by Cynthia McFarland

Those first months practically fly by. It seems as though it was only yesterday when you watched that wobbly legged foal take its first steps. Now you are looking at the calendar and thinking of weaning dates.

Many old-time horsemen believe weaning should not be done before the foal is six months old. In truth, the mare's milk is at its most nutritious for the first six weeks after foaling, and the foal is not getting a great deal of nutrition from its dam's milk after three months.

"I think the foals do better socially if you go to four or five months," said Dave Fishback, D.V.M., a veterinarian with Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington. Unless there's a health reason for weaning, such as a foal that is growing too fast, or a mare that is being pulled down by her foal, Fishback recommends trying to wait until the foal is at least three months old.

Some horsemen believe in weaning according to the moon signs; others consider that an old wives' tale. The consensus of many is following this centuries-old tradition "can't hurt and might help." Even those who choose to consult the charts when weaning need to follow common-sense advice to reduce stress and promote the safety of both mare and foal.

Consider the individual foal and mare. The foal should be strong, healthy, and eating well. Potentially stressful events such as deworming or vaccinations should not be scheduled at weaning time.

"I have some farms that put foals on ulcer medication in case the stress [of weaning] causes problems," Fishback said, "but in most cases this is probably not necessary if the foals have been normal and healthy."

Weaning methods

Two of the most common ways to wean the foal from its dam are pasture weaning and stall weaning. With either method, experts recommend leaving the foal in familiar surroundings and moving the mare.

Studies have shown pasture weaning is the least stressful on all concerned. In this scenario, several mares and foals have been pastured together, preferably since the foals were very young. As the foals approach weaning time, one or two mares are removed every week or ten days. Dams of the oldest and most independent foals are usually taken out of the pasture first and moved to a distant pasture where they cannot hear or see their foals. Because the mares are with other mares they are familiar with, they soon settle down in their new field. Meanwhile, their foals stay in their same environment with the buddies they have been with these past months. The removal of mares continues gradually until all foals have been weaned.

"If you've got enough horses, I think pasture weaning is the best way and less stressful," Fishback said. "Usually if you wait until they're five months of age, both the mares and the foals are ready to be weaned. The mares usually fret more than the babies, but keeping mares in familiar groups definitely helps because they've got their buddies."

With stall or barn weaning, the mares and foals are brought into the barn and fed. The foals are then left in their stalls while the mares are taken to a distant pasture where they cannot hear or see their foals. Feed tubs and anything else the foal can run into should be taken out of the stall before the mare is removed.

Although it may seem the newly weaned foals will not be as lonely if two foals are placed in one stall, studies have shown this to be more stressful on them than being in individual stalls.

When the foals have quieted down, they can be turned out in a group. It is best to keep together foals that previously were in the same pasture before weaning because they will already be established buddies. Some farms leave one of the quietest mares in the field to help babysit and then wean her a few weeks later.

On a farm with small acreage where it is impossible to keep the mare and foal from seeing and hearing each other, you may have to devise another plan. You may want to board both mare and foal at one facility until weaning and then leave the foal in this familiar environment and trailer the mare to another farm. You should have separate fenced areas when you bring the mare back home because the weanling may try to start nursing again if you put them together.

If this is not possible, keep the foal safely inside the stall and remove the mare to the paddock or pasture farthest from the barn. It may help to sedate the mare slightly for this initial separation if she is anxious. In the case of a lone foal, the best situation is to have a babysitter such as an old docile pony, a friendly burro, or a goat the foal is already familiar with when you are ready to let it out of the stall. Because horses are herd animals and need companionship, weaning is much harder on a foal if it is left alone after its mother is taken away. Any new babysitting buddy should be introduced to the foal before weaning.  Prior to weaning, talk to your veterinarian or an experienced horse person about what will be best for your specific situation. To lessen the risk of injury or illness, it is important both mare and foal be in a safe place and closely monitored.

Practical method

At WinStar Farm in Versailles, Kentucky, foals typically are weaned between the age of four and five months. Broodmare Manager Curt Ramsey has long used the method of pasture weaning and finds it both safe and practical. It was at WinStar that 2008 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Da' Tara was raised and weaned.

Mares and foals run in pastures of 25 to 30 acres, and generally there are eight to ten mares in each group. When Ramsey decides to start weaning, he usually selects four foals from a field that are ready to wean, based on their maturity and growth.  All mares and foals are taken into a barn every morning to eat and be handled. On weaning day, when it is time to turn horses back out, Ramsey removes the four mares of those foals from the barn first. Bag Balm is rubbed on their udders to help reduce inflammation, and these mares are either walked or trailered to a distant pasture.

"We have a pretty big farm [1,450 acres], and we just try to get the mares out of earshot of the foals; they seem to settle down quicker that way," Ramsey said. "The mares are usually fine after a day or two. If they see foals, it's a different story so we keep them where they're totally away from any foal. The farther away they can be, the better, and it helps that they are with other mares they're used to being with."

Because the newly weaned foals are upset over being left in their stalls alone, Ramsey likes to get them outside as quickly as possible. Moving the mares and leaving the foals in a familiar surrounding has proved to be the best method, he said.

After their dams are removed, the new weanlings are in the stalls by themselves for only about ten to 30 minutes before being turned back out in their usual pasture.

To create as safe a scenario as possible, Ramsey turns out the unweaned foals and their dams first. Then he makes sure there are enough employees on hand to walk all of the newly weaned foals out together so no one is left in the barn alone. They are turned out as a group into the field with their familiar band of mares and the unweaned foals.

Ramsey likes to wean on Fridays because, although horses are taken into a barn every day, they spend less time in the barn on the weekends. He finds the more the new weanlings are turned out, the quicker they accept their situation.

"It will usually take them a couple days to settle down," Ramsey said. "Most weanlings won't eat the first day because they're not happy and are still hollering for mom. On Saturday morning, we just leave them up for one to 1 1/2 hours and then turn them back out with their same group. Usually by Saturday afternoon, they will have started to settle down and will start grazing and not running around so much."

Weanlings are taken into the barn again on Sunday morning to eat and are turned back out after about 1 1/2 hours. Ramsey finds that by Sunday, most foals are not upset and running around.

Foals already have been eating their own ration, so by weaning time they are accustomed to getting 14% protein concentrated pellets. Ramsey prefers the concentrated feed (also known as a ration balancer) because it provides all the nutrition needed by growing foals without having to feed a large volume. It also helps prevent young horses from putting on weight too quickly during this time of year when the grass is lush.

The newly weaned mares are not fed any grain, which helps their milk dry up. As long as the grass is good, Ramsey said the weaned mares do not usually need grain again until August or September. "We had our grass tested and it was 21% protein, so they're getting plenty from that," he said.

Once the weaning process begins, Ramsey said it usually takes three to four weeks to wean a field of eight to ten mares. He does not like to wean from the same group every weekend because he wants to allow enough time for the new weanlings to settle down and get back to normal.

He finds a good routine helps achieve this goal. "Our weanlings still come into the barn every day," Ramsey said. "We handle our foals from day one, and they're brought inside every day. This is when we do our handling, brush them, pick up their feet, et cetera. I think it's important that Thoroughbreds get handled every day."

Using a babysitter

Marion Montanari's Marion Hill Farm in Ocala has been operating since 1980. Montanari is the breeder of Grade 1 winner Proud Accolade, among numerous other stakes winners.

"Over the last 40 years, I've weaned about every way you can do it," said Farm Manager Bruce Lamoureux, who managed Hooper Farms back in the glory days of Tri Jet, Copelan, and Precisionist. "I've found the more basic it is, the easier it goes."  Weaning typically takes place in late August or the first part of September, and foals are between four and seven months of age. Five to six mares are in each pasture, and groups are generally made up according to the sex and age of their foals.

Mares and foals typically are fed in their paddocks both in the morning and afternoon. Several times a week, they are brought inside to eat, and the foals are handled, groomed, and have their feet picked up.

When it is time to wean, mares and foals are brought into the barn in the morning and fed. After eating, all but one mare are moved to a pasture on the farthest side of the 110-acre farm. In the barn, two foals usually share a stall so they are not alone after their dams are taken out.

The foals stay inside for another hour or two to settle down. They are then are turned back out into their usual pasture with the one remaining babysitter mare and her foal. The group is fed outside that afternoon as usual.

"We leave this mare in the pasture as the babysitter anywhere from a couple weeks to a month," Lamoureux said. "She's chosen based on personality more than anything else. She's one that gets along with everyone.

"By weaning time, our foals have been handled a lot, and they're fairly easy to catch and lead," Lamoureux said. "It's rare to have to tranquilize a foal for weaning, in my experience. On occasion, you'll have to tranquilize a mare if she's being really silly, just to sedate her for a little while."

New weanlings remain in their familiar pasture until about November, when they are relocated to the yearling side of the farm. "We pretty much keep them together as they've been raised," Lamoureux said, "so they all know each other and it's less traumatic on them."

Newly weaned mares are on pasture and do not receive any grain. "We'll give them hay if needed, but no grain for about a week," Lamoureux said "We check their udders daily to make sure they're drying up and don't get mastitis."

Prior to weaning, foals are eating grain regularly and receive a 12% sweet feed with a vitamin-protein-mineral supplement. Depending on the amount of grass available, they also may be eating some alfalfa-grass hay.

"After weaning, the amount fed is based on their weight," said Lamoureux, who is vigilant about observing foals for any signs of epiphysitis or growth-plate problems. "We evaluate each foal individually on almost a daily basis to monitor their growth, and we adjust their feed accordingly.

"We feed approximately 1% to 1.5% of the foal's body weight in grain per day, which amounts to about five to seven pounds of grain per day. The base feed stays the same, but the supplement will include a higher protein after weaning." 

Cynthia McFarland is a freelance writer based in Fairfield, Florida