Q: What do I need to know about my yearling?
A: A yearling is a colt or filly between the ages of one and two years old. These horses aren’t foals anymore, but they also haven’t quite reached adolescence yet.
Characteristics
Yearlings are most likely fully weaned and independent of their mothers. They sleep less and spend more of their rest time standing rather than lying down. Play is essential at this time, as is interaction with other horses. Youngsters are inquisitive and enjoy mouthing anything they can find in their pastures or stables. Balls and other safe horse toys can satisfy their curiosity. These young horses need room to move so they can exercise and grow up strong. This period is also a time of rapid growth, so appropriate nutrition is important. It is possible to overfeed a young horse, so care must be taken not to encourage too rapid growth, which can lead to joint problems. A youngster should be on the lean side rather than carrying a lot of weight.
NOTE: Care needs to be taken to keep colts separate from mares in heat. Some colts start showing an interest in mares at a very young age, and some particularly precocious colts may be able to impregnate a mare successfully.
Training
During this time, the young horse should continue learning to be handled, lead quietly and stand for the vet and farrier. Short training periods to teach good ground manners while a horse is young will make your life easier later on.
NOTE: A horse under two years old is too young to start ‘work’, and any ‘work’ done at this time risks causing serious damage to the developing body.
Did you know?
As your yearling comes close to his second birthday, you may hear people refer to him as a ‘long yearling’.