DONE properly, handling a foal at birth can make later training much easier.

John Hyland of Oghill House Stud recommends gently handling the newborn foal’s feet, mouth, and ears so that the young foal becomes accustomed to it.

By handling the foal’s ears soon after it is born it will make it much less stressful for the foal when it comes time to wear a headcollar, which Hyland recommends fitting over the first few days of the foal’s life. Make sure to check the headcollar regularly – it should not be too loose or too tight. A tightly fitted headcollar may cause sores and if the headcollar is too loose the foal might get a leg caught in it.

As a general rule you should be able to fit two fingers underneath the foals jaw, the headcollar will need to be replaced as the foal grows.

Allow the foal to become accustomed to you gently feeling its legs and picking up its feet. Essentially you are mimicking what the foal will experience when visited by the farrier. Handling the foal’s legs early-on is much easier than trying to negotiate with an older foal. Your farrier will thank you for this as it makes his job much easier and safer.

According to John Hyland: “Handling the foal’s mouth is something that is often overlooked but we find that by doing this it makes it easier to administer wormers. When the time comes the foals are accustomed to it and it’s not a new sensation for them.”