How long should mare and foal be separated for weaning

Time flies and never is this more obvious than when you have a foal. That adorable, fuzzy newborn who took his first clumsy steps just a few short months ago grows quickly into a handsome, confident youngster.

You know it’s time to separate mama and baby, but do you know the safest, least stressful way to wean?

There are two types of weaning: gradual and abrupt.

With a gradual method, you begin separating mare and foal at feeding time with a safe fence between them for short periods of time each day.

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You gradually increase the length of time over the course of several days, until you no longer put them back together. With an abrupt method, mare and foal are separated completely all at once.

Although the abrupt method, like the word itself, sounds harsh, if done right it’s often easier on everyone involved: mare, foal and handlers.

“I’ve used different methods and abrupt weaning is the best I’ve found,” says Kevin Oliver of Snaffle Bit Quarter Horses in Canyon, Texas.

“I’ve tried the gradual method where you separate the baby for a

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