Onto the weanlings.Throughout the first few months of the foal’s life, there’s a lot for the youngster to learn, and a lot of opportunities for us to teach. This is an easy time to build a solid foundation for a lifetime of learning and working well with people.
For the weanling, this is a time of newness and adventure, of being confident enough to start to walk away from mom, play with other colts, and interact with humans and the world around them on their own, not just following in mothers footsteps. They are bold and brazen on one hand, and quick to run back to mom on the other.
The earliest we have separated colts from their dams is at four months of age. I prefer later, about 6-8 months old. It’s easier on everyone then. Moms will wean their babies on their own at 8-9 months of age. Ideally, I let them do it, and they do a good job. They’re ready to get that baby off them, and are preparing for the next. It’s a natural and easy progression, but it’s not always “convenient” and doesn’t fit into our human schedules, so we have to adjust for our own needs from time to time.
So, “weanling” is a relative term. In my book, it’s when they’re older than a foal, and younger than a yearling – any time between 4-9 months of age when they normally or naturally would be weaned. This should be a time filled with good experiences to encourage trust of humans, safety in handling, understanding of their place in the herd, and confidence and curiosity in the world around them.
In addition to specific “school” lessons, opportunities for the weanling to learn and grow present themselves regularly. Lead or ride your mare, around the barn yard, around the ranch, around the mountain… where ever you are there are opportunities… and allow the weanling to follow, to become exposed to everything – motor bikes, trucks, road, ATVs, dogs, cats, chickens, bridges, water crossings, tarps, sights, sounds, smells… Just following the mares around our guest ranch exposes our colts on a daily basis to more than I could possibly and creatively dream up. In addition, ideally I’ll take the mares out on the trail and expose the weanling to even more. When following a calm and polite mother, the youngster will follow with ease and confidence up trails, across water crossings, through the woods, across roads.
All this, and then we take time for proper schooling.
Onto Elementary School
I don’t have a set schedule – it is dependant on when we find or make the time – but some time when the youngster is between 4-9 months old, I try to take three days in a row to work with the colts. Consistency is key to working with the colts, so I make sure I can take time for three times, three days in a row, and do the same lesson, the same way, each time. Ideally, each time we progress.
We treat the weanlings and yearlings as we would any green horse, and introduce lessons in the same manner. Each lesson is taught in stages. Start soft. Every time. That’s how you teach softness. Often, I will progress to firm. Remember how a boss mare will move the horses, first by looking, then pinning her ears, and after that, she might just lunge forward and bite the other horse to make him move. Well, I’m not big on biting, but I will be firm enough to get the results I want. And just continuing to ask over and over again “nicely,” well, I call that nagging. So does your horse.
So I say to myself as I’m working a young horse, “Ask nicely, then ask firmly, then TELL!” If I ask, I mean it. I don’t want to ask a second time, though in the early stages of teaching anything, I will have to. I’ll progress from my ASK to my TELL more slowly in the beginning. After the horse gets it, my progression speeds up. Ideal, I expect instant results. That’s what we need on the trail for us, and with any discipline for you. Ask and then wait around a while for the results: that spells danger. And certainly, I don’t want to nag. It’s that “fair but firm” thing. It works. Horses get it.
In everything I do with the young ones, I keep the boss mare as my role model on one hand, but remember I’m a human on the other. We can learn from the horse, but we’ll never be a horse, and we won’t fool them we are. But we can work with what we have, which is (or should be) understanding of the horse, and leadership that comes with being a human. This is what we strive for. A balance, summed up in these two words: positive leadership.
What we’re teaching here is good habits, good manners, good ground control, good handling. From the human’s perspective, of course, but it is this which builds the solid foundation for all our future work together. It boils down to establishing leadership (yes, it is a matter of control, but I have no interest in riding a horse over whom I have no control!), and teaching a few basic skills.
One book for specific ideas on working with weanlings I’d recommend is John Lyon’s “Bringing up Baby.” There are some fun and useful exercises in there, and he teaches the lessons to the human very well. My favorite is his first one – teaching the colt to move, then turn and face you. Rather handy…
As a quick reminder, for each of the “skills” you teach, be sure to do it on both sides. What one side learns, the other may not. Teach both sides the same lesson for a balanced horse.
The Skills Lessons we teach our weanlings is like grade school for us human. Combined with the chance to run around, room to grown, opportunities to learn to move, where to place their feet, and social skills in their horse herd, these are the basics of their future training no matter what discipline. These lessons are taught to the weanling, repeated for the yearling, and reviewed for the 2-year old who then moves on with further training (we’ll go into that in a separate post).
With each lesson, go slow. If your colt is uneasy at first, approach and retreat. This gives the horse confidence and trust in you. That’s big. Horses don’t have the agendas we have. Don’t be so focused on your human goals that you fail to see the slightest changes within the horse. Reward those changes. And the best reward is: releasing or relief. Sometimes that even means leaving the horse alone for a few minutes!
The Skills Lessons:
1. Touch – The weanling should allow and feel comfortable with human touch all over, head to toe. We start slow if need be, though for most imprint-worked and flooded foals, this part is usually fun and easy. It feels good!
2. Grooming – allow for a brush and curry comb all over, head to toe, and stand still for it because if you go away, I’ll stop, and this feels too good to stop! I don’t want to tie a horse for grooming, but expect them to stand and wait while I brush them because it feels so good. Again, go slow, approach and retreat, let them figure this one out on their own and in due time. I get a kick out of this because you can tell the difference between the horses I have raised, and those I have bought as adults. Mine come running up in pasture and vie for my attention and their turn when I head out there with a brush.
3. Halter – it’s not a scary thing, but it may seem so at first. Use the halter like a brush and rub them all over, then around their head, and then slipping on and off until it can be left on and tied or buckled. Allow it to feel good. Work on taking it on and off regularly so the colt knows that, too, is a simple process, and they are not stuck with the darn thing on forever. (We NEVER leave halters on colts after we done working with them. An unattended colt with a halter is an accident waiting to happen. Please don’t let it happen.)
4. Leading – slowly teaching to give to pressure to one side and then the other. Forward motion takes a while. Start with the gentle side pull, and be happy with one step at a time. A gentle pull, then slowly add tension the side. The colt may pull back at first. Rather than fight it, go with it, trying to maintain constant pressure until the horse figures out to go into the pressure, and step towards the pull of the lead. If (when) the colt pulls back, allow yourself to go with him without putting so much pressure that the colt flips over. Start with just a gentle pull on the halter. He’ll figure it out, and put his head to that side, maybe take a step. Give him an instant release to tell him that’s the right answer. There’s no rush. You’ll be leading the horse for a life time. Teach them softness now. This same softness and feel will be the foundation for communication with bridle and reins.
5. Tying – this one comes later, after leading is mastered. The horse that understands and respects the feel of the rope and halter and goes into it rather than pulls away will be ready to learn to tie. Start by holding the rope around a post, then by loosely coiling it and leaving the horse there (near mama or a friend) for fifteen minutes, then a half hour, then eventually an hour. Increase time and tie strength slowly and safely. Whatever you do, don’t injure a colt by tying him hard and fast before he understands what that means. Some folks use inner tubes and all kinds of fancy tricks. Try by just teaching leading first. Take your time, take the time it takes, and the horse learns to respect the pressure on the lead and halter. Learning to give to pressure should be enough to teach this lesson safely.
6. Feet work – each time we work with the colt, we brush down to their feet and get the horse comfortable to touch, then comfortable with lifting, then holding, then tapping, then rasping. Watch your timing here and try to release before the horse pulls his foot away. Slowly increase your timing but without getting into a wrestling match. Remember, our goal is to have it all be a positive experience. Having their feet held should not be an unpleasant or traumatic experience. Your farrier or trimmer will thank you for teaching this lesson.
7. Gentle longing – the colt should not be run. Keep it mellow and do this at a walk. But after they have learned the lesson of leading, you can teach them to lead around you. Start by getting your youngster leading. Then walk with him, keep him moving without pressure whenever possible. Strive for a loose lead! I often lift the rope in the direction I’m asking the colt to go. If he does step forward, , I may put slight pressure on the rope. If he still does not, I make a clicking sound. Finally, I’ll swing the end of the rope behind him to “encourage” him. For most colts, this will be enough for them to get the picture, but a few may still stand and wait until the end of that rope gets closer and closer and finally touches their behind. Reward the simplest try! Instantly release all pressure when you have the forward motion you are looking for. Even just one step at first. Then repeat each step, each time. Don’t assume the horse won’t get it and go straight for swinging your rope. Give him time, he’ll get it! Be clear, and he’ll really understand.
8. Trailer loading – after you’ve been working on the gentle longing for a while, the colt gets your signals that when you point the rope, he is to follow. Some colts will follow that lead right into the trailer first time. Some, most, may take a while. Go through your stages just like in #7. Each time, start soft and increase pressure. Do this in circles outside the trailer first. Then maybe have fun with it and do it through a barn stall, a gate, get creative, build the colts self confidence and trust in you, and understanding of what you’re asking of him. Then move toward the trailer. If he doesn’t step up with the uncomfortable pressure behind him, quickly start over from stage one. No need to constantly increase pressure nor to give him a break (unless you need one). Just try again and again. Or step away and remind them what you’re asking in an environment that might not be as scary. They’ll get it. You may loose patience before they do, but stick with this slowly and sanely. I’ll take all the time I need to here, and sometimes it may be an hour or longer before the colt steps in comfortably. Then I’ll ask him to step in and out several times. Each time is rewarded by letting him rest, petting him, telling him how proud you are of him (if you’re one of us who constantly talk to our horses). This too sets up a lifetime of good habits. It’s worth taking an afternoon off to teach this one calmly, patiently, pleasantly.
9. Desensitizing or “Sacking Out” – with every lesson, do some work on introducing objects or feels or sounds or sights to your horse to get him more familiar with the unfamiliar, and learning how to comfortably handle the unexpected. I like to make it a game. Bring in ropes, blankets, plastic bags, tarps, saddles, slickers, clippers – funny things! Make them fun, let them feel good, take your time, and wait for your colt to be comfortable, even bored with each new object. Go slow, approach and retreat, allow him to put his nose on it. I don’t know why they always have to do that, but you know, they do.
With each lesson, strive for an experience for your colt that results in his feeling of enjoying people, looking forward to learning, and increasing his knowledge and confidence. Each lesson should end on a positive note. Forget about schedules and goals – these ones will last a life time. Take the time it takes. Make it a positive experience for the colt.
My goal in working with the young ones is to help grow a confident horse that respects my leadership, understands my requests, and enjoys my company. I want to do my best to ensure safe handling, no matter what arises, and establish a solid foundation for future ground work and work in saddle. We strive to have our lessons with the colts be a positive experience for them, teaching them good manners, preparing for a good future together, and enjoying time together right now.
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