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Author Topic: Yearling development  (Read 1119 times)

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Offline SNT

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Yearling development
« on: December 30, 2014, 02:37:58 PM »
I recently purchased a yearling and am trying to decide if it's best to have her at home with me or agist her out somewhere. Both options have their pros and cons. The cost of agistment is obviously a con but if she is here I will have to hard feed anyway because I don't have great pasture. If she is here I can handle her and keep an eye on her.
My concern with having her here though is that the only other horse she has to interact with is a cranky older mare who isn't going to play with her.

So do you think that yearlings need to be paddocked with other young horses to help them mature naturally? Will having her with just my other mare affect her development at all?

I know this probably sounds like a silly question but in the few weeks these two have been together I have already noticed how much they influence each other. My usually very quiet and relaxed older mare has become a lot more jumpy as she is reacting to things in a similar fashion to how the yearling reacts.
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Offline wild_spot

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Re: Yearling development
« Reply #1 on: December 30, 2014, 04:46:08 PM »
I sent my boy out to agistment with other youngsters when he was weaned. He was there for about a month.

Since then he has been either adjacent to or paddocked with some of our five horses who are all over 8yo and not particularly playful.

I would like to have another youngster for him to play with but I don't think its a big deal. He gets beat up and chased around by the others but I feel this is good for him and he seems quite happy and well adjusted.

I think whatever works. The handling and regular contact for me outweighs the benefit of having playmates.
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Offline oztinks

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Re: Yearling development
« Reply #2 on: December 31, 2014, 05:57:50 AM »
Both options are good I rotate them they stay home and get fed and handled till a yearling then the following winter get turned out with the shorter days I don't get much time to do anything with them so they may as well have a break and just be a horse for a few months then come home when I have time again
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Offline Smiggins

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Re: Yearling development
« Reply #3 on: December 31, 2014, 07:59:05 AM »
I sent my two weanlings out to piplyn lodge for 18months.. Grass was all they needed most of the year (except winter) and they had other babies to play with.

I could of had them at home but wanted them to be as wild as possible and just be horses. They will spend enough time competing and training when they are older
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