[ellisr]

I am going in october to the quantock horse sales and want 1 maybe 2 foals to raise and bring on.

I have never had a young foal before, these will be between 4-6 months and straight off the hills so pretty wild. I have dealt with untamed horses before so don't have any worries about that part and OH is just amazing around animals and calms any animal down just being with it.

I have sectioned a small paddock for them which doesn't have great grazing but that is what these little ponies are used to on the hills and have been told it will be perfect. They will initially share a stable and then move into stables opposite each other when they get a bit bigger and also into the field with Blueshaan my huge TB when they can hold there own and have learnt a few basic 'manners'.

I have more worries about nutrition of a young foal can anyone advise what would be best for such a young foal.

[SallyintNorth]

If these are wild off the Quantocks, will they be Exmoors?  If they're a native type they'll not need much in the way of cake, and certainly not a 'stud' type foal mix.  (Unless you want them to grow longer legs!) 

I'm sure someone with a lot more experience than me will be along soon to advise you.  We've one Dales born and bred here, now 3, and another brought in as a weanling off the hills, now 4 - which is how I know about the 'not stud foal mix for a native unless you want long legs' thing  - but we are certainly not experts.

[faith0504]

lots of tlc, is all a native foal needs, good luck with them and enjoy the experience 

[ellied]

For me 4 months is too early to wean so look for bigger (older) ones when selecting, don't go for the "poor wee one" as you may have problems with nutrition, worms etc on top of having a weanling unused to handling, transport etc and stress is inevitable so watch for early colic too..

Feedwise adlib hay, a mineral lick (not just salt) and if in poor condition make it a molassed bucket mineral lick and enjoy the sticky noses..  Stud or youngstock mix will be far too rich, you won't just get long legs but laminitis risk so leave it all and at most give something like alfalfa, beet pulp or grass nuts, no cereals.

Keep them in together until you can handle them safely, they'll be so distressed and young they'll come round quite quickly for a little time and effort without pressure.  Sit in the stable with them and offer to scratch bums and hind legs as a mother would, rather than go for the front end initially.  Work gradually up the back and withers over time (maybe one session maybe several).  Neck and heads are last - you'll get the noses coming to you soon enough and then don't spoil them with overhandling and set clear firm and consistent boundaries, what may be cute and rewarding in a rescue foal is not in an adult so think what you want the behaviour like long term and gently insist on that.  Then if you do need to sell or want a child to be safe around the pony, it isn't confused about what it can and can't do and doesn't have to keep checking by trying..

Best of luck.  I worked with an 18 month Welsh A unhandled herd kept colt and got him to leadrein standard, very rewarding and educational experience if you have the patience and skill for it.

[ellisr]

Thanks guys you have confirmed what I thought about a native.

Unfortunately I have mostly been brought up with TB except our old shire who grazed out all year, had a bit hay in the winter and oats for working days.

I think I now have decided that 2 will be better and as for bounderies they will be set and stuck to the same as I do for my 17hh TB I know how dangerous a horse without appropriate manners can be and have scars to prove it. Before my cousin passed away she worked with problem horses and taught me a lot about there world and behaviour and I am looking forward to using some of the things she had taught me.

We have started to collect training aids in a box and have everything in place to renew stable floors before the end of the summer and lower all the hay racks which are currently set for our Blueshaan (foals may have a job reaching hay racks that are 8' up the wall ). We have decided to reseed part of the small paddock for them and raise the fence height as they are pretty low as Blueshaan never pushes, tests or jumps fences he is a big softie.

I am so excited about this and only have to wait a couple of months

If these are wild off the Quantocks, will they be Exmoors?  If they're a native type they'll not need much in the way of cake, and certainly not a 'stud' type foal mix.  (Unless you want them to grow longer legs!) 

Apparently originally these were exmoors but had a one eyed arabian stallion running with them so a lot of the exmoor has been lost, the farmers choose which stallions to run each year with them but they normally work out to be about 14.2hh and are good all rounders. We wil see how they grow but we may train them to help around the holding but that is a long way off yet and every horse is individual

[sabrina]

If most of the native blood has been lost then feeding may be much differnt. Arabs are very fined skined, can lose quite a bit of weight over the winter. foals do most of their growing in the first year of life so it is important to get the feeding right if you want your pony to reach its full height and good bone. I bred a foal out of my cob mare who had the build of his dam but the skin and speed of his sire who was an Arab Stallion. although not quite as heavy as my mare. I found he needed much more hard feed than his dam. Having had a pure bred Arab I know how much care they do need but they are wonderful horses.

[ellisr]

These guys live out on the quantocks all year and the foals are only brought down and sold off to maintain numbers in october so I don't think they will need much feed or have much arab qualities left as it is poor grazing up there and the weather can get a bit harsh in winter.

[jinglejoys]

Off topic but my lovely Hinny,Sarah-lee used to run out on the Quantox in winter 

[ellisr]

Isn't she a beauty

[Juno]

I would have to agree 4 months is too young and at that age without mums nutritional help it may run into problems, i would also suggest you only buy one, they are sure to be wild and as such will, if allowed keep to their own as a pair they would be hard to seperate and therfore tame, feeding is something that can be tailored to the right animal once you have it to take into condition size shape etc, although i would definately plan on wormiing/worm counting as you can be damn sure it will have recieved very little medication.

Can i ask why you would want a hill bred foal instead of opting for something that has been bred with carefull though and consideration ?

[ellisr]

I want a hill bred because of there ability to be adaptable. These quantock ponies are well known for being good all rounders when they develop. They are seperated from mum in october when they are brought off the hills and can be between 3-6 months old. I don't want to buy a horse from a 'breeder' and that is my choice. Also I have promised myself for a long time that I would take on a couple of foals and bring them on to what I want instead of getting an already 'broken' horse that is trained to someone elses standards.

A full rountine of meds and vaccinations have always got to be planned for when you get this kind of horse as it will have received no medication prior to coming off the hills.

As for the something that has been bred with careful thought and consideration that is not for me the prices are ridiculous for most and a lot of breeders just breed for the sake of breeding and really don't think about it just the money it will make and therefor not for me. I am definately more a rescue sort of person and have gained great joy from all my rescue animals over the years I like to plan for the animals needs and then take each day as it comes as each one is different.

As I have 2 stables and a small starter paddock 2 foals will be good company for each other but have enough space seperately to not be able habour all the wild tendancies. Blueshaan my other horse is over 20 now and he still likes to play but will not have the energy of a little one so having a play mate I think is better for the foals and will lead to a fuller life alongside there human contact.


The foals that don't get bought on the day are sent for slaughter and end up as meat for zoos, which is ok with me as these are wild animals.