Foal getting nasty

Question
QUESTION: Denise,
I have a 12 day old foal. When he was born, I haltered, handled, rubbed. Unfortunately, at 4 days old, it was discovered that he was deathly ill with a ruptured bladder. He got home from the hospital, he was a little skittish from being poked, prodded, restrained and cut on. He is stall contained for 3 weeks (yikes). Yesterday, he stared turning his rump at me. Today he actually kicked out at me and pinned his ears. When I finally got my arm around his chest to contain him, he reared up. I did finally get around his rump too, but it was no easy task and a little scary since this is my first foal. Is he acting like this because he wants out and has pent up energy, or because he has had "bad" experiences with people since he had to have surgery? How do I make him stop turning his rump at me before he gets too big to handle?

ANSWER: Hi Stormy!

I'm sorry to hear your little guy had such a rough start.  It sounds like he is going to be okay and that is GREAT!

The best thing you can do for your foal is to let him have tons to quiet time alone with his mother.  We tend to do way to much too soon and it can cause a real mess.  People are just trying to do the right thing but, most of the time it backfires.  

I do very little with my foals.  I do not imprint, halter, lead, lunge, clip,  nothing.  I allow their mothers to teach them and I allow them to be horses.  All of my mares have been my show horses.  I have great relationships with each of them.  I spend lots of time grooming, bathing, scratching, clipping, loading, going for walks with my Moms.  Guess what baby is learning the whole time...

When my babies present themselves to me in a respectful, curious, pleasant way I will scratch them and rub them in much the same way as their Mother will.  This means so much to a foal.  The contact is not overwhelming, it is not system overload.

I have watched people do the imprint thing and I just cringe.  I'm not surprised when people report trouble with the exact thing they were trying to imprint.  I have seen mares become violent when people start mugging their babies in the name of imprinting.  

I start haltering my babies after they are weaned.  By the time They are 6 to 7 months old they move respectfully around me, in the same way their mothers do.  They know how to yield their hindquarters and to step away from pressure.  This is all from the exposure that was given in a very subtle way.

When a foal is blatantly disrespectful he will suffer the consequences!  If a foal is in need of a nip, that is what they get.  I take my inspiration from mares.  I will send a baby away that is disrespectful.  I won't catch them, I'll just send them away.  Their natural curiosity will draw them back in, especially when they see how much their mother loves what is going on.  They want to be part of the good deal.  I will continue to do what it takes to change the little one's mind and I will wait until I get the change I want.  If a baby pins his ears, off they go, out of the "fun" zone and alone.  If baby tries to kick, away again.  If baby is calm, respectful, pleasant then he can stay and enjoy the rubbing, scratching and social contact.  

Be aware of what happens, before what happens, happens.  That is, baby has to turn away from you before he can kick at you.  So, as baby is turning around in an aggressive manner, I would be sending him off!  If it means a well placed  nip from the tail end of a lead rope, so be it.  

Only do what it takes to send the baby off no more.
Baby does not have to go miles away.  You will have to experiment here to find the right balance.  Don't be afraid to make mistakes, your heart is in the right place and your horses will sort it out.  You may have to go too far to find out how far is far enough!

I have had babies that just ignoring them was enough to make them repent and be very humble.  It just depends on the personality of your little guy.  Be  consistent and don't worry about your baby getting too big to handle!  Lots of the colts I have started have little to no  human contact until they are two years old.  These are the EASY colts to start.  The tough horses are the hand raised, spoiled, over schooled, picked on babies that were never allowed to just grow up.   So really less is more.  Even more so in the case of your baby who has had such a rough start.  

Trust yourself Stormy!  Trust your horses, they are your BEST teachers!  Keep me in the loop!  Have Fun!  You are raising your next equine partner, how exciting!  
Denise

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Denise,
That is the best advice I have ever heard! It makes perfect "horse" sense. He is not a mean animal, he is curious and such. My last question is, if he is not handled, how do I get him to work with the farrier? I was told to start at one month for first trim.  

Answer
I'm glad this approach is meaningful to you.  It will make a huge impact on your life and the lives of your horses.  

Be really careful in choosing a farrier.  You can get a horse bad to shoe or trim in just one bad experience.  I always make sure the farrier keeps the horses feet low and in a very natural position.  Never allow a shoer to pull the horses leg out at a strange angle or keep it lifted high.  What is comfortable for the horse often is NOT comfortable for the shoer.  If a shoer complains...show them the door and find someone who understands the needs of the HORSE.  You are your horses only advocate, the only one to make good choices for them.  Make sure you choose professionals that will respect you and your horses.

That being said, I try and go as long as possible and get the babies really good about picking up their feet before calling the farrier.  Depending on the ground your horse is on he may not need a trim for months.  I'm racking my brain and trying to remember if I ever had any one trimmed under 4 months old and I can't remember one horse...I do keep a rasp of my own and will rasp the feet as needed and as part of the training.

Let me back up just a bit and share with you how I approach the feet. Again, throw out your watch and calendar when working with horses.  The horse sets the pace.  I won't ever set my horses up to fail.  I want them to know they can trust me and I want them really ready to master skills.  

Let your baby get good about you rubbing and scratching him all over.  When he can stand soft, quiet and comfortable with you moving your hands all over his body, start rubbing down his legs.  Start with the fronts and move to the hinds.  Make it feel good, make if comfortable.  When that is good I start getting them to offer to pick up a foot.  I start on the fronts and kind of pick at the ergot on the back of the pastern joint.  Just enough to have the baby pick up the foot.  When they pick up the foot I give them a rub on the forearm and give some praise.  Keep building on this.  Pretty soon when you reach down the pastern they will lift their foot.  Catch the foot and hold in an open hand for just a second or two.  Drop the foot BEFORE the baby can take it away.  This is important no matter how old the horse.  Never create a fight with a horse, you will always lose.

I want my horses standing balanced and relaxed when I lift a foot.  While holding a front foot in my hand I want to be able to swing the leg forward and back, relaxed.  The leg is bent at the knee in the same position it would be in to pick out the hoof.  

This is what I want for babies also.  Remember to let go and never hang on to the foot or try to make the baby stay.  It works much better to have baby OFFER to stay.  There will come a time when you know and can feel that your colt is secure enough in this skill that if you take a hold of the foot and offer a correction, the horse will comply.  But, it is a feel that develops over time.  You will know how much to hold and when to stop and start over.  

The concept of stopping and starting over has been such a blessing to me in everything I do with my horses.  This idea was taught to me by Ray Hunt.  Ray said: "Never try and go through something bad and come out good, stop and start over".  How COOL is that!!  People often want to fight with a horse and make them do something.  I want my horses to offer up the behavior.  When I feel things starting to head in a bad direction, I just STOP... and start over.  

You will have a very special baby when you make the horse part of the process.  They understand honesty and fairness.

If I haven't mentioned it yet, check out Buck Brannaman and Ray Hunt on the web.  These guys are my teachers and they can offer you lots!

Keep me posted, I wish I could see a picture...bummer!  Denise