206 THE PRINCIPLES OF BREEDING 



as three-year-olds and put to work, but not bred again until they 

 are four years old. This seeons to be a very practical system 

 and worthy of our adoption. 



Spring or Fall Foaling — The natural time for foals to ar- 

 rive is the sjiring, and under ordinary conditions, especially in 

 breeding studs, tliis is customary. However, nature is perverted 

 in many ways by modern methods of domestication, so there are 

 circumstances which make it more desiral)le to raise fall colts. 

 With good stables, abundance of feed, and the necessary help, 

 there is no reason why mares should not be made to foal in the 

 fall, if it is more con^'en^cnt tiv have them do so. This may be 

 the case with farm mares which are expected to do the season's 

 work in addition to raising a colt. In fact, if one is forced to 

 choose between a spring f<.ial, with no chance to properly favor 

 the mare, and a fall colt which arrives and is suckled while the 

 mare is laid by, the latter would be more desirable. During the 

 winter, however, both mares and foals will require.more attention 

 and should not be " roughed through." By late foaling the 

 youngsters can be given a good start before they are set back by 

 the inevitable short pastures and flics of midsummer. 



Of course, breeders of race and show horses take every ad- 

 vantage of the age limit and therefore favor early foaling. 

 There are also the unquestioned benefits to be derived from the 

 life in the open and the new grass to ccjmmend the spring time 

 for foaling, but prejudice against the fall date is not altogether 

 warranted and circumstances may be such as to make it most 

 advantageous. 



Weaning the Foal. — The foal is usually weaned at from 

 four and one-half to six months of age, depending upon the cir- 

 cumstances. If pasture is short, or if for any reason either mare 

 or foal is not doing well, it is advisable to wean the foal com- 

 paratively early. If, on the other hand, the mare has a full flow 

 of milk and her services are not needed, there is no reason for 

 making a change under six months. Weaning is. more a matter 

 of preparation than of the absolute removal of the foal from 



