Raising a Balanced Foal in Mind, Body & Spirit By Lisa Ross Williams

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1 Raising a Balanced Foal in Mind, Body & Spirit By Lisa Ross Williams Page 1 I love all kinds of horses; large and small, purebreds or half breeds, comical or stoic. But my highest passion is the babies those perfect creatures who are so innocent in every way. Their whole lives ahead of them, the care they receive in the beginning dictates the kind of life they will have. Raising babies into happy, healthy adults is an amazing experience. There s nothing like lying in the sun with your sleeping foal or seeing those crazy spurts of energy, often when you least expect it. However, it comes with the responsibility to do whatever we can to prevent physical or emotional problems. But by applying some basic foal care concepts, those needless issues can be eliminated and your foal can lead a long and healthy life. Proper nutrition is the initial building block of health Balanced nutrition is important for all horses but even more so for the babies. To grow and develop properly, a foal needs the correct level of calories, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and the proper ratios of these. Imbalances can cause joint and bone deformities, poor hoof quality, low immune reserves, resistance to parasites and even hypersensitivity to noise, touch and stress. Preferably, proper nutrition starts with a balanced diet for Mom. Equine nutrition has taken such great strides forward that gone are the days of just adding more grain to her diet. A mare s specific nutritional needs change as her pregnancy progresses, after the foal is born and throughout nursing. By getting this right, her baby is ahead of the game because of proper envitro development and a supply of nutritious milk. Creep feeding is the next important step and can be started at a week or two of age. Offer a balanced, concentrated feed formulated for foals, using a creep feeder which allows the foal to eat while keeping the mare out. This introduces the baby to grown up food while supplementing his mother s milk. Supply free choice hay in equal amounts of grass type such as Bermuda or Timothy, as well as Alfalfa for a nice balance of calcium, lysine, and other nutrients. It s important to give a concentrate as foals cannot utilize all the nutrients in the hay until they are at least a year old.

2 Page 2 Tip Avoid concentrates which are high in molasses. By the time the foal is weaned, usually around six months old, they should be on a full ration of concentrate along with their free choice hay and ground flaxseed. Keep in mind, the amounts fed will change as they grow. After a year, consider replacing the concentrate with a small amount of grain or rice bran along with a supplement mix while raising the amount of grass hay and cutting back on the alfalfa to 25 percent of the overall hay ration. Dr Kellon s book, Equine Supplements and Nutraceuticals provides further detail into a growing horse s needs. Provide room for movement Unlike human newborns, horse babies are designed to move very soon after birth and this movement is essential to proper development. Keeping a foal in a stall or small pen on soft footing with limited movement takes away the natural strengthening of joints, tendons, ligaments, bone, lungs, heart, muscle and hooves. Natural hoof care educator Marjorie Smith states, Foal feet are nearly cylindershaped at birth and require plenty of concussion on hard ground to open the hooves into a cone shape. Soft footing, especially bedding, lets the foot sink in without flexing at all. Many foals soon develop a very contracted foot with the base actually smaller than the coronet. Provide both mare and foal space to move, preferably fulltime, to ensure proper development for mind and body. Hoof care get it right from the start Natural hoof care professional Kenny Williams states, The worst thing we can do is to get in the way of nature and hinder the natural process foals need to develop. Unfortunately with domestication comes limitations and we must supply what nature cannot hoof wear. If the foal is not getting enough movement on firm and varied terrain, trimming must be accomplished on a frequent basis. Some points to keep in mind:

3 Page 3 Foal feet grow faster than adult hooves. Even if the foal has moderate movement, frequent trims by an experienced natural trimmer are necessary. Introduce hoof handling right away. Imprinting at birth, introduced by Dr. Robert Miller, DVM can be beneficial, but it s not for everyone. Some prefer to wait a week before extensive interaction, but sooner than later is best. Make sessions short and funnever a struggle. Patience is an absolute. Prevent any imbalances from the get go. This keeps you ahead of the game and not playing catch up or having to make drastic changes. Frequent trims a minimum of every four weeks is ideal. Better yet, the guardian taking a couple swipes with the rasp (after some basic training by their hoof care person), once a week with full trims every 4 5 weeks. Dental care is not just an adult requirement The very common belief that horses don t need dental care until you start to ride them is absolutely false and very dangerous. Prevention of imbalance and pain is paramount and foals should initially be examined by a dental professional before weaning and every six months until they reach five years of age. There are two common dental issues with youngsters. Sharp points, which cause damage to the soft tissues of the mouth, can develop very quickly because baby teeth are softer than the permanents. Sometimes caps will not fall off normally and become retained. If left in place, this can hinders the eruption of the permanent tooth underneath causing pain and imbalance. Tip Minis run about a year behind in tooth eruption and often have issues with retained caps. Groundwork and manners equals good horse citizens Teaching a foal ground skills and respect for humans can be really fun but also trying at times. Remember they are like sponges and soak up everything you do, both good and bad. The key is to be consistent and fair. Some other points are:

4 Page 4 Remember even though they are cute, they are horses. Do not let them get away with things another horse would not tolerate. Watch how other horses teach the foal social skills and manners. They will first warn before reacting and then once the scuffle is over, it's over. No grudges or anger. Create a personal bubble around you and do not let him come into that space unless you ask. It might be cute to have him push his butt into you for a scratch when he s 200 pounds, but a very different story when he matures at full size. If they get nippy, rather than hitting, play the "Bite Me" game just as other horses would do. Make your hand into a pseudo mouth and nip him back on the muzzle until he takes a step away, then soften up. It's very important that he does take an actual step, otherwise you did not win the game. Keep training sessions short but frequent; five to ten minutes in the beginning, numerous times a day. Young horses have a very short attention span not unlike human children and get cranky if over stimulated. Introduce them to a variety of things and make it fun. For instance, we use baby pools and sprinklers to make water interesting rather than scary. Allow the curiosity to over ride their fear so they approach the object. Allow them to back away if they get scared, but don't let them turn and run. Foals learn by watching you work with other horses which can work for or against you. If the mare has an issue with having her feet trimmed, it s best not to allow the foal to see a conflict during that time. On the other hand, a positive role model is very effective. Allow other horses to teach social skills If possible, allow foals to learn equine social skills from other horses. Lack of this experience can lead to youngsters that are in insecure, anti social and often dangerous around other horses. Ensure safety first when introducing new foals to other horses.

5 Page 5 Example of Upright Hooves Cooper, our mini colt, was extremely upright when he arrived at 6 months old due to lack of movement and trimming. This contributed to his patella locking, resulting in his inability to bend that leg to bring it forward until it popped and released. Frequent trimming, proper diet, movement on hard ground including hills has contributed to this condition being almost completely resolved. As he matures and strengthens that area, locking up will be a thing of the past. It is my hope that with the surge of interest in a more natural way of caring for horses, many more foals will experience the life they deserve and become a balance of mind, body and spirit. Lisa Ross Williams is a natural horse care consultant, clinician and host of the If Your Horse Could Talk webcast available at. She is a seasoned writer and former Senior Editor of Equine Wellness Magazine. Along with her husband, Kenny, they share their small Arizona ranch with their beloved animals. Lisa has dedicated herself to extensive research, as well as an exploration of hands on experiences which included clinics, seminars and courses covering natural horsemanship, hoof care, dentistry, bodywork, homeopathy, iridology, essential oils and nutrition. Since then, she has earned her degree in Environmental Plant Science and has completed the Basic Homeopathy Veterinary course through the British Institute of Homeopathy. Known to colleagues and friends as one who walks her talk, Lisa has positively influenced thousands of horse owners and grateful horses, sharing her knowledge of natural and holistic horse care.