how young is too young?

[Emma_X]

How young is too young to wean a foal?

A few weeks ago me and sister saved a mare and foal from meat man, foal is fantastic, mare is very nervous, the mare is my sisters and foal is mine, although now my sister wants to seel the mare to get something she can ride... the foal is 4 months now and is massive!!!!

Is this too young to wean? x

[hatman]

My welsh a was weaned at 4 months

[pattendown]

ideally it should be left untill 6 mnths but if the mare is poor and she needs a break then 5 mnths if possible i wouldnt wean a foal that young unless there were medical reasons

[holiday]

I personally dont wean before 5 months, I would like to leave until 6 but by that stage the mares have had about enough of the foals so wean as the foals get to 5 months and above, however I usually pair up weanlings to "friends"!!!!!!

[oldbag]

I wouldn't wean that early, 6 months is the earliest I would consider it unless the mare was dangerously ill.

Poor mare, no wonder she's nervous after that experience - how old is she and what is her condition?

[vjc]

I aim for between 5/6 months but depending on other criteria some can be weaned a little earlier. We had to wean a foal at 3 and half months for medical reasons, she was a very small surviving twin and the mare was doing her tooo good!!! with all the grass and rich milk her joints were all over the place so the vet insisited we wean a little earlier and it did her no harm. If the foal is a native or native cross and already on hard feed there is no harm weaning from 4 and a half months onwards. A lot depends on how well the mare has done them and how good their appitite is.

[Emma_X]

'old bag' mare is 8 years old and in very good condition, think she is in foal again

vjc dont really no what breed foal is but think she may have welsh in her and shes on hard feed. x

[sarahp]

I normally wean my foals any time from 4 1/2 months old providing no problems with mare or foal.

[Elegance Halters]

5-6 months is usually what studs do

[uandie]

My warm blood was weaned from the stud farm at 4 months and i think she needed more time with her mum. She was a very poor foal and it took her quite a while to catch up.

[brindlerainbow]

Sounds like the poor mare has had a rough time .Why buy her just to sell her on again a few weeks later ? Sounds like the poor thing needs a loving permanent home not being passed on again.No wonder shes nervous.

[Emma_X]

brindlerainbow, We did not buy her to sell her on, we bought her and foal off the meatman as we couldnt stand there and watch him take them, I know she needs a loving permenant home which is why we are trying to find one, as my sister works full time..... She is nervous beacuse she has never had human contact at all, the farm she had been at since a foal was an absolute disgrace and woman never touched her..

I only was asking advice on the foal, not an opinion about our decision, thankyou!

[PennyP4]

Its horrible I know, but it may of been kinder to let the meat man take her rather than to be passed from one unsuitable home to another, especially if she is nervous.