[ryu2832]

I've been working with my TB filly fairly regularly. Some of the resident horse experts are giving me a hard time about it.

They just let them go for the first year. I don't know what 'just let them go' exactly entails, but it certainly doesn't include daily handling.

Everything I've read said that farrier care in the first year is very important, esp. for TBs. She has been seen by the farrier at one month and two months and I plan to have her seen every month for the first year. To get her to stand relatively well for the farrier it's taken a bit of work. She runs out of patience after 20-30 minutes, and my farrier--bless him--likes to take his time with the trim.

She stands well for her shots and wormer. The haltering is going ok and we are working on leading.

Now she has a patch of hide missing (she is a daredevil and sometimes bites off more than she can chew) that requires treatment or it might scar. If we hadn't been working with her, I don't know how we would have been able to doctor it--or even noticed it if she was just turned out in a pasture.

She's a good girl with a level head, but definately not a pushover. She's already up to my chest and 190-200lbs(I'm 5'8") at 2 months, and is going to be a tall big girl. I can't imagine not handling her while she is still a manageable size.

How much should I expect her to do? Am I pushing it? I was thinking of starting roundpen training soon.

[JBandRio]

You're certainly not pushing it with what you have been doing. I would not be so quick to head to the round pen though.

There is a lot of work you can do in regards to her dealing with her feet being handled, it sounds like, but at the same time she really doesn't have a large attention span right now. Is there any way your trimmer can come every 2 weeks for a while so that it takes less time for him to trim, and she gets a more pleasant, shorter experience?

If she isn't used to be clipped, fly sprayed, and hosed down/bathed, work on those too. Really hot days are good times to work on the hosing

If she doesn't let you touch her all over, and I mean ALL over, work on that. Ears, eyes, inside mouth, udders, between back legs, ALL over.

Start showing her that new things aren't things to be concerned about. Carefully and slowly introduce plastic bags and tarps and ropes and umbrellas and balloons and whatever else you can get your hands on. Let her see, sniff, touch, condition her to let you rub these things all over her body. ESPECIALLY desensitize her to having ropes and bags around her legs.

Teach her to lead at the walk and the trot, and what "whoa" means. Teach her to give to pressure.

All of these things can be worked on in just 10 minutes a day. Pick simple, little things and build from there. Make them fun, reward her with scritches frequently - the temps will soon be hot(er) and her foal coat will start shedding and she will be insanely itchy for a while

[freedom32]

I agree with JB (as usual! ) Spending a little time working with your filly regularly will pay off in spades down the line. But keep the sessions short so she doesn't get bored and fractious, and I'd hold off on the round pen for awhile. She still needs to go be a baby too!

Don't have much to add to what was already posted!

[prettyqtrs]

Originally Posted by JBandRio

You're certainly not pushing it with what you have been doing. I would not be so quick to head to the round pen though.

There is a lot of work you can do in regards to her dealing with her feet being handled, it sounds like, but at the same time she really doesn't have a large attention span right now. Is there any way your trimmer can come every 2 weeks for a while so that it takes less time for him to trim, and she gets a more pleasant, shorter experience?

If she isn't used to be clipped, fly sprayed, and hosed down/bathed, work on those too. Really hot days are good times to work on the hosing

If she doesn't let you touch her all over, and I mean ALL over, work on that. Ears, eyes, inside mouth, udders, between back legs, ALL over.

Start showing her that new things aren't things to be concerned about. Carefully and slowly introduce plastic bags and tarps and ropes and umbrellas and balloons and whatever else you can get your hands on. Let her see, sniff, touch, condition her to let you rub these things all over her body. ESPECIALLY desensitize her to having ropes and bags around her legs.

Teach her to lead at the walk and the trot, and what "whoa" means. Teach her to give to pressure.

All of these things can be worked on in just 10 minutes a day. Pick simple, little things and build from there. Make them fun, reward her with scritches frequently - the temps will soon be hot(er) and her foal coat will start shedding and she will be insanely itchy for a while

Couldn't have said it better myself! Great post!

[ryu2832]

We've been working on all those things. I can pet her all over. She doing really well picking up everything as far as ropes, plastic bags, fly spray, etc. And she is doing well letting us doctor her very sore flank.

It's just that the local feedback is that I should be leaving her alone and let her be a horse.

Maybe I can talk the farrier into doing 2 feet, trim mom, and then go back and to the other two.

I need to do more work with the halter and leading, but it is usually just me and I have to deal with both mommy and baby and it can be frustrating.

[wyldterv]

I like my babies to be babies... BUT I also want them to be enjoyable babies to be around and safe to handle

At 2 months, 8 days of age, my Arabian filly is catchable in a field, will approach strangers and let them scratch her ears (her favorite thing right now) picks up all 4 feet with minimum fuss and allows me to clean them daily... has seen the farrier once and will again in two more weeks, leads independently of her mother, and can stand tied up next to her mother up to 60 mins with out fussing (we started at 3 min intervals)... can stand tied up with Mom outside in the paddock for up to 10 mins now.

We work on moving OFF of physical pressure instead of INTO it and bending her body when I ask her nose to come into me and her rear to get over (off of me). Other then that she's allowed to be a baby.

Babies should NOT be worked in a round pen, lunge line or given any forced exercise!!! It is not good for their joints and could lead to a development joint disease.

You can do all of the desensitization ideas that JB recommended, those are always very helpful... Just remember at 2 months the attention spane is AT the MOST 5 mins, usually more like 2.5 -3 mins... So keep any sessions under 10 mins at a time, but frequently through out the day.

Most importantly ENJOY the baby days, the turn into yearlings and teenaged d*orks all to fast, LOL...

[prettyqtrs]

A lot of people turn out the mares nad foals and leave them 'be a horse' until they are weanlings or yearlings.
I've seen it done before with some friends babies and I personally think that they are harder to work with and handle when you are trying to inroduce them to all of these things.
Heck, I'd much rather have to mess with a 100-200 pound horse and teach them how to pick up their feet, hose them, etc versus a 400-700 pound horse when they are weanlings are yearlings, are starting to have their own mind and opinion about things more so then when they are foals, etc. It seems to me that if you start working with them from day 1, its more of a natural routine for them. Not a 'hey I got to run free for the last 5-12 months and now someone wants me to do all of this stuff'.
You can do all of these things with foals and still give them maximum turnout and let them be a horse. We've always done it this way and always have great success with all the foals. And every one of them has grown up to be happy and healthy adults who are excelling in the arena, under saddle, as sires and dams, etc.

[ryu2832]

I wasn't going to 'round pen' her, just start working with her 'in a round pen' to separate her from mom, like some of the exercises in Lyon's Bringing up Baby. Ruby is still very protective, and it is hard to get one on one time with Berry.

I thought that you were supposed to wait until they were a little older to work on the standing tied, like after they are weaned? I was told if they pulled back at this age it could do nerve damage to their developing neck. I have been doing all the work on her with the 'cradle' hold, or leading with a figure 8 in addition to the lead rope.

If I can tie her, or let her pull back on the halter, it makes all of this a lot easier. I have a huge Hedge post I put in last year and an inner tube just waiting to be used.

I appreciate the comments, and I know I'm not doing a perfect job, but I think most have missed the point of the post. I am working with her and am making progress, it's all my neighbors that don't see the point in working with a foal before it's a year old.

I guess I was just hoping for a yes Sharon, keep working with your foal, keep trying--I gets pretty dicouraging trying to do something different with all of the old crusty farmers around giving their two cents. I suppose I got my answer though. Thanks.

[Cheeky Monkey]

I didnt read any of the other posts but I will say this.
From personal experience...I would make sure your foal can pick up all feet nicely, touch her utter or his sheath, bathe, clip, tie, fly spray, load in the trailer, wear a blanket and a fly mask.
Those are seriously important. Far more important than learning how to lunge too soon, or being takced up etc.

[imacowgirl2]

Originally Posted by ryu2832

We've been working on all those things. I can pet her all over. She doing really well picking up everything as far as ropes, plastic bags, fly spray, etc. And she is doing well letting us doctor her very sore flank.

It's just that the local feedback is that I should be leaving her alone and let her be a horse.

Maybe I can talk the farrier into doing 2 feet, trim mom, and then go back and to the other two.

I need to do more work with the halter and leading, but it is usually just me and I have to deal with both mommy and baby and it can be frustrating.

Sounds like a good idea having the farrier do two feet at a time

You pretty much described what we do with our babies...I believe if they are handled regularly in the first year they are MUCH easier to work with when they are 800 lb yearlings

When you are working with haltering and leading, tie mom up Around 3 months of age, we start working our babies for short periods of time (1-2 mins to start with) out of mom's sight -- it eventually makes for easier weaning, in my opinion -- so by 2 months, our babies and moms have no issues with me working with baby in mom's sight while mom stands tied to a tree or hitching rail (also works on her patience )