Weaning – when a foal is separated from its mother – can be a stressful time for young horses. Not only is the colt or filly forced to become independent, he or she must also shift from drinking a mare's milk to other food sources, all while enduring a change in location, management, and social structure.
In commercial equine operations, weaning is often done when the horse reaches a certain age or during a specific time of year.
A research team led by Drs. Kristin Delank and Sven Reese sought to determine how long it takes for foals to recover from the stress of the weaning process. The scientists tracked metabolite levels from cortisol (a stress hormone) in feces, as well as behavioral changes, and determined that foals need a minimum of three weeks to acclimate to their new situation..
The researchers created a study using 10 foals housed at the Baden-Wuerttemberg stud farm in Germany. All the foals in the study were raised as a group with other mares and foals in open housing and on pasture until they were weaned. There were nine Arabians and one warmblood; four fillies and six colts.
The foals were divided into three groups to be weaned based on their age and development. On the day they were weaned, a vet sedated the foals, which were then moved about 11 miles away from their dams. The new facility continued with the same feeding and turnout schedule the foals had while at their dam's side.
The first group was mixed with fillies and colts; the next two groups were divided by gender. All foals were observed between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. from one day before to three weeks after weaning. The observer documented every behavior each foal showed every five minutes.
The scientists discovered that each foal had a hormonal stress response to weaning, determined by the cortisol metabolites found in their fecal samples. Additionally, the foals were significantly less active after weaning, spending a lot of time resting and lying down; the foals also vocalized more the day immediately following weaning.
The scientists found that foal's cortisol metabolite values had not returned to normal three weeks post-weaning, indicating that they need at least three weeks to get used to their new situation.
The research team notes that it is impossible to wean foals without inducing stress, but that the process should focus on long-term foal welfare.
Read more at HorseTalk.
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