I’ve got friends who haul horses and compete for a living. I’ve got friends who have guests that need something gentle to ride. And I’ve got friends who raise horses on a large scale. I’ve heard all these different categories of people use the term “babysitter” at times, and I always thought it was kind of funny.
A horse who is being hauled sometimes needs a travel companion. Someone to give them emotional stability and friendship while they are on the road away from home (not unlike the folks who travel with chihuahuas on airplanes). A “babysitter.” OK. The gentle riding horse takes care of the person on his back, no matter how unskilled or how little confidence he or she has. I get that. But a babysitter for foals? It sounded like a waste of feed.
Yep, I used to think it was somewhat extravagant and a little unnecessary to have a “babysitter” for my weanling foals. Once they were off their mothers, they had each other. It was time to play, grow, eat and develop into functional yearlings and beyond. There were older horses over the fence, and I laid my eyes on them when they got their vitamins and supplements every day. What on earth did a babysitter need to be out there for?
Well, no surprise; it turns out that I was off base. As with most of the wonderful things in life, my babysitter situation sort of happened by accident. A fellow trainer contacted me about a potential large pony mare project. She is bred to cut, but she didn’t grow much, and she’s the size of my biggest weanlings. I don’t have time to ride her right now, and I don’t have room to keep her with my older horses. So, I kicked her out with my freshly-weaned foals, thinking the ample feed would do her some good. She is young, small, excessively friendly, gentle and patient with people and horses alike. And she has been fabulous!
She has taught my foals to be respectful at the feeder without being mean. She comes up to me every morning to say hello when I open the gate, which, in turn, has made all my foals (yes, even the wildest ones!) friendlier and happy to see me. When I move them around, they follow her through the gates and up the lane and don’t get lost. Their transition from having a mother to flying solo has been smooth, successful and low stress. Epiphany!
I think a babysitter for foals can be of many different types of equines — large, small, gelding, mare or pony. As long as it’s not wild, crazy or mean, a babysitter can be an array of breeds and colors. It can be old or young, sound or crippled, even a wise or simple-minded horse.
And heck, since you’re feeding it anyway, you might as well make it a cute one, too.
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