This article first appeared in the October 2020 digital edition of Equestrian Life. To see what’s in the current issue, click here.
Foals can be a bundle of fun, but they do need careful training.
© Elli Birch/BootsandHooves
Welcome to kindergarten for foals
By Dr Kerry Mack
Just as it is with people, first impressions and experiences can set a foal up for life. How you interact with your foal from the outset will go a long way towards its trainability and how it relates to humans. And oh yes, they are a bundle of fun.
Spring is sprung. The season for foals. What joy a new foal brings to us. At times breeding is heartbreaking but the rewards are many. How lovely it is to waste a spring afternoon with your foal. Like all baby animals they are curious and playful, with a short attention span.
As a psychiatrist, I believe that the early experiences that any of us have really influence our lives. Handling your foal in a way that encourages curiosity and confidence, a wish to be with humans and a willing yield to pressure, will set your foal up to have a better life. As Tom Roberts said, train your horse well so that he will have a good life and be welcome anywhere…
Read the full article in the October 2020 issue of Equestrian Life magazine here.
