Q:
We’re curious about the weaning process. Is separation done gradually over several weeks, or is it a fast process? If the latter, how do you deal with the mares’ and foals’ distress and stop them from, say, hurting themselves, when separated and perhaps trying to get back to each other? It seems like weaning would be awfully hard on the human handlers, too.
Trish & Mike
Highlands Ranch, CO
A: The weaning process starts between five and six months of age at Lane’s End. At this stage weaning has started to begin naturally—the foals will be playing and socializing with their buddies more and more and be quite independent when they are turned out.
We typically wean early in the morning so we have a whole day to observe the mares and the foals and make sure they are handling it well. The weaned mares and foals are on opposite sides of the farm so that they are unable to hear each other. This actually makes the separation much easier on both when there isn’t a constant reminder. They stay with the groups they have been with for the last few months so they draw comfort from each other, and it really is only a matter of a few days before they are happily settled into their new routine.
The weanlings continue to come into the barn everyday and have already been taught to eat on their own before being weaned, so their routine is much the same as before. They will be checked over and have their temp taken and their feet picked before going back out in the afternoon with their pals.
Our Expert
Assistant Broodmare Manager, Lane’s End
Originally from Birmingham, England, Donna joined the Lane’s End team in 2004. As Assistant Broodmare Manager, she devotes her time to ensuring the health and happiness of all the broodmares and their foals.
KellyM444
Love you Zenyatta! You are the best MOM ever.
signofthetimes; President Texas Chapter RNC
Dear Donna,
Thanks so much for the infomation on the weaning process at Lanes End.
Sounds like the decrease in mother’ milk at 3 months get the foal ready to eat
on his own and then the playing starts and mom is long forgotten for his
new “buddies”. At a barn I used to ride at, we had a couple of foals, that were just
adorable, a fiesty filly and a shy colt. When they were weaned, the mares were in one
barn and the foals in the other and it was not an uncomfortable process for horses
or humans. The foals were actually separated from the mares when they ate in
a stall nest to them with a chute, then they were put back together when they were done eating or shortly after to get them used to eating separately. It is so great Lanes End is so big and beautiful that they can be far from each other so the mare and the foal can move on, mare bearing more foals and the weanlings having fun learning
to be respectful “children” and soon to be race horses.
Thanks so much for sharing this information with us. We have so fortunate for having
the Lanes End staff share their expertise on breeding, broodmare life and foal development.
Rosemary McCauley - Pres/AZ/New Mexico RNC
Zenyatta being very intelligent and Baby Z already displaying that he has inherited many personality traits and intelligence from her, I believe they will both handle it well. And look who they’ve go to take care of them. They couldn’t be in better hands. Thank you for keeping us informed about the Queen and her not so little one.
Pati-Prince Z Future TC Winner
Wow, so not too long now before they are weaned. They are growing up so fast! Where has the time gone????
Kelly
I think weaning a 5-6 mo. old foal is “Jumping the gun”… Personally, seems like everyone want’s her foals running ASAP! I’ve never weaned a foal until 7 mo min.. However she is a breedmare, so I guess they should just call it a “Cash Cow”… I don’t agree with this…
Andrea
I’m of the same mind as you. In the wild, foals don’t usually wean themselves until the mare has another foal, so a year, sometimes two. They don’t nurse necessarily, but just being able to go up to mom when they need to is important. I’ve never agreed with 6 months old weaning. But, at the same time, it doesn’t seem to affect them negatively that I’ve noticed and I work with them once they get to the track and go into training.
Kathleen
I fail to understand how some people continue to refer to Zenyatta as a ‘cash cow’. She clearly has owners who put her well being first and foremost. I always weaned mine at 5 or 6 months, with no ill effects. The mare milk at that point is gone or of low nutritional value. Weaning several colts together keep them in a herd with friends, which at that point in time is more important than staying with mom.
signofthetimes; President Texas Chapter RNC
Actually Andrea,
In the wild mares do wean their foals early by kicking and biting them
to stay away. Their milk quality decreases after 3 months and the foals
naturally wean themselves as they are not getting enough nutrition to
sustain their life.
The More You Know
If the foal is healthy and strong, is eating feed/hay with no bad side affects, and is already displaying signs on independence, weaning them at 6 months is not a big deal.
Zenyatta isn’t a “cash cow”; no one is making money from her breeding other than the stallion’s farm, where the stallion is the “cash cow”. Zenyatta didn’t race until late in her 3 year old year, and her younger sister hasn’t raced yet, either. Odds are this foal will not see the races until after the Triple Crown series and many of the summer classics of his 3 year old year. Until they race, they’re only costing money, which is not something that bothers the Mosses. As far as they are concerned, their horses > money. I can guarantee they wouldn’t sell this foal for anything.
Kathleen
thumbs up
Joanna from TX
Thumbs up from me too.
signofthetimes; President Texas Chapter RNC
Zenny’s foals will be contributing her genes to the world of TB racing
so that soundness and stamina are again built in to the TB pedigree.
Janet
I guess anyone that calls a mare a breedmare doesn’t really know what they are talking about. Zenyatta’s foal needs the rough and tumble play with his buddy’s now more then he needs his dam. Zenyatta needs this coming time to nurture the foal she is carrying. This time proven weaning method has produced some great race horses including Zenyatta!
Lisa B./Escondido, CA
It is always a sad time when a Mom has to let her little one walk thier own path. I feel for Zenny. But I know with all the care that both Zenny and Baby Z have been getting from LE everything will workout just great!!
Thanks for all the updates. Please still keep us posted on both.
Love YOU Zenny & Z12.
OOOXXX
signofthetimes; President Texas Chapter RNC
Human emotions do not transfer to animals very well.
Animals experience things very differently from humans.
Zenny never seems to have any problems with any transitions
and she has a lovely foal and another one on the way.
BRAVO TO THE MOSSES AND LANES END FOR MAKING HER SO VERY HAPPY !!!!
Perky Green
Not to worry Baby & Our Queen are in good hands and they both look Fab Thanks for the update LE
zara
5-6 months is the normal weaning time it is not for cash as if left on the mare too long can take to much out of some mares.and at lanes end they can only get the very best care.
Michelle
Considering she is already pregnant aka – – too soon, she is a, ‘cash cow’ and yes weaning and pregnancy are too soon in this mare.
The good news and probably what isn’t seen, is that there is more than one vet on these farms, with vet techs and students too. If one thing and even it’s the slightest stress in the mare and/or foal is noted, it’s tended to within nano-seconds!
So – – I wonder how many vets are on this farm?
Terry Crow GP
You can be sure that Zenyatta is receiving the best care possible. Money is certainly not a factor in any decisions concerning her.
Kathleen
Michelle, would you care to share your source of expertise on the subject of horse husbandry?
Denise in AZ
Good answer Kathleen. Even horses in the wild breed on the foal heat Michelle.
Linda Edwards
Weaning has been done at this age (5-6 months) for as long as I can remember, and I have bred TBs for about 40 years. The mares generally fret for a few hours. Same for the foals. It would be the same no matter what age it is done. As to rebreeding the mare so soon, it is done because the reproductive health of the uterus is preserved by breeding every year. That is the natural way to keep a mare in healthy condition for carrying future foals. Giving the mare a year or more off only compromises her uterine health, in most cases. Given the life these fine mares have, having a foal per year and being fed, housed, and cared for is a wonderful relaxing life.
signofthetimes; President Texas Chapter RNC
Great information Linda, thanks for sharing.
Maryp (New York)
Michelle, I respectfully suggest you heed what the people “in the know” (experts) say on this subject. What you say is just your opinion not knowlege.
Kathleen
She is not a ‘cash cow’……..if she weren’t healthy enough to carry another foal, she wouldn’t have been bred. Anyone who has followed the career of this mare knows that the Mosses have put her well being above all else. Most mares are happiest when in foal, that is something I can say from many years of experience.
Gloria Jeanne- OCCali
One of the mares in the video has a knee brace on….
Stevie
Why so holy?
This is the right weaning time for a THOROUGHBRED.
They are not wild horses, they are not mongrel backyard horses. They’ve been selectively bred for hundreds of years for two things – speed and early development. If left on the mares longer than this the babies get very heavy and it gives you loads of joint problems, making them less viable as racehorses.
Would you rather that?
I’ve worked at TB farms, mares and babies handle this fine, the next morning they’re just hanging out. I’ve weaned as early as 3 and a half months too for the fat ones.
Try not to anthropomorphise things, Lanes End are doing what ever is best to secure these horses a future on the racetrack, and that’s the kindest thing, not leaving them with ‘mommy’ so long they’ve got joints like a bag of pebbles.
You make it sound like they’re intentionally evil, what would be the good in that?
And, studies of wild horses have shown that the majority get pregnant every year, and most commonly on the foal heat, even earlier than Zenyatta.
Try to learn.
Marilu V
Hello Team Zenyatta:
Just wondering if I missed any message from Zenyatta for her pony – Hootie.
Has she sent a message or letter like EL Vino did last week .She was close to Hootie so I am surprised she has not said anything about Hootie’s passing. Marilu
Kathleen
well said, stevie
ladonna
any news lately on Tasty?
Tracy
I think they both will handle the weaning process like pros,but they will always know they are family,if you know what I mean..love them both!
signofthetimes; President Texas Chapter RNC
Zenny is a professional and makes transitions without the bat of an eye.
It seems we humans are having more difficulty and she and 12 Z will ????
Marilu V
Good question Ladonna. How is Tasty? Hope she is fine.
Terry Crow GP
I left today’s redneck jokes at the end of page 7 of the previous thread. I did not realize that a new thread had started.
judy berube from Rhode Island
Dear TC GP:
Just read your jokes for today on Page 7. Don’t know why the “Orkin Man” one struck me so funny. Ha, ha. Hugs, JB
Terry Crow GP
I like that one, too. Similar to the joke about cockroaches leaving you a note telling you to clean the place up.
judy berube from Rhode Island
Ha ha. Hugs, JB
signofthetimes; President Texas Chapter RNC
Since the Orkin man regularly visits my home, I really appreciated that one, too.
However, he did not do as great a job this last three months and you know
Texas is noted for it’s TEXAS SIZE roaches !!!!!
Ann
Is that why those boots are pointed at the toe? Makes it easy to kill the roaches that run to the corners of the room?
Hailey
Thanks for the update and the pictures ! Love you Z and baby !!
Maribel
Lovely pictures of Z and Z12 this week …I know Zenny will handle this all very professionally but she is such a good mommy I cant help but thinking she will really miss Z12 and he her .She is a presence not easily forgotten .God Bless all and prayers that it all goes smoothly . Good work Lanes End !!!
Linda Sain
That is the barbaric way to do it. If you wean them across a fence where they can see and touch each other but can’t nurse it is almost not traumatic at all. After about a day of hanging around the fence together they start to graze farther and farther apart until they both wander off.
Stevie
Have you seen it done this way? It seems you have to be so sure of its barbaric nature.
Denise in AZ
That’s the easiest way for a foal to get hurt. The best way is out of earshot and line of sight, not across a fence.
signofthetimes; President Texas Chapter RNC
Dear Linda,
Your method personal proposed is very much more of an uncomfortable situation
for all involved. They should not see or hear if possible each other. Life moves on and so with they.
Elaine
My TB mare weaned her TB foal at about 9 months herself. Her foal, a filly, was not separated from her. She is now 5 years old and has never had one unsound day. It does not harm their joints to let them nurse longer. That is a BS story.
Stevie
Sample size of one. Good study.
Elaine
Where is your study? You cannot prove what you say because it is a lie.
Stevie
What on earth would I gain from lying?
I do have much more experience than just one horse, however.
signofthetimes; President Texas Chapter RNC
One horse, personal opinion.
Where is the extensive owning of multiple “race horses” and TB breeding experience ???
Don’t really see any ????
Amanda
People get off your soapbox. This is not the place for it. If you don’t like something you don’t have to come to this page to read it. I think these people, whom are around these horses 24 hrs a day, know what is better for them and you. She has her friends and he has his they will be fine.
Now for the positive, which is what this page is about! How great do they look? Happy and healthly couldn’t ask for anything more.
Rosemary McCauley - Pres/AZ/New Mexico RNC
Amanda: I agree with your comments. It is very difficult for me to read the negative comments about Team Z and their purported monetary reasons for breeding Zenyatta, or IF she should be bred at all and, as some have suggested, turned into a saddle horse. When she was bred to Tapit, I am sure I missed a lot of posts I wanted to read because I skimmed through rapidly in order to avoid the ones expressing uninformed comments and sometimes even outrage that she was being bred “too soon” simply for financial reasons.
Zenyatta is a living legend – and has been described by many as a once in a lifetime horse. She gave new life to the sport of horse racing in our time and has brought new fans to the sport and to race tracks around the country, just as previous racing greats have done in the past. She and her offspring will be forever part of horse racing from this day forward. We should be thankful we were able to watch her race as long as we did, and we continue to be able to follow her through the generosity of her team and the generosity of Lane’s End. If her mother had not been bred to Street Cry, we would not be here celebrating her today.
Denise in AZ
Amen
Kathleen
Elaine, how nice for your foal. You cannot put every foal into the same box. Most foals do just fine at 5 to 6 months. BTW, big difference between a 1 horse operation and a large breeding farm.
Stephanie Q
I am still being weaned off Zenyatta- it’s not easy:)
Jan S. / Houston, TX
Thanks for the very informative info on the weaning process Donna. Kinda sad they will never see each other again, or do they!
Max
Another fantastic photo of Zenyatta and her baby. They both are so good looking. Everything will go well for these two. Z and her foal can handle it. No worries.
judy berube from Rhode Island
Dear Max and Z Fans:
Yes, another gorgeous photo of Z and the Prince. Hoping that all goes well for both of them and all the other foals and mares as well. Hugs, JB
Max
JudyB. Do not worry. This exact method was used to wean Frankel. One morning they gave him his breakfast and turned him out with his pals. No problems at all. He had basically already weaned himself by doing what Baby Z is now doing, hanging out with his pals. Frankel is a very intelligent horse as is his mother, Kind. All went very smoothly. As Z is every bit as smart and very adaptable, there is no reason to think that she and Baby Z will not do the same.
judy berube from Rhode Island
Dear Max:
Thanks. You have made me feel much better about the whole process. Hugs, JB
Max
JudyB. Lane’s End knows how to handle all situations. You might remember that TT weaned her baby at birth, and even that turned out well for Baby TT. TT herself then went on to run with her own crowd of mares. She did not get any negative press, just understanding and good wishes for next time. How about that TT?
signofthetimes; President Texas Chapter RNC
Dear Max,
Some might say that is why Frankel “tears up his stall” feed bucket and
all.
HA HA HA !!!!!
judy berube from Rhode Island
Dear Max, Sign and Z Fans:
Love your reminders of TT’s independence and Frankel’s exuberance. Hugs, JB
Suzanne Metzinger
Maybe one of the last pics together. It is a very precious one. As always thx for all the updates
Max
Dynaformer fans. More news of Big D’s boy, Point of Entry. We have to keep track of these guys. And the fillies.
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/71363/point-of-entry-could-be-dynaformers-heir
judy berube from Rhode Island
Dear Max:
Thanks for this article on Point of Entry. Will look forward to see how he goes. Hugs, JB
Ann
Max, thanks very much. You are making Big D. proud,by keeping us informed w/ his family!
Eileen
I think it is very sad that as a male little Z, especially if he becomes a breeding stallion,will never have the horsy affection he has now from Zenny. He seems like an affectionate little guy. Once a stallion he will have his own paddock and no friends wit him to visit with. Correct me if I am wrong.
Kathleen
Not to worry, Eileen. He will have lots of human companions, and maybe a barn dog or cat or two.
signofthetimes; President Texas Chapter RNC
Horses in general do not stay in contact with their “mothers” and “fathers”. They move on to get a job and a loving family and many many many many many friends their owners
introduce them, tooo.
If you watch a horse when one of their friends leaves, it is no big deal, just another
“work day”.
Karen
Thank you for keeping us up-dated on Queen Z and Prince. I’m glad they are in good hands and we appreciate you letting us know what is going on in their lives!
Brenda S..Ontario, Canada
I have absolutely no doubt that the weaning will go very smoothly. Mr. and Mrs. Moss placed Zenny at Lane’s End for one reason – they knew it was the best place for her and Zenny has never had anything but the best. She is living in the lap of equine luxury surrounded by people who love her and 12Z. We should all be so lucky!!!
Jan S. / Houston, TX
Thanks Brenda. :):)
Ann
Yes indeed Brenda!
signofthetimes; President Texas Chapter RNC
Very true Brenda !!
HeidiK (Vallejo, Ca)
Whoa, why so many negative comments? My family bred and raised quarterhorses and paints and we always weaned between 5-6 months. After awhile apart from one another, they move right along. It’s not that big of a deal like some are saying. I had a OTTB mare that was in foal when I got her, after the colt was about 4 1/2 months, we had to wean him because, he was so big and taking a lot out of my mare. Again, no big deal!
Lanes End and the Mosses have always done right by Zenny and the Prince so, what makes anyone think this would be any different? Cash Cow?? You have got to be kidding me!!! The Mosses are not Reddam!
Terry Crow GP
I wish the Mosses owned me.
judy berube from Rhode Island
Dear TC GP:
If they did, you could come with Max and me and live at Lane’s End. We’ve been marveling at what a great place that would be to call home. Hugs, JB
Max
TC. JudyB is right. Life is good for all at Lane’s End.
signofthetimes; President Texas Chapter RNC
Would that not be great to be owned by The Mosses and live at
beautiful Lanes End a horse and human paradise ????
signofthetimes; President Texas Chapter RNC
Me, too.
judy berube from Rhode Island
Dear Sign:
Absolutely. Hugs, JB
Ann
Me Three? I promise to behave,really!
signofthetimes; President Texas Chapter RNC
Ann,
It would be no fun if you “behaved”.
Elaine
If the foal is taking a lot out of the mare then you give the mare more food. My mare got as much as she needed to keep weight on. All horses are individuals just like all people. Some mothers get tired of being mothers and others really hate to let their babies go. Zenyatta and her foal stick so close together and seem so fond of each other I would not separate them from each other until they said it was time. Human convenience should not take precedence over horse happiness. Horses have the same feelings people do.
signofthetimes; President Texas Chapter RNC
Unfortunately, Elaine, horses have feeling that are communicated in very different ways, they do not have or display any type of human emotion. They display their own emotions is very different ways.
Zenny has enjoyed her foal and will enjoy her next one, that is the way she is
very happy and enjoys life no matter what she is doing. Team Z, both Lanes
End and Barn 55 speak very good “horse language” that is why she appear human, but she is not.