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Post by Michelle Clarke on Sept 30, 2011 14:50:11 GMT -5
HATE IT! I wanted to do things a little different this year due to the age span in the foals; Troy being 7 months old and the two youngest barely just 4 months. However, being as we are leaving Tuesday for Oregon, I had to do everyone together. This whole week the foals have been in the pens with the mares next to them and then all out together during the day. They still had a tough morning when we turned the mommas' out with the Wild Bunch. Here are the little ones, pitiful guys!  Some shots of some of the foals; Max first:  Nivea:  Deja Vous:  Troy:  A lot of action going on on the hill with the mares rejoining the herd. Joy, who is new this year and has not been with any of these mares, has become Alpha in the established group. She was quite offended at six new additions - especially Nesa (who like to assert herself anyway). There were some tense moments but eventually, Joy took her part of the herd off onto the 75 acres somewhere and Nesa stayed on the hill with the rest of the mommas:  Nesa:   Joy:   Tasa:  Leza:  Mari:  As of mid-afternoon, babies are getting quieter and mares are wondering up and down the hill, searching for a bite of something here and there. Hopefully by tomorrow, everyone will be settled down. Bet they will sleep well tonight! |
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Post by stormyranch on Sept 30, 2011 20:39:23 GMT -5
Beautiful horses. Nivea is a work of art:-)
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Post by barbhorses on Sept 30, 2011 20:56:52 GMT -5
Gorgeous photos!
I have a question (due to the novice that I am with foals and certain aspects of training). I have noticed that Catarina still seems rather emotionally dependent upon her mother. While, Victoria is very calm and extremely patient as a dam, Catarina still appears to need her reassurance with some aspects of life. While in some respects she is a bold filly, in general she seems to rather find it uncomfortable to leave her dam. Thus, I haven't bothered to wean Catarina. I am thinking (again novice) that it is best to leave Catarina with her mother until she becomes more independent. My question is is this correct thinking or am I stunting Catarina's emotional maturation from her mother by keeping her with her? Catarina will be 5 months old on Oct 11th. I figured by 6 months I would just wean her regardless if she is still so dependent on Victoria emotionally. She does like to frequently nurse when stressed (apple doesn't fall far from the tree! lol Victoria grazes rather viciously when stressed!) and relies on Victoria rather heavily on what to do next such as when we are walking and the golf cart drives by leading another horse, or we pass by other random things that are scary.
On weaning, I am not sure which is the best method. I weaned Victoria's filly Doña (2005 and first horse I ever bred with Catarina being the second) at 6 months of age and just slowly separated them. I would take Doña away from Victoria and lead her down the street to the local arena and let her run and play. She was nervous at first, but after a while she stopped hollering for her dam. However, she would let me lead her away form Victoria. Victoria was worried at first as well, but quickly got over it (much to Doña's dismay and confusion lol poor girl!).
So what is the best steps here for a filly that still seems so dependent on her dam? Would I actually be increasing her confidence and sense of self by separating her now or a month later? or would I be "cutting her off at the knees" (so to speak) and turn her into a very unconfident filly that develops ulcers? I am at a loss at what to do!
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Post by Michelle Clarke on Sept 30, 2011 21:18:20 GMT -5
Wait! And slowly work with the filly to give her more confidence - some obstacle work is a good start. Let her figure things out for herself. Our older guys are doing much better than the younger ones in general...except for Max. All of Chillis' boys are big titty babies!
If I had my druthers, I would have done things differently this year but this is the best I could do for the situation. Deja Vous is going to have the most issue and I can tell she needs more reassurance from me. I put Rev in a stall next to the babies tonight and his quiet energy settled them down really quick (and Deja Vous hung out next to him).
So, don't be in a hurry - you'll know when!
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Post by Michelle Clarke on Sept 30, 2011 21:19:39 GMT -5
Oh, thanks Lisa! I think Nivea is something else too. She is just turning four months old and as tall as the older boys. I love her head...
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Post by barbhorses on Sept 30, 2011 22:40:28 GMT -5
Thank you Michelle for the advise!
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Post by gotkiger on Sept 30, 2011 23:48:56 GMT -5
Michelle - Your little ones are absolutely gorgeous!!!
Barb - With Dollie and Frodo I had the same questions to my self. While Frodo seemed independent from the get go he was always upset when seperated from Dollie. Over the last two weeks I watched as Dollie tried to get away from him, with no luck. I would leave her in an alley I have between pastures, and she would walk down and around the corner completely out of sight of Frodo and not want to come back. It would talk a lot of effort to get her back in with him and even then she would run and try to get away. For me that was my sign that she was done. The vet said she thought Frodo was at least 7 months old not 5.5. So I can completely understand why Dollie is done with him. He is huge and likes to play hard and she is just tired of it all. Listen to what your horses tell you, they will let you know when they are ready. Good luck and have many happy years with them.
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Post by barbhorses on Oct 1, 2011 13:10:51 GMT -5
Good advise as well! I will be sure to watch to make sure that Victoria still wants Catarina around.
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Post by fantasykiger on Oct 1, 2011 14:12:21 GMT -5
Fabulous photos ...just grand I love your horses they are amazing, beautiful babies and great mares.
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Post by DianneC on Oct 1, 2011 21:55:36 GMT -5
Joy sure looks like her granddaddy! Great foals, I say that every year and every year I think 'oh these are the best yet'.
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Post by DianneC on Oct 1, 2011 22:00:12 GMT -5
Barbhorses, since you plan to sell your filly its good to get her weaned when ready. In a natural herd the daughters would stay with their dams for a long time. My mares usually weaned their foals when they were ready. Although Cedar was still nursing Prairie on occasion when Prairie was two! Cedar liked to give her kids a great start and would nurse longer than the other mares. I thought I was giving her a year off between babies!
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