Hi. As you probably know I have 4 ponies but in reality I have 1 plus 3, the family. Max is the 1. He's 5 years the oldest, now 14 & has cushings but I believe what sets him apart from the rest is not being family, literally. Most domesticated equines never meet their fathers. Actually, their mothers don't 'meet' their stallion in the accepted, wild sense either. Stallions are valuable & are kept away from the dangers of injury that come from herd living. Also, it's humanly convenient & financially beneficial - stallions can cover up to 3 mares a day with more predictable birth dates for their offspring ( important in the racing industry). Artificial insemination allows the possibility of 'global' breeding without the prohibitive cost of equine travel. Many foals are forcibly weaned at 4-6 months & never see their mothers again. I use the term forcibly as 'not from choice' rather than to mean a violent episode. Separation allows the foals to be sold. Kirk was naturally weaned at 11 months - I came to the field that February morning, 3 months before Holy Moley was born, to have Kirk come to me for comfort. I guess he was saying "It's a cold, frosty morning but Mum won't let me have my nice warm drink". Holy Moley was forcibly weaned at 6 months when we lost Bella to a long term, well managed injury. The family clearly grieved her loss, staying with her corpse for well over an hour whereas Max stayed away until they finally wandered off, together. He then came over, walked around her twice, sniffed the body & looked at me as if to say "She's dead"! Then he walked away - less than a minute. Humphrey was always a really gentle boy, even when entire. He played a crucial role in helping Bella to raise their youngsters. Yes, they are closely bonded but not only to each other but also to me. I have been a part of their lives every day since Humphrey joined us in July 2010. The youngsters are confident, very easy to work with & learn with great enthusiasm. They love human visitors & all things new & exciting. However, horse lovers can't all have the luxury of an equine family & mine can only stay together because all the boys are gelded. In the wild the youngsters leave the herd, eventually, to start their own families. If we want horses to be in our lives then breeding needs to be managed or individuals must be removed from the wild herd. In my view, the best option is for those of us who deal with equines to bear in mind that the vast majority come from, effectively, a broken home. They have, to a greater or lesser degree, suffered trauma at the hands of humans. They deserve to be treated with respect & consideration. They are all very much individuals, with greatly varying needs & it is our responsibility to strive to meet those needs. Cheers, Jo.

There are always new people on here who have alot of questions & rightly so. I am sure there are also people on here who think raising foals are totally easy and really do not know anything about this subject.Also who wouldn't ask questions which I think are legit, mainly because of embarassment. So many young people have come to me asking all kinds of questions about this subject. I used to work on a Q.H Farm here where we live they always used artificial insemination, a cousin does things naturally to each his own.I do thank-you Jo for all your input on this subject,very much appreciated!! Just thought some lessons  in these areas would be helpful to some who wouldn't ask Monty about this subject.