the BLM, a 3-year-old mare due to have a foal in April/May. How much work should I have her doing in the round pen to get her gentled and seeing me as the lead mare? Should I be turning her around a lot and making her work hard for doing the wrong thing? I am not making her work as much as I would if she were not going to foal. Can a mare in this condition handle doing a lot of turns and work in the round pen? I would like to try to get her to the point to where I can at least touch her and handle her before she does have the foal. Thanks, D. H. - Monmouth, Oregon Sylvia's Answer: Hi D. No, you don't want to be heavily round penning a late-pregnant mare like that, running her around too much, particularly one that is so close to her due date like that (early pregnancy it shouldn't be a problem). It is just not good for her at this point, so don't go there. You're going to have to use advance/retreat methods to allow touch instead of running her around. Here's a link on my web site that shows how we can: desensitize a horse to touch Use that, adjusting what you learn there, accordingly, in a contained area, and hopefully you'll make progress there. Kind of tough trying to gentle a wilder pregnant mare so close to her due date, huh! Not an easy task when you can't necessarily use our round penning tricks of the trade, but get creative there, using advance/retreat methods and hopefully you'll make progress! Note from Sylvia: Some people find that constructing a safe chute to drive the wilder horse into (to do your desensitizing outside that chute) can work with some of them, but even that can put stress on a late-pregnancy mare, depending on the individual horse. Yet others find the "bamboo pole" gentling method sometimes works in these types of situations. You can learn the pole gentling method: HERE. Whatever method you try, do put the mare and her unborn foal's well being first and foremost at all times and quit if she's getting too stressed. Question - Can stallion be in with mares during or after foaling?: We have an older stallion who has been in the pasture with 4 mares since June. All 4 mares are in foal. He is a much happier stud running with his "girls." The question is, can we leave him in the pasture when the mares start to foal? They run in two pastures, separated by an open gate that total about 8 acres. I know he will be harder to handle if we put him in a stud run, but if the foals will be safe, I would like to let them run together until we are ready to wean the foals in the late summer. We have always hand-bred before, but we moved to a new location and the fencing, etc., made the decision for us to pasture breed this year, and I like it! L. S. - Missouri Sylvia's Answer: Hi L. I'm going to run your question by our resident breeding expert we like to turn to, a colleague of mine whom I highly respect: natural horsemanship trainer and breeding expert, Bob Claymier, since he's a better expert in this particular breeding-topics category than I am. Bob's response: Hi L. – Sylvia asked me to weigh in here and we’ll see where this leads us. You pose a really interesting question and one not usually asked in this day of locking the stallions up in a 12x12 stall and only letting them out for breeding – then wondering why they are basket cases!! You, on the other hand, are letting the stallions run together as nature intended with everyone (most particularly him) being a lot happier for it. While I like your idea of pasture breeding and letting the critters figure the whole thing out without human intervention, I am less comfortable with the natural foaling aspects of keeping them together during that time. I run my mares and foals together as a herd, but always separate out the mother and newborn for a few days right after the birth. The mother will be highly protective of anything or anyone for a few days at least and want to keep the baby safe during that time. This usually means the mother will be violently protecting her baby, running herself around which in turn will have the baby running around as well. Here’s my rub – babies are very fragile until their tendons/ligaments have had a chance to strengthen. Excess running right after birth could cause permanent damage should an accident occur. Add to this a mix of a stallion and I think you may have a recipe for disaster. The mare will protect her baby as mothers have been doing for eons, but you may have a stallion – while loving life with his girls – who may also be less than thrilled to have a new intruder in the mix simply because that is one aspect of herd life that he may not have been acclimated to. There is the potential for him to go after the baby with perhaps murderous intentions. I would think that a better idea would be to let each mare foal quietly and separately away from the entire herd and then reintroduce them back in say a week or so later when the baby is better able to protect itself and the mare is somewhat less hyper. This would mean that you would have to be experienced enough to know who is foaling first and that is a whole different topic. In this way, the stallion would still have some mares with him at all times to keep him happy, but each mare and newborn could be kept safe for that really critical time right after birth. As each birth occurs, the mares and babies will bond and my guess is be very protective as a group, keeping the stallion at bay. The mare will come back into foal heat in just a week or so after foaling and the stallion will want to get back into the mix – again – causing some high agitation if the mares and stallion haven’t naturally sorted this all out beforehand. This is a really difficult situation to predict and my suggestion is to err on the side of safety first and then see how they all get along after some period of time. I’m open to further dialog on this topic and look forward to hearing back from you on your results. Good luck. –Bob Question - Foal weaning questions when mare is pregnant again: Hi Sylvia! I was reading through some of your advice to others and thought I might see if you wouldn't mind giving me a little insight on my situation. My fiance and myself are new to owning horses. On Christmas day we bought a 7-year-old Morgan mare who is currently pregnant and due in September and her 6-month-old filly. We started to wean the filly this past week as mama seemed ready and even possibly losing a little weight from being nursed dry. We keep our horses at a local boarding facility and with the help of the owner, we decided to move the mare to another paddock located within view of their current paddock and leave the filly in her paddock where she had her two buddies (a 3-year-old filly and a 4-year-old gelding). We figured the problem would be with the filly, not the mare. However, we were wrong (this is her first foal, so we didn't know if that has anything to do with her behavior). Our mare went wild and we hoped eventually she'd calm down, but after an hour it was obvious this was a bad idea and she was going to end up hurting herself if left in that paddock, within view of the filly. We decided to put the mare in a stall in the barn, out of sight of the filly and less likely to be able to hear each other. The first couple of days were horrible and heartbreaking; they both called for each other day and night. But here we are a full week later and both have settled down and stopped calling for each other. OK, here are my questions for you: 1. How long do you recommend they stay separated? And is it a good idea to let the mare out of the barn within view of the filly after only a week or will this matter anymore? We'd like to exercise her some since she's been cooped up in the barn all week, but don't want to take steps backwards if it could be a problem seeing each other. 2. Is it normal for the mare to lose a little weight after weaning? My biggest concern with this is she's pregnant again. She is eating all her grain and hay without any problem and is acting completely normal but I can see her ribs a little, is that normal? 3. I've read that the mare should be taken off her grain for 7-10 days after weaning the foal to help the lactation stop, is this true? We give our mare 2 full scoops of grain with a mare supplement mixed in every morning around the same time. The lady we bought her from said she only grained her horses once a day in the morning so that's why we do it only once a day. 4. And last question: is it safe to keep the mare with the filly eventually, being that she is pregnant? Can you keep the mare and new foal with the filly once it's born, or is it best to separate them permanently? Thanks, Sylvia, we sure do appreciate any words of wisdom you can share with us! B. C. - Internet Sylvia's Answer: Hi B. I have my own opinions here, but I'm going to bounce your questions to a colleague, good friend of mine, Bob Claymier, who is a natural horsemanship trainer and he is more an expert on breeding questions/issues like that than I am. Bob's response: Hi B. – Sylvia asked me to respond to your questions and I apologize for the delay but I’ve been a bit slammed here lately running my facility. It is always a bit difficult to analyze problems via email but we’ll start here and see where it leads us. One of the many items that I caution first-time breeders on is – do you have the correct facility for this project? That may mean things like: a foaling stall; safe paddocks to turn a new baby out in; and most importantly - the ability to separate the mare and foal at weaning time, far enough away so that they can neither see, hear nor smell the other. This may mean moving one and I usually recommend the mare as she is less likely to hurt herself, but you might have seen the opposite there. I determine weaning time more by the maturity of the foal, rather than any set date, but 6 months is certainly in the general ballpark of when I usually start the weaning process when a foal seems ready. The first few days, as you found out, can be stressful, both on the mare/foal, but on the owners as well if they are not experienced with the process. You did right in keeping the foal with his previous buddies and I keep a very close monitor on the baby to ensure they don’t run around, develop a fever and that they continue eating properly. I usually confine them to a small area like a round pen or the like for the first couple of days until they calm down. It is normal for them to lose a bit of weight in the beginning as they are completely off their mother’s milk and stressed a bit. It is not terribly unusual for the first-time mother to be a bit stressed more than normal as well, but that again usually settles down in a few days. I would watch her for any signs of unusual stress such as a fever and keep a close eye on her udder. If she had any milk at all at this stage, she will likely bag up quite large and perhaps even drip milk for some period of time after weaning, but make sure the udder doesn’t seem unusually warm, which might indicate mastitis setting in. I would want to keep her with some buddies during this time as well. RE Your Question #1: With my explanation above, I do not want the mare and foal able to see, hear or smell one another for a lengthy period of time and that varies with each situation. I would not put them back together for several months – 2-3 or more. The mare certainly needs her normal exercise, but this may cause some issues if this is a small facility like I’m assuming yours is. You may need to look for another facility for the mare during this period of adjustment just so she can start concentrating on her next delivery. This quite frankly is what makes the whole process difficult when the facility is not capable of providing the proper separation. RE Your Question #2: Unless the mare is highly stressed – in which case you have a whole different situation – she will begin to gain weight with proper nutrition now that the baby has been removed (most feed companies produce a grain supplement specifically designed for pregnant mares and growing foals). You likely will be seeing her ribs at this time because she was trying to support herself, plus a six-month-old foal plus upwards of a 5-month-old-growing-inside-her baby, which is really starting to take off at this point. I would be very careful not to over supplement feed the mare at this time to try to get her jump started too quickly, but would like her to have access to about all the hay and fresh water she wants. You can over-feed with grain very easily, but it is a necessary supplement in the right quantity. RE Your Question #3: Pulling her off grain for a few days is not a bad idea, but I expect that she is not producing a lot of milk at this stage anyway – it won’t hurt to stop the grain for a while as you watch her udder to ensure her milk production has ceased. I really prefer to feed grain several times a day rather than one large dose at one feeding if that is possible. It is a much safer way to feed grain and you could likely up the amount to that recommended by the grain company with your veterinarian’s approval. My preference again is for her to have all the hay she wants, and shortly she should have access to grass if your boarding facility provides that capability. You must be careful with spring grasses if they come in very lush and rich, and so introduce her to them carefully. You can safely feed fescue hay at this time in her pregnancy, but I would want to pull her off that within about 90 days of her foaling. Fescue can cause several problems with pregnant mares, such as delayed milk production, thickened placenta’s and the like. RE Your Question #4: You can safely re-introduce the filly back to the mare after several months and she should be just another pasture mate by then. I would watch to ensure that the filly does not try to nurse again – usually the mare will have no part of that, even if the filly tries. I keep my mares and new babies separate from their pasture mates for a few days after birth, but I do want them back out with a very “select” bunch of buddies soon. This helps the whole normal herd development of the baby and is something that gets lost at many modern facilities. The baby will play, bond, be disciplined and the like by the other herd members and then the weaning process is ever so much easier when that time comes, as I keep the baby in with those pasture mates while moving the mare away. When I say “select” buddies, I would want to know my horses and be reasonably ensured that I’m not turning the baby out with a horse that could be dangerous. The mare will be HIGHLY protective of the baby for a couple of days after initial turn out and it is that time that I’m especially cautious – I might stay in the field for several hours after the initial turn out just to ensure no one is getting too wild. Because of this, having the older filly as part of the pasture mates is a good idea as long as it doesn’t play too roughly with the new baby – it will likely become the new baby’s best buddy. Horses are as varied as people at how they react to different situations and the words “always” or “never” simply do not apply. I treat each new birth as a brand new event and one for me to gain new knowledge and insight on these magnificent creatures. I always appreciate Sylvia’s referrals and working with her is a treat. I would further like to advise that I have been producing a video on the subject of the entire breeding/foaling/training/weaning process and I hope to have it completed this year. You can visit my web site at – www.desert-rose-arabians.com – to learn more about my operation. Should you have some questions when it comes closer to foaling time, please do not hesitate to contact me. Good luck and get ready to have a fabulous time both with your current filly and the coming newborn. Cheers! –Bob Claymier
Note From Sylvia: As usual, I agree with all Bob says there. What's particularly important to remember, as Bob says above, it's the individual maturity of each foal that should be considered in most weaning scenarios. I talk a little more about this maturity/weaning timetable issue on my web site here: Furthermore, Bob touched on something even more important probably and is what so many of the professionals know in this field, and unfortunately not every horse owner realizes, and that is: the crucial importance of having the proper set-up/facility to be involved in the breeding/foaling business in the first place and full educated knowledge of the process. Without the right set up, you could be doing more harm than good. So...before taking on this part of horse endeavors, research, learn all you can first, and most importantly: make sure you have the proper facilities to do it right! Or, as Bob is fond of saying (and he's right!): people need to think this whole process through before jumping in. I couldn't agree more! Question - New 2 1/2-year-old filly still nursing on mom--what to do?: Hi. I recently acquired an Egyptian Arabian mare and her 2 ½-year-old filly. I assumed the filly had been weaned and separated from one another long ago. To my surprise, neither was the case. Will this cause any permanent problems psychologically for either the mare or her offspring? I must admit, they are wonderful gentle horses but I have a small operation and separating out of hearing will not be possible. Any suggestions? Thanks. D. H. - Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania Sylvia's Answer: Hi D. I think you are going to have to find a way to separate them for a while to facilitate the weaning now. Maybe working out placing one at a nearby barn/facility for a while that is far enough away that they can't hear or smell each other for a couple of months. It's not easy to wean them within sight or smell of each other. I'm also going to run this question by a colleague of mine, Bob Claymier, who is a superb natural horsemanship trainer and also a breeding expert (he's also working on a video presently in the breeding/pregnant mare care/foaling category). Bob's response: Hi D. – It is not unusual for a foal to continue to nurse on his mother for perhaps up to a year if they were in a wild herd with the separation finally occurring when the new foal arrives the following year. It is highly unusual, however, for a domesticated foal to be nursing some 2 ½ years later. The down side to this behavior is that the dependency factor has not been broken so that the young horse can begin to develop their own personalities and self determination. I would be somewhat surprised if the mare is producing much – if any – milk at this stage and therefore this nursing behavior has become more of a habit. You could milk out the mare a bit to see if she still has any. I fully agree with Sylvia that they should be separated and I would look to take one away from your facility to another area. I usually recommend removing the mare and keep the foal at its home environment, but that is not really necessary given the age of the filly – either could be removed at this point. I would, however, ensure the filly has a buddy during this separation because I assume she will become quite agitated and need some horse support. Perhaps you can find a friend that would like to exchange horses for a period of time. I would watch both during the initial stages of the separation to ensure they don’t run around and become stressed or otherwise hurt themselves – watch the mare’s udder also to ensure that if she was producing milk, it subsides after a normal amount of time. The filly may even have to be placed in a stall or round pen for a day or two while she settles down. What will be interesting to determine is whether the nursing has become such a habit after this 2 ½ year period that it can ever be fully broken when the two are put back together again. I suggest retaining the buddy during this re-acclimation period as well. I would be interested to know your results because this is such an unusual case. Good luck! -Bob Note From Sylvia: Thanks, Bob. Excellent answer! It's interesting to note that...actually this is not that uncommon in the wild (if you look toward wild herds for "what is natural") IF a mare does not produce another foal the next year. When a new foal appears, she nearly always boots last year's foal away from nursing. But if she doesn't produce a foal the next year, she often will allow this extended nursing. Horses then nursing to age 2-3 sometimes (depending on the individual mare) or until 1) the mare produces another foal OR 2) she just plain gets sick of it and kicks away the youngster! The mare calls the shots when it comes to nursing/weaning usually. If she doesn't want the older colt to nurse, she won't allow it. Doesn't do harm to either, is just how they are. But that's pretty strange for a domestic horse indeed, but I'll bet it's undoable via separation for a while, as long as you keep the youngster busy in life and it's not forced to turn that nursing direction out of plain boredom upon reintroduction to the mother later Get the youngster busy in training, and kept with other horses upon return (i.e.: making life far more interesting and stimulating for the youngster and less boring) and they will think less and less about nursing "just out of boredom." Question - Will pregnant mare still produce colostrum for newborn foal if she's still nursing last year's foal?: I have a mare that is due to foal in about 6 weeks. She still nurses her last year's foal. I understand the dam will wean the nursing foal before the birth of the next one, but will the dam produce colostrum and is the milk new-foal friendly? Will the milk dry up if the yearling is weaned now? I would like to put the mare up in a stall a couple weeks before the due date. What do you suggest? J. L. B. - Internet Sylvia's Answer: Hi. I'm going to bounce your question to a bigger breeding expert than I, a fellow natural horsemanship trainer, who also breeds horses, and I highly respect his opinions in this type of question: Bob Claymer. Bob's response: I am responding to your questions which were forwarded to me by Sylvia Scott. We know that if horses were in a wild herd that it would not be unusual for the previous year’s foal to still be nursing – or at least nuzzling – on the mare right up to the birth of the new foal. Colostrum production is a function of the build up to the birthing process and should not really be hindered by the fact that the older foal is still nursing. Even though this is a somewhat normal condition in the wild, I would still immediately separate the two far enough so that they could neither hear nor smell one another. The mare might be stressed for a couple of days and you should watch her condition carefully to ensure that she does not get overly so, which might trigger an early delivery of the new foal. This will give her a chance to calm down a bit and start to concentrate on the next delivery. I suspect that her weight condition might also be a bit challenged since she is nursing the older foal while trying to provide for a really rapidly developing new baby and this six weeks will give her a chance to improve on that status. You didn’t mention what you are feeding her now, but I would be providing a really good supplement designed for late pregnancies along with all the hay (non fescue) and fresh water that she wants. I doubt that her udder will completely dry up with only six weeks to go as well. Even though the old foal has still been nursing, she probably has not been producing too much milk at this point. You will be able to tell within about 8-12 hours how much milk she was producing because the udder will get very full and possibly start to drip if she were on the high end. That should only last for 2-3 days and perhaps not even that long if she in fact was not producing very much milk at this stage. I would keep an eye on it, however, and ensure that the udder does not get overly extended or feel quite warm to the touch, which might be symptoms of mastitis. You also mentioned stabling of the mare – she still needs normal exercise at this stage in the pregnancy and I would turn her out during the day so she can walk around normally. You could bring her in at night to a large, clean stall that is bedded with something like straw if you wish. Make sure she continues to have access to lots of water at night also. Mares at this stage of pregnancy usually urinate excessively and they need lots of water as a replacement. Back to the older foal – I’m suggesting you separate now so that this foal will not be a distraction to the mare and new foal. The older foal would likely be jealous and could potentially do harm to the baby should they still be together. I would not forget about this foal and its needs during the weaning process, however. I would want it in with some other horses for support and would hope there are others present currently that this foal has already bonded with which will make the separation from the mare that much easier. I would put this foal in a very safe and somewhat confined area for a few days after the separation to ensure it does not run around or otherwise get over stressed itself. Keep an eye on its temperature and eating habits as well. When the new baby arrives, I suggest you have the vet out early the next day to check on colostrum consumption to ensure it is adequate. If not, the vet can provide a supplement. There are many other things that should be done upon arrival of the new foal, such as administering a fleet enema, cleaning the umbilical stump, preserving the placenta for a vet's review and the like that I can provide info on should you require it. Good luck and I hope all goes well. Cheers, Bob Question - Three-week-old-foal chewing and licking on everything, including humans: Dear Sylvia: We have a three-week-old foal who wants to chew on and lick everything. Even though I know he is not biting to be mean, I want to stop this behavior around humans because it seems that it would become really scary when he has all of his teeth. He chews on my clothes, the lead rope and often gets some skin. He is so friendly and sweet, I do not want to break his spirit, just he is biting on everything! Also he has reared up to play with me, which I also would like to discourage before he gets any bigger. Any advice that you have would be appreciated. Thank you! M. C. - Internet Sylvia's Answer: Hi M. You're right to discourage this behavior now, but do it gently. For the mouthiness, just consistently take your finger, placing it on the side of his head, when he puts his mouth on you, and push his head away. Do it repeatedly; it'll take many repetitions probably, but he'll soon grasp he's not allowed to put his mouth on you. Your finger there acts as a "horse nose" that is going to bump his head away if/when he tries to put his mouth on you in any way (even your clothes). If he bites the rope, shake the rope while making a "Shhhh" sound (to mean "stop it") and make it uncomfortable for him to continue with that. Be patient, but 100% consistent there. As for the rearing starting up there, send his feet backwards if/when he does that, use a loud shhhhh sound (to mean stop it) as you move his feet backwards & him away from you in the process, and he should let go of that. Be directive, assertive, but never abusive and he should settle down there. Make sure you're giving him lots of turnout time with his mom so he can burn up that baby energy! As for more you can be doing there training-wise with your foal, read this link on my web site: Hope this helps and good luck to you there! Question - What can I be doing with 2-week-old filly?: Hi Sylvia. I have an appaloosa filly, born 2 weeks ago. I didn't have the opportunity to '"imprint" her on the day she was born, but we have been "hands on" as much as possible since then. We have had the halter on and off, picked up her feet, brushed her, and are generally trying to keep things social and pleasant. She does have an outgoing nature, but I am concerned that it could turn to an assertive one. Also, she objects to her butt being rubbed or touched and reacts by little bucks or the odd high kick. My big question is how are you supposed to "not allow'" this? What form of rebuttal or discipline should take place, if this is not to be tolerated, then what do you do to make her understand this? I also was wondering as to the '"standard" time-line that things should be taking place (i.e. when to halter lead, should she be further along at this point?) We have had many horses and lots of experience, but when it comes to foals, it is all new to us. (P.S.: We purchased the mare in foal. Also she is a really sweet mare and does not mind us handling the filly at all, big bonus!) Thanks So Much. Look forward to hearing your reply. C. H. - Internet Sylvia's Answer: Hi C. Let me direct you to a couple of links on my web site that talk about what you can be doing there now with your foal, because there's a lot of information there that I think will help you: Foal/Colt/Filly Starting - What to do/what equipment to use and why Foal Training - 6-month-old foals, what other training can I be doing? Sounds like you're doing good so far. There are also good articles about imprinting/working with foals that you can click on and read on this page on my site: Foal Imprinting Even if you missed the imprinting window at birth, you can still work to accomplish the tasks you read in those links. Lots of really good articles there. Read them to get more ideas. Re her objecting to the butt touched, use advance/retreat. Don't be goal focused there, but be retreat focused in your touching. For you to understand that better, let me direct you to a section at the end of my round penning tutorial, to show you what that advance/retreat is all about for getting a horse used to being touched somewhere they don't want to be touched: The sooner you get all these ground tasks accomplished, the better, in my opinion. But make sure you set "leadership boundaries" as you go along there always and don't spoil the foal. Meaning: don't let her run into you, have her respect your space, etc. Use a loud "shhhh" sound if she runs into you and send her back away with raised, waving arms if she bowls into you. I think imprinting and early foal training is great IF people don't accidentally spoil the foal at the same time. You can avoid that by treating her like a horse, not a puppy dog. Expect respectful behavior from her from the getgo just as you would an older/bigger horse, because she's going to get big real fast! That's probably the biggest mistake I see lay folks make when imprinting (incorrectly), not teaching the foal to respect our space and us as their leader, so that's why I'm bringing that up. Might not look like a problem when they're small like yours now, but it can turn into a very big problem quickly as they grow much bigger. So, just keep that thought in mind as you go along there and you'll do fine. Question - Yearling afraid to go out with owner alone: Hi Sylvia. I have a beautiful 15-month-old Paint filly. I got her last year when she was only 3 months old (too young); she attached herself to my mare. I pony her with my mare and she is great out with her buddy. She's not spooky at all. When I try to take her out of the paddock alone with me she is very scared. I have been taking her out as often as I can; the weather has been really wet this year. I walk her out of the paddock and go as far as I can until she gets really upset. She is frightened about being alone with me. When she gets to a place were she is scared, we stay there until she calms down. Lots of rubbing and reassuring to build up her confidence, then I take her back to her paddock. I am making progress, we get a little further each time. Is there anything else I can do to build her confidence about being alone? She is wonderful in her paddock, I can do anything with her and she is calm and very sweet; this is not a spoiled bratty filly. I can longe her, just walk and whoa and she is very well behaved. I have also started long lining her in the paddock and she is doing great. I would like to take her for walks around the neighborhood and get her used to being out without her buddy. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, A. B. - Lovell, Maine Sylvia's Answer: Hi A. Thanks for writing. First I want to congratulate you on getting this filly off to a good start -- great work there! :-) Yes, I have a couple of suggestions that will help you with this separation issue, so you can take walks with her now and her mind kept on you, not the mare "back home."
Those three above should get you on track there and get her used to taking extended walks with you, focusing only on you, her leader. All the above and much, much more is taught visually in my: Whispering Way 12-Step Total Training System DVD set Hope this helps and let me know how it goes! Question - How early should I put a halter on new baby horse?: How early should I put a halter on my new baby? I know I need to work with him early but what is too early for a halter? Thanks, R. S. - Magnolia, Texas Sylvia's Answer: It's never too early in my opinion, R. The sooner you accustom the baby to that, the more it will be "just normal life" with them. Don't leave it on, however, as that's not safe, the baby could get it caught on something. But put it on/off often as part of your early imprinting/early training process. Just take it off/leave it off when you're done working with him. Here's a page on my web site that has lots of imprinting/foal links that might be helpful to you right now: Foal Imprinting And he's another link on my site for what more you can be doing with foals: By the way...I carry natural horsemanship halter/lead combos in all sizes, including from foal, weanling, yearling and up! You can check them out or purchase them from my online store here: CLICK HERE NOTE FROM SYLVIA: I want to thank Bob Claymier of Desert Rose Arabians in Hume, Virginia, for his contribution to this month's newsletter Q&A. Bob is a superb expert (with lots of heart!) not only as an excellent natural horsemanship trainer in his own right, but in the field of breeding/foaling as well. If you would like to receive email notifications from Bob himself regarding his upcoming new video on the entire breeding/foaling/foal training/weaning process, you can email Bob at: claymier@desert-rose-arabians.com and he will keep you in his own data base for his video launch announcements. Horse Problems Solutions in General - If you haven't discovered already on my web site, check out my Q&A/Horse Problems/Training Tips section for solutions to common horse issues. The problems are listed in alphabetical order by problem, and I add to the list regularly. You can check them out here: Horse Training Tips and Solving Common Horse Problems - Q&A - If you have a horse problem that you do not see listed up there, feel free to email me and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Training Success Letters of the Month - Read latest success stories with our Natural Horsemanship Training Program - Click here: Letters of the Month Past Virginia Natural Horsemanship Training Center Newsletters Are Archived Here: News & Press |
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Natural Horsemanship Trainer & Clinician Virginia Natural Horsemanship Training Center, LLC Blacksburg, VA 24060 Email: sylvia@naturalhorsetraining.com Web Site: www.naturalhorsetraining.com Phone: (540) 953-3360 Fax: (540) 953-3370
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