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10 week old colt questions

WTA
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Nov 18, 2007, 10:50 AM

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10 week old colt questions	Can't Post

We have a new arrival that I am having a little difficulty with and wanted to ask for some opinions.

We got this mare with a new colt a couple months ago when he was only a couple weeks old. Someone actually dumped them here. He's been a great little horse. For a while I kept them in our isolation area untill I was sure they were healthy. It's a nice stall on the side of the barn with about a half acre of grass in a part of our orchard.
I only have a single wire temp fence around it and the little colt kept running under to go see the other horses. He is immune to the electric wire it seems.

He never got into any trouble with the other horses so I just watched him close and didn't thin too much of it.

Now they are out front with two electobraid wires separating them from the other horses and he is still going through the fence to be with the others. He's really making me nervous. That fence hits hard enough to knock me down but he doesn't seem to be phased by it. Not yet anyway. One of these days he's going to try it in the rain and really get a shock.

Anyway, I have a young mare on the other side of the fence that is a kicker. She has really knocked the tar out of some stud horses in the past for getting too close to her. I don't blame her when it's a stud. I have two thoroughbreds, a warm blood and an Arabian over there with her too. They all get along fine but I'm constantly worried about the colt hanging out with them. Should I be? He is teething right now it seems and is always over with the others chewing on them and faking kicks at them. The horses seem to like playing with him and are just oblivious to his teething. They act like they like him. It's really odd to me. I've had such trouble getting other horses to fit in to that group before. Maybe they are just calming down now.

Everyone around here tells me to keep the mare and colt by themselves and never let them get with the other horses untill he's at least two years old.
Is that just more stupid horse talk or is there any truth to it based on fact? I'd prefer to have all the horses together if possible. At least then the little one would have no reason to go under the fence anymore. I keep them seperated though because everyone tells me he'll get hurt with the other horses.
I know with his size it would only take one kick and he'd be done for.

Last night I put the mare and colt in their stall with a small pasture and had the others closed up in the barn yard with a big shelter because there was a chance of freezing drizzle. This morning I found that colt tucked right in the middle of the other 5 horses in the barn and his mamma yelling at him to come back. He was doing just fine it seemed. I know he was warm.

What would you all do about him?

Red-Roof-Ranch

(This post was edited by WTA on Nov 18, 2007, 10:54 AM)

roho
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Nov 18, 2007, 12:11 PM

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Re: [WTA] 10 week old colt questions [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hello & WelCome WTA, RoHo here in SET(South East Texas), east of Houston, This site has been real slow lately but I keep hoping it will pick up! On U'r question on seperating the 2 from the rest of the herd....I'm not sure of whats best but IMO it's good to keep them with the other horses. Has colt been cut yet? If not I'd really not want to wait till the colt is two before I put him in with other horse, as a matter of fact, even if he's been cut I'd want to socialize him as he's ageing...& not wait till he's basicly grown.....Sounds like he's already been excepted into U'r herd & it's time for MoM to get into herd....Hopefully we'll hear from some real horse experts that has raised plenty of horses!!!

WTA
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Nov 21, 2007, 11:57 AM

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Re: [roho] 10 week old colt questions [In reply to]	Can't Post

We put momma and the colt in with the others a few days ago. Everything has been fine. That colt is just too darn friendly! He's always playing with the others. He even looked under the belly of my 3 year old mare this morning and acted like he was going to nurse. She was nice about it though and just walked off. Then he chased her around the field some. She threw a couple of play kicks but was being careful not to hit him. That horse knows how to kick when she wants to do damage. She busted a guys knee a few weeks ago for riding his stud horse into her tail. He had it coming. He was warned several times by me and the others in our group. They have seen her in action before when we were herding stallions. Don't mean to sound unsympathetic but I really don't have sympathy for someone like that. I have used that mare for herding stallions and she's tough. She's a hard working ranch horse and doesn't take any crap off of them. She never kicks anything else.
Anyway, I guess it's working. momma still keeps close to him and often gets on his tail for doing stupid stuff but she's fitting right in too. My horses have really calmed down a lot it seems. I'm happy.

Red-Roof-Ranch

(This post was edited by WTA on Nov 21, 2007, 12:02 PM)

roho
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Nov 23, 2007, 8:52 AM

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Re: [WTA] 10 week old colt questions [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hello WTA, Things sound good! Hows things going now that the herd has spend a few more days 2gether! Colts are always funny. Anyway good luck! roho

WTA
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Nov 23, 2007, 10:13 AM

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Re: [roho] 10 week old colt questions [In reply to]	Can't Post

Still going good. It snowed all day yesterday and they were out playing in it half the day and all huddled in the barn together the rest of it. The colt is cuddling up to my warm blood in the barn a lot. They look a lot alike. I guess he's going to be fine with the group.

Red-Roof-Ranch

roho
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Nov 24, 2007, 8:45 AM

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Re: [WTA] 10 week old colt questions [In reply to]	Can't Post

All SOUNDS good WTA, looked @ U'r site once but didn't stay long! Do U have a pic of MoM & colt...I don't know how to post pic so I'm lost but can U post a pic of them...They sound nice...roho

WTA
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Nov 24, 2007, 9:23 AM

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Re: [roho] 10 week old colt questions [In reply to]	Can't Post

I have a hard time figuring this editor out too. The image button above doesn't seem to do anything.

Here's a link to their picture above in case it doesn't put the picture up. I should get a new one today of them all out in the snow. It's early morning and I just got up but it looks like we got 3 or 4 inches overnight so far. The horses are all out in the pasture wondering where the grass went.

I sure hope this helps my wheat. We haven't had rain in two months and I can't reach all the wheat with the big water cannon.

Red-Roof-Ranch

(This post was edited by WTA on Nov 24, 2007, 9:25 AM)

roho
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Nov 24, 2007, 9:59 AM

Post #8 of 8 (453 views)
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Re: [WTA] 10 week old colt questions [In reply to]	Can't Post

Pic come throu! SNOW, what's that? We get a little bout once ever ten yrs or so! of course we get bout 5/6 ft of rain a year(don't really know amount) but really get alots.We had a little drought somewhere between May & Oct and hay prospects looked bad but most of us ended up gettin what we needed. Anyway horses look good. have a good day..It's been rainin down here for several hours & is not suppose to stop till Monday sometimes..will wade out to barn to feed up

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