From weaning to breaking in
From weaning to breaking in, the foal will have to adapt to a new diet, bond with humans to refine relationships of mutual trust and continue to develop physically and psychologically.
After weaning
From 6 months to 3 years, the foal will learn to accept the installation of various harnesses available on La Sellerie Française . He will learn to work with humans to perfect his gestural conditioning. It is necessary to have suitable facilities and qualified personnel. The practical organization will be set up according to the number of individuals, the type of breeding chosen and the terrain on which they evolve. A specific and individual strategy can then be defined to achieve the chosen production objective.
Separate males and females from the age of 10 months. From the first winter, males differentiate themselves by more masculine games: wrestling, biting, riding. Sexual instinct appears from the end of the first year in females. It is preferable, as much as possible, to keep foals by age group in the meadow. During the first winter: monitor the space, shelter, watering, the condition of the fences, the behavior of the animals and their social relationships, in particular access to food (hay, concentrate) and shelter.
Breaking in
A foal accustomed to a halter, held and walked in hand, groomed, tied, loaded, unloaded calmly and knowing how to give its feet is half-broken. Depending on its breed, the foal will be broken in at various times. It is early for racing breeds (12 to 18 months) and will generally be later for other breeds (around 2-3 years). Everything is much easier if the conditions are favorable: having time and knowing how to manage it, choosing the site and the equipment to use, controlling the space, monitoring the physical and mental state of the horse.
A personalized program must be adapted to each horse that gradually learns to recognize vocal commands, appreciate distances and heights, understand the meaning of aids and their use. It is important to successfully complete each of these steps in order, before moving on to the next phase. Each step must be done symmetrically on both hands and at all three gaits.
Dosage of sessions
The intensity and duration of the exercises required are linked to the experience of the man and are a function of the general condition of the young horse. It is necessary to ensure that the horse gets used to the methods used and to methodically check the acquisitions of the previous learning sessions.
Psychic aspect
It is important to reward the foal well each time he obeys what is asked of him. The work must be divided into sessions of half an hour maximum, because the young horse concentrates on short periods: "ask little, reward a lot".
If the breaking-in phases have been well conducted, the young horse should be physically fulfilled and pleasant in its character. It will then be receptive in the box and during exercises, skillful on varied terrain and on small obstacles, obedient to changes of direction and gait, regular and active at all three gaits.
The smooth running of this period from weaning to breaking in contributes to the reputation of your breeding and constitutes a considerable asset for the marketing of your products.