Foal Training

This is to give a little insight on things that have come up in the years that I have been training foals, not to tell you how to train your foal. There is no step by steps here.

Imprinting vs. Not

I have personally done both. I'm almost always there when they take their first breath so you could say that they "know me". But to be honest after  a few hours of being out of the stall I usually have to start from scratch. Just because I tap their feet and rub them down and do some of the typical imprinting things does not mean that the horse will be less reactive to those things down the line. Some are just born people lovers and some are born with the instinct of flight. For those that are flight bound imprinting needs to be done several times a day for the first month. And even that is not a guarantee. But the one thing I have found to be true with almost all my foals is, if you find the sweet scratchy spot and they get their nose going and can't control how much they love it. And when they turn to you to ask for more.... you have them hooked. Once they realize you are the source of the best scratches they have ever felt, they will start hunting you for more. Some really flighty babies took a few sessions of heavenly scratching, but they all come around eventually. There are also the foals that you feel will never ever choose to come up to you. Sometimes you just have to catch them, show them your great and go from there. If you can wait and tease them to try to like you that is great, but there is a limit on some horses and lives on how long you just sit and wait for the foal to come to you. It's not bad to catch and scratch. It's not bad to sit and bait. But find a point on either one where you are not frustrated. Foals know when you get frustrated and that is not the impression you want to give them.

Early start vs Pasture puppies

Now that I've covered imprinting, there is also the thought that if you handle the foal every day it will be easier to train when it's older.... maybe. My experience is that they are so desensitized to humans that they don't have the right pecking order and they try to walk all over their person. Most likely they are not afraid of the saddle the first time they see it because they have been blanketed most of the winters and even summers. But that to me is not a guarantee that they are "ok" with the saddle and the process of submitting to being ridden. I like my horses to have a little idea of pecking order when I go to train them. I want them to step off when I ask and I want them to want to stop when told so that they are "falling in line behind me in the herd". When foals are young they try to push the rules, test you to see what they can get. I find that when the foal starts testing the rules I spend more time getting after them and reprimanding them than enjoying their company. So a few 15 min sessions (or less with a super tester) is way better than an hour of reprimanding them. It's ok to get a bit tough, mom did, but it wears on me. So it's just easier on all of us to just make it short and sweet. Yes a horse that is left feral for years will be initially harder to approach, but it's not going to take any longer for that horse to learn the basics as a grown horse than when they were foals.

A 3 year old coming in from pasture for training that had minimal foal handling (enough to get wormed, feet trimmed and led in and out) will be just as smart and capable of learning how to be ridden. usually at 6 mo I send my foals out to pasture with a friend to grow up like a horse. I bring them in for worming and feet trimming. I pet them and kiss them if they are there when it's feeding time (eyes on them daily for injuries obviously). But they have just enough "training" to be led, caught, wormed, trimmed and now it's time to be a horse. I bring them in when they are 3 ish (size dependent) for weekly or bi monthly training for ground work, pad, surcingle, possibly holding the bit in their mouth (dentist check and approval first). They get a little bit to think about and then they come in for ride time when they are 3.5+ or their frame is done growing.
I rarely have horses that are sour to training and if they are sour I usually find that they have an underlining injury (from pasture life) that needs attention. Usually fixed by Chiropractic work or a bit more rest. I always check teeth with the dentist before biting and working them because A LOT changes in the horses mouth from 2-4. Also the horses I have in training don't get sore because they are not "used" daily. Incidental injuries are usually pasture or pasture buddy related.
The saddle, bit and all the gear that we put on the horses is like putting on a new pair of high heal shoes. They are not comfortable at first, but you can learn to walk in them. But if you wear them all day every day starting with day 1 you'll be in a lot of pain after the first time, more the 2nd and the pain will just build. but if you do 15 min let the newly adjusted muscles recover then go back for 15 more min. you'll eventually be quite comfortable walking all day in those shoes. Let their brain and body grow up slowly, after all their  bones are not done till they are 6 some even 7 or 8.

 

Picking up Hoofs - a must to get feet trimmed

** check or have feet done every 6-8 wks depending on area, horse, nutrition, footing. Starting when the foal is 6-8 weeks old so that the lower leg bones grow at the right angle.

Have you ever had a foal try to lay down when you are picking up their front feet? or even their back. Well, it's not surprising if they have ever lived in a group situation with other foals, especially colts. It's common for colts to bite at each others front legs and the reaction from the receiving foal is to either go down to their knees, rear up, bite back, or run off. Going down to their knees is very common. It's not even just for foals. Here is a photo of 2 stud colts playing, both are about to turn 3.

The white blaze of the paint Gypsy is under the neck of the black Friesian with teeth fixed playfully to the Friesian's forearm. The Friesian goes to his knees and then they go back to playing.

If you have a farrier that gets mad at your foal for going down on it's knees then he's not knowledgeable about foal play, or even horse play. It's to your horses benefit that you work with them so that they stand for your farrier. But to be honest you should consider a farrier that is more of a horseman, laughs at the foal, pets them and assures them that they will not be bit.

"My dance space....Your dance space"

Everyone gets annoyed when their horse jumps into their space when they are scared. Or pushes into their person when they are worried. This is one of the natural instincts that foals have that we as their handlers put as priority 1 to teach them not to do. If you watch a newborn foal they lean on mom to get their balance to stand. They lean on mom and feel their way to the milk. When mom moves the baby leans their shoulder into mom's body where ever they can. They do this so that they keep contact with mom and are not lost in the heard if everyone goes to run. It lets mom know they are there and they know where mom is. They also do this because they are scared it makes it so they don't have to think of anything but sticking close to mom. They have a hard enough time using their goofy legs, but to use them to pick good footing when they are fleeing is asking a lot of them. So next time your baby or even grown horse goes to "jump into your arms", or space when they are scared, understand that that is a very hard to erase an instinct that was literally part of the foal since the day it was born. It's the most basic foal survival instinct next to eating. If they didn't cling to mom in a scary situation they may not have made it to the next day. It doesn't mean that you don't keep working on it. What it does mean is that you have to work on it long into their adult life. Not because you are a bad trainer, but because sometimes nature takes over.

"Round and round the round pen"

The round pen is a great training tool, however, the strain on joints for horses to travel in a circle is increased as the circle is smaller. SO. I have a 72x72ft square pen that I call the play pen. I use that for moving my foals around. I also use the 60x 128 indoor arena because it's enclosed and they can get a good long strait path. Heck I've even used a 250x 150 ft outdoor for 2 of them to get "moved" around together.

The natural horsemanship lead rope circles are very tight, even a 30ft or 20m round pen is small. It's ok to put a short 15 minute session of moving them around from time to time in a smaller area. I work them for about 5 min of brain work on the natural horsemanship line each time I handle them. but to put fitness on a horse that is young give them space and long strait lines. Locking on games in a 20-30ft (radius) round pen is great, but don't do it for fitness and "forced" running.

If all you have is a round pen you can try what the Dutch do, ride a bike and lead your horse with you down a trail (dirt not concrete please for their joints). Or have them follow the ATV at a slow trot. If you are fit take them running with you like a dog. There are tons of dirt paths to go play on or even the big perimeter of your pastures or property.

I would not put a horse in a round pen to condition them till they are 3yo min. 3.5 would even be better for them but I know Keurings come at 3 and you need fitness. But manage the joints on your horse. Feel their knees to see how soft the gaps in the bones are. Feel a grown mature horse and compare to see if your horse's joints are done growing. The last thing you want to do is wear down the sides (inside of the circles) of the horses joints as they are growing.