Management of the Colt
Management of the Colt
The notion is rather prevalent that colts should be permitted to rough it through all sorts of weather and on a scant quantity of coarse food, in order to develop hardiness and endurance, and that high feeding and good care may cause a colt which would otherwise be strong to grow into an unsound horse lacking hardiness and endurance. In many cases practical results have been such as to warrant this belief. It must not be concluded that there is anything injurious in generous and liberal feeding, or beneficial in starvation and exposure; but it should be evident that colts which are to attain sound and healthy development must always have pure air and abundant exercise.
Exercise and development
Abundance of fresh air and plenty of exercise are factors second in importance to no others in the raising of colts or horses. For this reason, working the brood mare both before and after foaling, working the stallion when possible, and permitting the foal to follow the dam into the field when convenient are practices to be recommended. The colt needs opportunity for abundant exercise in pure air, uncontaminated by stable odors — an essential to the healthy development of all young animals. It is not sufficient that it be led out for exercise at stated intervals. The foal needs an opportunity to romp and play in order that it may extend its muscles and expand its lungs to their utmost capacity, and send the blood coursing through its veins. Such exercise is essential to a healthy, robust development of heart and lungs and bone and muscle, and nowhere can it be obtained in so great perfection as in the freedom of the open field. A colt that is kept in the stall and fed on heating grains is seldom given an opportunity for this health-giving exercise. It grows up a stiff, clumsy animal, deficient in stamina and vigor. Breeders who follow the best practice promote the growth of the colt by an abundance of nutritious food, and further a healthy and perfect development by permitting it to romp, race, and play at will. If this practice is followed, all that is good in roughing will be attained and all that is dangerous in generous feeding will be avoided.
Care of the colt's feet
The feet of the growing colt should be properly cared for. If left to nature, the feet do not always become full, strong, and perfect. On stone or gravel, the foot wears off as fast as is necessary to keep it in fair proportions, but the wearing is not even. For this reason the feet of the colt should be carefully inspected once each month. As a rule it will be necessary to shorten the toes. The rasp is the only instrument that should be used for this purpose. When the toes are kept short the quarters will usually care for themselves, for the frogs will bear on the ground and keep the heels properly spread. The frog needs special attention, for if it does not come in contact with the bearing surface the foot will rapidly lose its shape, the heels will contract, and the walls at the quarter will become brittle, weak, and easily split both from above and from below. A split from above is difficult to check without firing or blistering; it is therefore important to protect the walls. The sole need not be cut in order to "open the heels." The walls should be kept rounded at the ground surface, the toe short, and the frog prominent.
A horse becomes unsound of limb when the weight of its burden is not equally distributed. Equal distribution of weight-bearing is possible only when the form of the foot and the direction of the limb are correct. Deviation from the proper standing position will cause a proportionate overtaxing of certain parts, resulting in unsoundness.
Sound feet are best produced by feeding nutritious food. Sudden changes of the food, periods of sickness, and exposure to cold, damp weather for months at a time have an injurious effect on the feet. Hence the colt should be fed regularly and generously, should be well sheltered, and should be protected as much as possible against the ravages of disease.
Castrating the male foal
There is a great difference of opinion regarding the best time to castrate the male foal. The work to which the colt is to be put, as well as the nature of the individual, is a factor to be considered. The longer he is left entire, the more masculine in appearance he will become. An animal that is castrated when young seldom develops an attractive head and neck. The longer he is left entire, the heavier and stronger his head, neck, and shoulders will become and the more courageous he will be. If, therefore, the colt is rather underdeveloped about the head and the neck and is rather timid in his nature, he may be left entire for six months, or even a year, longer than one that is overdeveloped and inclined to be vicious.
It is customary to castrate the foal when he is between one and two years of age. If let go too long he becomes stag like in appearance. Frequently it is desirable to castrate a stallion after he has performed services in a stud, but many owners are deterred from this practice by a mistaken idea as to the dangers of the operation and its probable effect on the temperament of the horse. The idea that castrating a horse will make him lazy and sluggish is entirely erroneous. The damages are slight, for the castration of a horse at any age is a simple operation; no injurious results need be expected when the operation is performed by a qualified practitioner.
Winter management
Weanlings should have snug quarters during their first winter. Preferably two of them should occupy a box-stall. They should be fed ground oats and bran — one fifth bran by weight — to which a little oil meal has been added in order to keep them in good physical condition. They should receive all the food that they will eat so long as they come back hungry for the next meal. Weanlings will eat three to five pounds of grain daily; yearlings, about seven pounds; and two-year-olds, about nine pounds. The grain ration of yearlings and two-year-olds may consist of corn meal, ground oats, and wheat bran, mixed equal parts by weight. Only the best hay should be fed, and that which is dusty and moldy should be avoided. Weanlings will consume daily approximately seven pounds of hay; yearlings, eighteen pounds; and two-year-olds, about twenty pounds. These figures represent averages; draft colts consume somewhat larger quantities, whereas lighter colts may consume considerably less. Colts that have free run of a small paddock in which they may romp and play will develop into strong, vigorous animals of undaunted courage and great endurance.
Too frequently colts are neglected and allowed to rough it from the time when they are weaned until they are caught to be broken. Many a breeder has failed of success by neglecting the colt. He has forgotten that all our improved breeds of horses are the product of adequate nutrition, as well as intelligent breeding, suitable environment, sufficient shelter, and kindly care. Many colts are thus stunted for the first winter, and no amount of feeding and care later on can fully retrieve such neglect.
In general, it may be said that when the colt is properly reared he will make approximately half his growth the first year. Of course there will be exceptions to this rule.
Summer management
On pasture, yearlings and two-year-olds should have grain according to the season and the growth of the grass. They should be kept growing, but not too fat. They should have shelter into which they may escape from the attacks of flies; it is difficult for colts to thrive when flies are prevalent unless this is done. Colts should not share a field with cattle, sheep, and swine if it can be avoided; they do best by themselves. The stallion colts will have to be kept apart from the mare colts after they are one year old; many a foal has been got by a yearling. Colts cared for in this way will not prove a disappointment to their owners, nor will the breeder lose interest in the business in which he is engaged. To see the colts thriving will ever prove a source of enjoyment as well as of profit.
Here's a nice video showing lounging a young colt:
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