Comments on: How to Take Care of a Foal

on 5/19/2008 I'm a first timer and my colt is 2.5 weeks old. he lets us handle him but he bites. I've bee popping him across his nose with 2 fingers but am afraid i'm gonna make him scared of me. He tries to jump up on my husband like a dog would also. We're reading everything we can find but still really don't know how to disapline him.

on 8/13/2006 You should always be careful but firm with your foals, you don't want to be too firm and make the foal think you are abusing him. But you should never let him get away with anything either, it will make it harder to handle them when they are older. Instead you should get to know him and let the foal know you, this will make it easier to halter train and socialize.

on 8/8/2006 My mare gave me a surprise, I did not know she was with colt. I got the call and was out there 1 hour after Thunder was born. I immediately set about imprinting him, with my hands all over him. My mare allowed me to bond with her baby, as she and I also share a special bond. He is now 5 days old, I can walk up to him, pick up his feet, touch him anywhere I want, even put my fingers in his ears. I slept in the barn with both of then that first night. I put a halter on him when he was 2 hours old. We are working on the halter issue and will have him completely halter broke by the time his 30 day checkup rolls around. He is not scared of humans, and I encourage anyone to stand at the fence and talk to him. I spend hours just sitting in the barn with both of them, and when they are exercising. I am a firm believer of imprinting and making friends from birth.

on 8/8/2006 When your mare has her foal, try not to lead her or take her out of the foal's sight. If you do, the mare will get mad. Try to keep them together as long as you can, they love their foal so much. She will get very scared and worried if she can't see her foal.

on 7/12/2006 Imprinting is good for foals, but take care not to overdo it. The first time I raised a foal, I did everything the book I read about imprinting said to do. But the foal turned out to see me as a herd member and not as a human, and thus he felt the need to assert his dominance with me as a competitor. It's cute when they are little, but they get big!

on 1/27/2006 When my mare had her foal we immediatly went to pet our mare instead of our foal because she had just been through labor which was a mistake. The last thing she wanted me to do was mess with her. What I really needed to do was pet the foal.

on 11/22/2005 When imprinting, it is very wise of you to have someone hold the mare! Make sure she is still near her foal so she doesn't get worried. And it is good to use a plastic bag to imprint your foal. Our foals are all very sweet and kind and allow us to touch them because of this.

on 11/22/2005 When we had our foal, the mother was very protective of him and would bite and kick anyone who tried to mess with him. He had some problems nursing and we had to take milk from the mare. She was unhappy at first, but after a couple of weeks of daily attention to both she and foal, she came around. Remember that even if the foal is not friendly at first, he is simply going by instincts: humans are not to be trusted, it's instinctual. Your daily presence and attention will lead him to trust you. Do not ever pat a foal because they will perceive it as a threat and abuse. Instead, gently rub or stroke his coat. You will earn his love in no time.