Should I buy a weanling? Some points to ponder...

I bought a weanling in 2006. It was a good decision for me. I can say this because so far I've been lucky, and because I bought my baby horse for the right reasons. Are you thinking of buying a weanling or young horse? Here are some things to think about...

Pros of raising your own
- You will learn through the experience and gain a greater understanding of the way horses develop from foal to adulthood. If baby-rearing process itelf appeals to you, this is a pro.
- You'll know the animal you raise really well, and won't have to wonder about his/her past.
- You won't be correcting someone else's mistakes (but you may be faced with cleaning up your own mess).
- If you're careful in your selection, you can maximize your changes of getting the adult riding horse of your dreams.
- If you own your own horse property and can do your own training, it might be more cost-effective than buying a made horse (if both conditions are not true, you'll be very very lucky to break even).

Cons of raising your own...
- It is probably not going to be cheaper than buying an under saddle three year old.
- Will you have a horse to ride while you're waiting for this baby to grow up?
- You get to do the starter vaccinations (expensive), the first trailering (scary), the first tying (dangerous), the first teeth floating (pay for the vet to sedate!), the first shoeing (test your relationship with the farrier!), etc.
- Foal insurance is more expensive than regular insurance.
- Raising a baby can be dangerous -- both horse and owner are put at risk.
- An alarming percentage of weanlings don't make it to riding age without injury or debilitating illness. About 20% of foals get OCD.
- Good bloodlines are not a guarantee of the quality, temperament, or suitability of your horse.
- If you don't take an interest in your baby horse, it's a long wait.
- Babies have special needs in terms of turnout, pasturemates, feed, etc. It can be hard to find a boarding facility.


Q and A's

How expensive is it to raise a baby?
If you need to board, think again about the cost effectiveness of raising vs. buying a made horse. If you buy a weanling for 8K, and spend $350/month on board for three years, you're in the hole 20K and you haven't even factored in vet expenses, farrier, worming, vaccinations, insurance, etc.

Babies are so cute! Won't I just love having one to play with?
Babies are cute. Yearlings not so much. See photo to the right ----->

I want to back and train my own horse.
God love you. Hopefully you have experience. I've accompanied friends on horse-buying trips and the most pathetic cases were young girls selling horses that they tried to raise and train. The horses were way behind in their training and had bad habits. No one in their right mind would buy them. At any rate, maybe you should cut to the chase and buy an unbacked 2 or 3 year old. They will be a better deal.

I want to have the experience of raising a baby and think I would enjoy it. Is this silly?
To me, this is a great reason. If you relish the idea of working with the youngster and watching him/her grow up, then all the downsides fade away. A friend told me that babies can be nice because you don't have the pressure that come with training under saddle and the skills required from teh rider. You can work with babies on simple things, using principles of reward and punishment. If you are patient and consistent, and your baby has a pretty good mind, this is a great experience. If you are buying a baby only to wait impatiently for him or her to grow up, I'd reconsider.

I want to get a head start on training to put my youngster on the fast track for riding. Is this a good reason to get a baby horse?
No, not if you try to push them to do things they aren't developmentally ready to do. The first time you braid or bathe a weanling you'll understand! Weanlings aren't mentally equipped to deal with confinement/boredom of braiding; and the hose, OMG, you have no idea the kind of reaction running water can elicit from an youngster. One breeder I met said that first time baby owners often proudly tell her that they've "saddled" their 9 month old. She cringed at hearing this. Her advice was to let babies grow up and leave them alone till they're three. I wouldn't go that far -- basic manners and respect for people are lessons to learn early -- but the breeder's point is well-taken. Pushing a youngster is ill-advised. Teach them manners that are appropriate to their age and stage of development.