- 1). Pet, hold and handle the foal as soon as possible. Equine experts suggest lots of human contact within the first hours of a foal's life and every day thereafter. This allows the horse to "imprint" with humans and as a result, it will accept human companionship and training as it matures.
- 2). Provide a quiet, protected environment for baby and mother for the first few days. A private stall is good but mom needs to get out and exercise a little. Before you lead the pair out into the corral, put other horses, dogs and farm animals in a separate area.
- 3). Schedule a veterinarian visit within the first week to make sure your foal is healthy and stable. In addition, call your farrier out when the foal is 1-month old for an assessment of the foal's hocks and hooves to determine if corrective shoeing is in order.
- 4). Deworm foals on a monthly basis when they reach 2 months of age. Consult your veterinarian for the correct deworming medication, instead of using regular horse dewormer that may be hard on a foal's system.
- 5). Supplement mother's milk with quality hay at 1-month old and add grain or oats at 2 months of age. Withhold sweet feed and alfalfa until the foal is 6-months old and monitor his intake at that time to ensure he does not founder.
- 6). Wean your foal before he reaches 6 months of age. This is a traumatic time for the foal and he must be totally separate from his mother for at least 3 weeks. During that time, increase his interaction with humans and begin halter training.
- 7). Allow time and room for lots of healthy exercise during your foal's first year of life. Letting the foal run in the pasture daily helps prevent epiphystitis, a joint condition arising from lack of exercise.
- 8). Enjoy your foal. You can't ride him until he reaches 3 years of age but you can lead him behind another horse and you can work on his social skills on a daily basis.
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