Five Tips for Foal Weaning

Foal weaning time, where a foal is separated from its dam so it no longer receives milk, can be both an exciting and a stressful event. On the one hand, it’s a rite of passage all horses must go through, signifying the start of a journey toward adulthood and getting them one step closer to the day they can be started under saddle. On the other hand, separating the mare and foal often leads to a couple days of distress until they adjust to being apart.

Quarter Horse News spoke with Bart Sirman, DVM, of 4S Equine Clinic in Rhome, Texas, to get some tips on when to wean a foal, how to do it, and what other management items might need to be done at weaning time.

Wean at Five To Seven Months (Generally)

In the Northern hemisphere, foals are typically born in the spring and weaned in the fall, usually when they are between five to seven months old. Mares don’t always operate by the textbook, though, and some might start drying up and kicking their foals off at four to five months. Under some circumstances, foals can be successfully weaned even earlier.

“If the mare is losing weight and the foal is really sucking her down, if the mare gets injured or, God forbid, she dies and you have an orphan foal, you can get them on solid food as early as a month old,” Sirman said. “I’ve weaned several at three to four months old, which is a little early by most people’s standards. Generally speaking, five to seven months is typical.”

If you have multiple colts and fillies that were born around the same time, you might consider weaning them all at once. Not only will this make things easier from a management perspective, but it will also give the foals friends to help ease the separation from their dams.

Separate, and Keep Them Apart

There are a couple different methods people employ when weaning foals. One school of thought is to start separating the mare and foal for a few hours a day leading up to the actual day of weaning. The idea behind this is it gets the two used to the idea of being apart before permanently separating them. The other method is to abruptly separate them and then prevent them from having any contact in the weeks that follow.

Foals are typically weaned between the ages of 5 and 7 months old. * Photo by Molly Montag

“I think it’s better to do it abruptly,” Sirman said. “In an ideal world, you either take the colts to a separate location or take the mares to a separate location. It’s harder to wean them if they’re on the same place and can see and hear each other, especially if they’re separated by just a fence. I’ve seen cases where clients tried to wean just across the fence, and the foal was sticking its head through the fence, still trying to nurse. You really need to separate them more than that.”

Foals should be mostly weaned within a week, but if they are put back with their dams, some of them will start nursing again, Sirman cautioned. If they must be reintroduced at some point, he likes to give them 30 days apart beforehand to allow them to wean completely.

Monitor the Mare for Mastitis

After weaning, it will take some time for the mare’s bag, or udder, to decrease in size, unless she has already dried up and stopped producing milk on her own. This can be uncomfortable for the mare, and you may see some dripping and spraying of milk. Typically, you don’t need to do anything — milk production will eventually stop — but there are some symptoms you need to watch out for.

If the mare’s udder becomes hard, hot to the touch, and seems painful, she may have developed mastitis, which is inflammation of the mammary glands. If you suspect your mare has mastitis, call your veterinarian immediately.

“If they start developing mastitis, they may or may not run a fever,” Sirman said. “Sometimes they will get to where they hurt, and they don’t want to eat. They may develop some swelling in their abdominal area, in front of their udder. Those would all be additional signs to watch for.”

Get Your Foal Up-To-Date

Weaning time often coincides with a foal’s first vaccinations at four to six months old, and these vaccines should be followed by a booster set four to six weeks later. You can also deworm your foal at weaning, though he or she should already be on a deworming schedule by that point, Sirman said.

If your foal is accustomed to a halter, they may be easier to deworm and vaccinate. * QHN File Photo

“It’s also a good time to pull a Coggins if you’re going to be traveling,” Sirman said. “The law says that a foal less than six months old and still on its mother’s side doesn’t have to have a Coggins, but if you wean them, and then you need to travel with them, it’s a good time to pull a Coggins test.”

If you plan to geld your colt, you can do that during the fall after he has adapted to being weaned, as long as his testicles have descended. Likewise, if your foal was born with a hernia, this should be repaired around this time, too. Otherwise, it will only get bigger as the foal grows.

Watch for Signs of Illness After Weaning

When you’ve been attached to your mom for your whole life, leaving her can be hard to do. Most foals handle the process with no problem, but even a little stress can suppress the immune system. Watch out for runny noses, coughing, or foals going off their feed, and if you see any of the above, keep an eye on their temperatures.

“90% of them don’t ever look back, and they’re fine,” Sirman said. “Some might walk the fence and whinny for a couple of days, but after that, they’re pretty much weaned, unless they can still see their mama. There’s not much you can do to reduce the stress, so just keep an eye on them and make sure they’re eating and drinking.”