For mare owners that want the peace of mind of an experienced equine midwife we offer foaling out service. This is perfect for professionals that are unable to provide sufficient monitoring of the imminent mare, and for mare owners that are uncomfortable foaling on their own, or have their horses at a facility that is not conducive to or does not permit foaling. Foaling out at JC Andalusians is also a great complement to our foal raising and young horse training services.
Ideally your mare will arrive at JC Andalusians at least thirty days prior to their expected due date. This allows the mare to become acclimated to our facility, comfortably settled into her foaling stall, and for us to get to know your mare and her normal behavior.
Mares are foaled out at our residence, and receive constant monitoring in person and by remote video as their foaling is imminent. Lactation calcium testing is used as an aid in determining how close a mare is to foaling, augmenting our experience and regular monitoring.
When the mare foals, we provide quiet comfort and close supervision during a normal delivery. When the delivery is not progressing correctly, we are ready to provide assistance to the mare and to quickly determine if veterinary intervention is needed. Our local veterinary practice is staffed by four veterinarians, the closest living just down the road from our farm. A full in-patient surgical facility is located less than 20 minutes away.
Once your foal is successfully delivered we begin acclimating them to a variety of sensations and situations as part of our foal raising and training program.
Young horse training:
Our favorite training! Foals can come with their dam or after weaning. Our preference is to work with foals while they are still quite young as more can be accomplished the younger they arrive. Foal handling for sucklings includes full board for foal and dam in one of our many large foaling stalls with ample turn out with age appropriate friends to grow strong and learn from. We have had foals come through that have had good handling and need more, we’ve had foals that have been spoiled by over zealous owners and we have worked with foals that have never been touched by a human. Our experience dictates what each individual foal needs.
Young horse training:
We offer partial training for yearlings and 2 year olds that may need additional handling and exposure. Ponying, walking trails, learning to trust and listen to the handler are all integrated into daily life. As your horse matures we begin to prepare them for saddle and harness. Horses are worked a few days per week and are taught to long line, ground drive, pony, wear tack and are exposed to many different situations. The horse’s physical development is of most importance to us. We don’t use gimmicks or run youngsters around in a bunch of tight circles on their young legs. All training is done with a deliberate purpose.
Starting horses under saddle:
Horses that come to be started under saddle are trained classically. They are worked from the ground in preparation for a rider. This is our most common training request and we thoroughly enjoy starting horses right without “tricks”. We expect owners to commit to at least 90 days of training for horses that have not been previously started. When ready, horses will be given experience on trails or off the farm at local shows. Progress will vary from individual to individual. Once the horse is ready the owner is expected to come for regular lessons on their horse when possible prior to the horse going home.