Weaning Colts Part 4; Jill Lane Quarter Horses

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In my first post on weaning colts I interviewed Dr. Kohr of the Animal Medical Center in Gillette, WY. Following that I visited with Clara Wilson about her weaning techniques, and my most recent post was an interview with AQHA breeder Cheri Wardell.

Now let’s hear what top breeder, Jill Lane of  Jill Lane Quarter Horses has to say about weaning colts at her ranch in Ft. Benton, MT.

  1. I wean my foals in two, separate groups. The first group is usually the oldest group, anywhere from 5-6 months old. However, if a foal is at least three months old, and is on an older mare, I may wean it as well. Some of those older mares start losing some weight so I will wean their foals earlier. After I have the first group of foals weaned and halter broke, I wean the last group. The youngest will be 3 1/2 months old. I would leave them with the mares longer, but my pasture is limited.I leave the mares on pasture and bring the foals home. That way, the foals and mares don’t see each other and keep calling to each other. Some of those mares don’t even whinny when the foals leave. Most foals quit missing their mom in less than a week.
  2. In a perfect world, I would vaccinate the foals a month prior to weaning. However, they aren’t halter broke so I wait until about a month after they are weaned. I do get a few who get sick after weaning. But I pre-foal vaccinate the mares (one month prior to foaling) so I have seen a big decrease in illness with the foals because of that.
  3. I put nylon web halters with lead ropes on each colt and then put the colts in a small pen. They drag those lead ropes around and learn to have rope around their legs and bodies, desensitizing them well. They also learn to give in to pressure (the pressure of the lead ropes tugging at their halters.) Having lead ropes dragging around from their halters allows me to catch them easily.  I do this for around two weeks. When I can catch them and lead them, the halter comes off.
  4. At weaning time I start the colts on a high protein pellet. They are also on a free choice mineral. I prefer Hoffmans because of its palatability. Minerals are no good if they don’t ingest them.
  5. I deworm them with ivermectin upon weaning and again 6 weeks later. After 6 weeks I switch to a benzimidazole. I vaccinate them one month after weaning, 6 weeks after that, and two months after the second shot.

Thanks Jill Lane of Jill Lane Quarter Horses. For more information on Jill Lane Quarter Horses, please visit her website www.JillLaneQH.com.

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Posted in: Featured, Horse Care

About Lynn Kohr

I am a barrel and pole horse trainer, giving springtime barrel racing and pole bending clinics and workshops, competing in barrel racing and pole bending futurities while marketing our horses for sale. I am a Mom of 3: Sage, Cedar, and Stratton. And wife of...

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