APRIL 1995 BACK ISSUE
Part of Horse Previews Magazine website. Posted on 4/1/95; 10:00:00 AM.
How To Raise Healthy, Happy Foals - Book Review
by Sam Daniels
Copyright 1994 Sam Daniels, Route 2, Box 668, Paso Robles, CA 93446
Telephone: 805-239-2832
94 pages $14.95
This book by Mr. Daniels, with a lot of input from his family, is the result of 25 years experience with hundreds of foals. When Helen, our editor, gave it to me to review, I was immediately interested since the wife and I are raising our first foal, Isis, born April 16,1994. It was easy to take up and read in about an hour. The author's rambling style covers over 20 distinct points which I could identify with. I'll share my comparison of some of these with you.
He recommends Kaopectate for scouring; we didn't use it. He worms the mare just after foaling in conjunction with the regular worming schedule; we didn't do an extra worming. He imprints during the first 2 or 3 days; we did that. Mr. Daniels strongly emphasizes that it takes 30 days for your foal to learn to eat grain. We started our foal, Isis, learning as quick as she could. Her mom, Venus, began teaching her by sharing in the feeder after just a few days. He puts the mare and foal in a large paddock or grass pasture after three or four days; we put them out in our pasture like he says. He recommends early halter training with a girth rope for protection; we did that. The earlier the training the better. It makes little sense to wait until the strength of the foal hampers training, according to Mr. Daniels. He recommends leaving a good, long lead rope (3/4" by 10') attached to the foal when halter breaking still in the pen. We didn't do that.
He recommends the second 30 days be dedicated to lots of rest, exercise and free play and then the resumption of education after 60 days. We spoiled Isis right along. He recommends trailer training at 21/2 months, before the foal is taught to tie. He says to trailer the foal 5 times the first day session and give the same lesson 5 days in a row, leaving mom in the pen. By that age we had given Isis and her mom a ride in the trailer to Mission Park arena in the Spokane Valley. We taught her to tie before she was taught to trailer. She also had a solo ride (except I rode in the trailer with her) just after she was weaned. On that one she chewed a chunk of naugahyde off the restraining partition. We were probably lucky about our lack of coordinated halter-trailer education.
Mr. Daniels presents a detailed, ideal model for weaning which is well considered. This is a controversial area, as anyone who has ever had a foal will tell you. He insists the foal must have learned to consume one half pound of grain per day before the weaning process can safely begin. Further, the foal should be gradually increased to eating three to four pounds of grain every day before it is fully off mom. When we weaned Isis, she lost a little weight, he says this should not have happened. Our breeders agree. It is of utmost importance that the foal is eating plenty of grain and hay before the mare is moved gradually away. Mr. Daniels says that "After mom is completely away from, but still in sight of Junior, for about five to seven days, you can take her away for good. The foal is officially and completely weaned." There is plenty of food for thought in this book for anyone who wants to experience foaling. We weaned Isis right at 13 weeks and we could have used this book before we started. When things go good you're lucky, and when they go bad you're uneducated. Now that I've read Mr. Daniels book, I figure I'm quite a bit better educated so I can bank some luck!
-Bob Howdy
