New Foal advice.

[Remy 3 Star]

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I'm looking for advice on rearing our new Foal.
I purchased my Daughter a very talented grade Palomino QH,she was bred when we purchased her,and although we did not really want a foal,we purchased the mare for her training.
We now have a beautiful Buckskin colt,his sire is Mapleside Mr.Magic,I was thinking of selling the foal when he is weaned as we just do not have the knowledge to train a foal,but with the Horse market the way it is Im just not sure if we should put the money into him and send him to our trainer,or if we should sell him when he is weaned.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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[Mythology]

In your situation I'd sell him at weaning. Raising a foal is a PITA, espically if you haven't done it before. He wouldn't even be rideable for another 3 years, then there are the costs of starting, training, etc. in addition to the care/board costs and the time it takes. Better to sell him to someone who has experience raising babies and that way you and your daughter can spend your time and money on your new mare. :)

[FLeckenAwesome]

You know... I got a baby specifically because I wanted the experience, and...man! It's hard work! Then the baby colicked and had to have surgery... no insurance.. and now I'm another $4200 in the hole!!

Might be MUCH cheaper to sell him :)

[Tiki]

If you have no experience with foals, and you indicated you didn't, they are NOT just small versions of horses and are not born knowing how to behave - just like baby people!!! You WILL have to handle him or her and bring it up to be a good citizen to even sell it at weaning. Your under saddle trainer probably doesn't have any more experience at handling young foals than you do. Try to find a reputable breeder who handles foals all the time and get some help learning how to teach the little one how to lead and pick up its feet and learn to stand for grooming and be a good citizen. If you can do that, you will get some experience AND have a much more marketable weanling to sell.

[Remy 3 Star]

Thankyou for all the advice,we are working with him daily,grooming,picking his feet up ect,he is a very personable foal,and had a lot of human interaction from day one,hopefully this will be enough to sell him as a weanling.

[stoicfish]

Does anyone know of any good books on foal behavior or training?

[FLeckenAwesome]

I really like "Storey's guide to Training Horses". It has lots of useful info :)

Good luck!

[Blugal]

Try the book "Imprint training of the newborn foal" by Dr. Miller (website (http://www.robertmmiller.com/imprint-training.html)). There is a lot of down-to-earth, common-sense information which is also helpful for non-newborns. I was re-reading it today (after a 12-year foal hiatus) to apply to our new 2 month old foal. Lots of advice on leading, tying, trailering etc. and no force is used.

[ElegantExpressionsFarm]

I really like "Storey's guide to Training Horses". It has lots of useful info :)

Good luck!

I too love the Storey's Guide Books!!

[lolita1]

All I will say is owning a foal was just the best fun for me. It really did and still does hit the hip pocket but it really was worth while for me. I would have a real hard time selling mine even though I know I should but ... when she see me and I'm the only person she would ever cross a paddock to say hello to ... well like I've written of all the horses I've had she really is the best. Good luck, be firm, laugh at the naughty things they do and like I did cry when the finally become an adult.

[dbaygirl]

Raising a foal is very very rewarding. It's a lot of common sense really. But if you have to board the baby and hire a trainer, it could be costly for a horse you cannot use for a few years. If you raise the foal on your own property and train it yourself, it costs next to NOTHING. If your foal is bred for an easy temperament, it is very easy to train a foal for a beginner. My first foal was a colt and ended up being a stallion, which I certainly did not plan. He was born with the most lovely temperament, lucky for me, and is still a sweet boy. Now that I have raised some others, it comes quite naturally. They all have the same instincts. Just do some reading and network with friends or breeders who are knowledgeable on the subject. If you don't have a passion for it or don't have the time, don't attempt to do this as it is not fair to the foal. Good luck.