Caring for Mares & Foals

Lesson 8: The Older Foal

Riding Mom

This is a topic not usually addressed but one that raises lots of questions. Most of our mares serve a dual purpose - having babies and being ridden. We try to have the mares foal earlier in the year so they can be ridden and shown over the summer months.

When can you start riding your mare again? We begin two to three weeks after the baby is born, but only for very short periods of time. Primarily, we are training the foal to follow the mare. We don’t ride far or fast or the baby will tire. We also ride in an enclosed area. It’s not long however till baby will stand in the middle of the ring. By about the fourth week Mom has started to build up her fitness and she is back to adjusted lessons. Adjusted because snack breaks are scheduled to allow baby to nurse. Until Baby is more secure being separated from Mom, we leave him with a babysitter (another horse that he cares for). We can progress to the point where Mom can even leave home for a while and the foal nurses greedily when we return. This whole procedure is done gradually but it allows the mare to be put back to use. As an aside, it also eases the weaning process. Throughout the riding time, always keep an eye on Baby so as not to exhaust it.

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