STRESS-FREE WEANING

Weaning is a delicate process that must be handled with car

dott.ssa Emanuela Valle
Dip. Scienze Veterinarie – Università di Torino
EBVS® European Specialist in Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition

Generally, around the sixth month of life the foal is weaned off and he is then separated from his mother and begins his own life journey. During the weaning phase the foal undergoes two main stresses:

• Separation from mother
• Change of routine and feeding management

To avoid excessive stress and limit its consequences it is necessary to minimize the extent of these two factors. For this reason, it is best to gradually start the weaning process and support the foal with a slow change in his diet. Several studies tell us that weaning is better tolerated in a herd. It is well known that foals weaned and raised in a herd develop fewer stomach issues than foals weaned and kept individually. Studies show that foals raised and kept in the same herd are less likely to develop separation anxiety compared to the ones that are weaned individually. The presence of older horses in the herd is also important to avoid stress: when foals are weaned in the presence of unknown adult horses, it certainly helps them to keep stress levels low. Removing from the group one mare at a time causes less stress to the foals rather than separating all the mares at the same time. However, repeated separations and rapprochements with the mother should be avoided, as they can contribute to increased stress in the young foal. Anche la presenza di balie è importante per il loro stress: quando i puledri sono svezzati in presenza di cavalli adulti, anche estranei alle loro conoscenze, sicuramente li aiuta a sopportare lo stress in maniera migliore. Togliendo dal gruppo una mamma alla volta si causa meno stress ai puledri rispetto alla separazione contemporanea di tutte le madri. Sono però da evitare ripetute separazioni e riavvicinamenti alla madre, in quanto possono contribuire all’aumento di stress nel piccoletto.

Feeding the foal

From a nutritional point of view, at least a month before the start of the weaning process it is good practice to introduce weaning food into the foal’s diet, which will then be utilised for a few weeks after separation from the mare. This is the best way to get his new digestive system used to the diet and to prevent gastrointestinal problems such as colic. From the first few weeks of life the foal already begins to nibble on its mother’s food. At first, he is intrigued by the hay and grass, but after a while he understands that the feed is definitely more palatable. To guarantee appropriate growth we must not only feed the mare correctly so that she produces milk in adequate quality and quantity, but already around the third month we can introduce small quantities of hard food. It is always best to use foal mangers equipped with bars, to avoid the mother to access the foal feed.

The daily feed dose

We usually start with small quantities of feed which are gradually increased until the quantity necessary for weaning is reached. Usually at this stage the 6–7-month-old foal eats plenty of hay and 2 -2.5 kg of foal feed. The quantities vary depending on the product, but we must check on the label that the feed contains a good level of proteins necessary to the growth of bones and muscles. An adult horse feed does not have enough protein for a foal which must also receive calcium, phosphorus and other minerals for proper skeletal growth. Cereal-only diets must be avoided. Alfalfa hay and oats were once fed to foals, but it is not an adequate diet for this delicate phase of development.

Tips for minimizing the stress of foal management

• The foal should have access to the field every day for at least a couple of hours. It is better if there is some grass or in any case a bit of hay to ‘nibble’ at.
• We must adopt an ethical and empathetic training based on ethological principles. It is important to reduce stress to a minimum so that the foal does not have spikes in cortisol which is the stress hormone that contributes to the formation of ulcers.
• It is advisable to feed the foal a diet rich in hay, at least 2 kg per 100 kg of bodyweight and avoid feed that is too rich in starch.
• When we start preforming groundwork or mounted work, we should always feed some hay or a handful of chaff, perhaps alfalfa half an hour before. This avoids the aggressive effects that acidic juices have in the stomach.
• The foal’s social life should be pleasant, with time spent in the company of his peers, scratching and playing. •

Did you know that…

Stress-induced stomach pain….
Abruptly weaning a foal by keeping him in a stable without the possibility of being with other peers is a very stressful technique. This causes ulcers to arise and also has a negative effect on his psychophysical well-being, as it favours the onset of vices such as windsucking.

Windsucking
If the foal starts windsucking at weaning it is likely that he has stomach discomfort and is developing ulcers. It is best to tell the vet immediately so that he can evaluate the need to start targeted therapy. In this way the bad habit is immediately inhibited, preventing it from becoming permanent.

A newborn
foal can develop ulcers starting from as early as two days of age. Often the symptoms are colic, showing weaknesses and laying down longer than expected. However, sometimes the symptoms are less obvious. These are often foals that have already had difficulties during birth and therefore require intensive care.

The appearance of ulcers
in foals varies from 25 to 50% and from 50 to 90% in adult horses. In this last case, the onset of ulcers is associated with the type of diet, use of particular drugs, transport, competitions, as well as all the factors considered a source of stress.