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Show THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 6 Volume II, Issue XVI 15 August 2000 Caring for Your Foal By Vicki Kunau Desert Snow Ranch in Eden is a Paint horse breeding facility owned and operated by Keith Tyler. Keith has been breeding and selling show quality Paint horses for the past ten years. He has some sound advice for the first time breeder and for owners of the backyard mare. This time of year young foals are beginning to be weaned from their mothers. This is a difficult time for both the mares and the foals. Good health and handling practices for the young animal are essential to produce a future winner, whether in the show ring or as the family pleasure horse. By this time of year, foals should be doing well on hay and grain. Oats are an excellent food source and can be either whole or crimped. Crimped oats have been put through a machine that crunches the outer hull of the oat. This can make the oats easier to eat with less waste and is a good option for a difficult feeder. The foal should be getting at least 1½ gallons of oats daily. Show foals may need more to keep up the weight and bloom expected in the show ring. Mixed feeds can help. Hay should be a clean, sweet smelling mix of grass and alfalfa. Most foals can be freely fed hay, eating only what they need. Keeping feed off the ground saves money and helps prevent the foal from eating other less desirable items. A well-balanced mineral supplement should be available to the foals. Horses grow quickly, putting on height and bone before the rest of the body fills out. Epiphisitis is a serious joint illness of growing foals. It is usually seen in foals receiving an overly rich diet. Symptoms include swollen, painful joints that grow unevenly. The foal needs veterinary care for this problem. Leaving it untreated can cripple the young horse, destroying adult potential and soundness. A supply of fresh water is essential for your foal. The growing foal needs clean water that is available at all times. Inadequate water consumption can lead to digestive problems, including life-threatening colic. Be sure to check water supplies regularly. When weaning foals, keeping two foals together in a stall can help with the separation anxiety that occurs at this time. Foals miss each other as well as the mares during separation. This is a time when viruses seem to latch on to foals due to added stress, so watch the foals for runny noses, coughs, fevers, and a general lack of interest that can signal an illness. Foals should be vaccinated and wormed by this time. Handling the foal now becomes a priority, as the mare is no longer available to lead the way. The foal should be introduced to a halter at this time, and taught to respond to pressure if this has not already been done. This is a crucial lesson to the young horse. Safe handling and training depends on this skill. Be patient when working with foals. You are establishing the animal’s attitude toward people and work. Work with the foal in the stall until the foal gives to pressure. Proper use of a butt rope can make this job easier and safer. Foals should have daily turn out 801-745-4000 time with other foals if kept primarily in a stall. Pastured foals need a safely fenced area with shelter. Foals grow better, are more athletic, and have a better mind and attitude when they have plenty of time out with other foals. The foal also needs to learn to stand tied and to have the feet handled. An adult horse will spend quite a bit of time tied and needs to learn this skill early on. It teaches patience in the young horse. A foal should allow all four feet handled without anxiety or fuss. Start working with the feet the day the foal is born and it will become a natural part of handling. Keith likes to trim the points off of the newborn foal’s feet. The mare also needs extra care and attention at foaling time. She will show stress from having her foal taken from her. She also needs to be watched for stress caused illnesses. Keep the mare in a safe environment with horse safe fencing. Putting her in the next pasture with a barbwire fence between the mare and foal is not a safe situation. Mares can develop mastitis at weaning time. Keep a close watch on her bag and make sure it is drying up without swelling, pain, heat, or discharge. Mastitis should be treated by a veterinarian. It can be very serious. After the weaning, worm both the mare and foal. The mare does not now need the feed that was required while nursing the foal. At this time, cut back on calories and protein. A good maintenance diet should keep her in good flesh without being fat. If the mare is also a riding horse, feed according to her level of exercise. She should not be fat if she is to be bred the following spring. If your mare has been bred check her at 60 days to confirm the pregnancy. Keep her current on all vaccinations, especially the Rhino vaccine. Rhino is a serious problem in pregnant mares. It causes abortions. It can also cause a more serious infection in young foals, older horses, and animals with a compromised immune system. Ogden Valley seems to have a problem with this disease so vaccinate all of your horses. If your mare is not pregnant at 60 days she can be re-bred, as late as July for a June foal the following year. Breeding for a later delivery produces a foal that may not have enough body bulk to stay warm when the weather becomes cold in the fall. A late foal will need good shelter and possibly a blanket in the fall and winter. For more information, or to visit some awesome Paint foals, contact Keith Tyler at 745-3837. Subscriptions available for out of area residents at $15.00 annually. Send payment with mailing address to: THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS P O BOX 130 EDEN UT 84310 2555 WOLF CREEK DRIVE EDEN, UTAH STORE HOURS: MON. - SAT. 7 AM - 10 PM SUNDAY 7 AM - 9 PM Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream 2 for $5.00 with coupon $3.49 w/out coupon Limit 2 per purchase Expires 8/31/00 1.98 coupon value Expires 8/31/00 for everyone in your party with this coupon. Not valid with any other offers. 392-11777 .78 coupon value Coca Cola Products cents with coupon $.69 $1.25 w/out coupon 2 liters Limit 3 per coupon Expires 8/31/00 FREE Mormon Muffin Expires September 23, 2000 Western Family Bread 3 / $1.00 with coupon Limit 3 loaves per coupon Come join us for a 1.68 coupon value For Dine-In Only! the Open everyday for Lunch and Dinner gre e n- |