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Elite Veteran
Posts: 898
  
Location: Mountains of VA | I tried posting on a Virginia Facebook page and got attacked by the "animal rights" type of people........PLEASE if you do not have a positive, helpful comment, just keep on going.
One of our broodies foaled last Thursday a.m. approx. 4:30 and died at 11:30. The foal, a filly, is big, strong and healthy. Probably what saved her life was being able to nurse for approx. 6 hours on her dam. Luckily the foal went right onto a bucket and has no health problems. We really do not have another youngster or older horse for her to buddy with. The orphan is still in a 12X12 stall and I took the boards down to make the wall shorter and have been putting a yearling filly beside her. I really thought this would work out....however, today the yearling made it clear that she will not put up with the foal. The foal is very precocious, spelling??
Because raising bucket foals can be time consuming and expensive.......I thought there might be a chance to find another orphan or early weaned filly close by that was reg. QH, Paint, TB or even Welsh. I do not want a "rescue" foal for several reasons, mainly due to disease and the other is marketablility in the future.
I know this is a shot in the dark..........but if anyone thinks they have a HELPFUL suggestion, please p.m. me or know of an orphan close to Virginia that could be buddied up with mine. She is doing so well on a bucket that I don't think a nurse mare is the answer now.
Thanks and again please no negative comments.......we are under enough stress as it is.
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| Wow, sorry you are going through this. I am in Texas so I can't help you , but do you know anyone with an older horse you could borrow? Maybe even an older pony? That way you could just return the horse when the orphan was ready to turn out with your yearling. That is ehat my sister did years ago when her mare died shortly after giving birth. |
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 Namesless in BHW
Posts: 10368
Location: At the race track with Ah Dee Ohs | May sound silly, but what about a buddy goat? |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | total performance - 2016-04-25 8:17 PM May sound silly, but what about a buddy goat?
Yep,, a young goat would make a good buddy. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 898
Location: Mountains of VA | Thanks for the responses..........it was my night to sleep and my husband's night to feed the foal. I have not thought about a goat. We do have plenty of goat experience from years ago with meat goats. I do worry so much about the foal getting kicked and injured, sure would hate to have to dig another hole. She was trying to follow my other mares around when her mother could not get up and has already been kicked, bit and chased by them. UGH
In 45 years of breeding horses and ponies, we have never lost a mare. I have raised all kinds of animals on buckets and bottles but this is a first. The foal really needs a buddy to run and play with. When we go in the stall, she thinks she can run, play and kick with us.....not good, so I really trying to find her a buddy.
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Hungarian Midget Woman
Location: Midwest | Find a mini to borrow. My weanling was turned oi with a mini when he was too little to be with the big horses. For a while he even shared a stall with her. |
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  Witty Enough
Posts: 2954
Location: CTX | First of all, so sorry for the loss of your broodie. For the filly: maybe someone has a mini or even a donkey you can borrow? Hope you find something that will work for your girl. |
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Expert
Posts: 1207
| I raised an orphan foal and got a baby goat for a buddy. Bad mistake on my part. All the goat wanted to do was jump on the colt when it was laying down. Had to have hernia surgery on the colt when it was about 3/4 months old. Raised it on goats milk though on a bottle. It was born on February 14th, cold, had heat lamps on it was a large colt and it got to nurse before the mare went down. Kept it by itself mainly and would turn it out around the barn but it got to where it was playing with humans too roughly so turned it out on the pasture with an older gelding till it got rideable age. Turned into a really nice roping horse. It was bred to run barrels but just didn't have any interest going around 3 cans but it sure would run after a steer. |
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 Reaching for the stars....
Posts: 12708
| Both of my orphans spent their first 6-8 weeks in the yard with us humans and then I turned them out with the other foals those years. I also have a gelding that I trust to babysit anything. I'd be happy to loan Boy to you, but it's not the same as having another youngster to play with. Boy will give the baby horse manners tho. And he won't even mind having his tail eaten off again.
It is very tough with the feedings those first weeks. I feel your pain! But the bucket is half the work of a bottle. You could always check with your local vets and see if anyone has a mare who's foal has died very recently and see if a match can be made.
Good luck, my orphans both turned out to be very nice horses. Van rode 'Tickle' last year and he is coming on in the pattern nicely. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 520
| I am in Virginia as well, will keep my eye out. If you go with a goat find an older gentle doe so you don't end up with the youngster wanting to jump all over your foal. |
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