subject: Young Horse Training Tips [print this page] Foals are in contact with humans from almost the very moment they were born. Successful early handling of your foal can make training them much easier and the training progress even faster. Here are some horse training tips for a young foal:
1. Try not to handle the foal in the first one or two days of life, unless it is necessary, such as clearing of the mucous membranes at birth, or dipping the navel in iodine.
2. Starting from the second day, begin by placing one arm around the foals rump, and another around its neck. Hold the foal gently, without pressure, unless it tries to move. Ideally, this should be done inside the stable, with the dam right next to
the foal. Try to do this for five minutes, several times in a day.
3. For the next few days, continue to gently embrace your foal. You may also stroke its head, legs and body systematically. Touch the entire head gently, and stroke it from withers to tail. Move your hands over the belly, girth and flank. Stroke from the top of the legs all the way to the hoof.
4. Within a week, you can try attaching a foal-slip, first letting the foal look it over from the front and sides. Gently take the slip on and off so that it gradually gets used to it.
5. After about two weeks of this gentle handling, your foal should be used to being touched by humans. Its feet can be picked up for a few seconds, to prepare it for its first furrier visit, at about three months. You may also try leading it on a rope, with the dam nearby or walking ahead of it. It will naturally follow its dam.
The most important young horse training tips to remember are to be gentle and systematic in the early handling of your foal.
