WEANING AND WEANING MANAGEMENT OF FOALS - A REVIEW AND SOME RECOMMENDATIONS

Weaning represents one of the most stressful periods in a foal's life, Access to the dam's milk provides the foal with both physical nourish ment and a sense of emotional security; removal of this access at wean ing can result in stress that predisposes the weanling to disease, inj ury, or reduced growth rates, Many different weaning systems have been devised by mare owners and breeding farm managers, but regardless of the system employed, reduction of stress at the time of weaning should be the primary concern. Research indicates that partial, gradual wean ing techniques are least stressful for the weanling when compared to t otal and abrupt weaning. Studies also suggest stall weaning of foals i n pairs may be more stressful than stall weaning of individual foals. Regardless of the method chosen, however, adequate consumption of cree p feed by the foal prior to the initiation of weaning can significantl y reduce weaning stress in gradual, abrupt, and stall weaning systems.