PONY Q&A

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 and ponies aren’t foals anymore, but they also haven’t quite reached adolescence (their teenage years!) 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 and ponies. 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 and ponies 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 or pony, and 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.

TRAINING

During this time, the young horse or pony 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 or pony is young will make your life easier later on.

NOTE: A pony or 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’.

Q: What are the signs I need to call a dentist for my pony?

A: Ideally, your pony’s teeth should be checked by a dentist at least once a year and, better yet, every six months. In between these appointments, look out for the following signs that suggest you might need the dentist to come look at your pony sooner than your next scheduled appointment:

• Quidding: Quidding is when a pony spits out balls of hay he has already chewed. A pony that quids is not chewing his food properly. This can cause the pony to lose condition as his full nutritional needs are not being met.

• Weight loss: If your pony is struggling to chew, he cannot extract all of the good nutrition he needs from fibrous feeds such as grass or hay. Bad teeth can therefore contribute to weight loss and also result in your pony being prone to choke and impaction colic.

• Slow eating: If your pony has broken teeth, infected gums, sore cheeks or any other pain in the mouth caused by dental problems, he may chew his food very slowly. This can lead to weight loss and poor nutrition, especially if the pony is rushed when eating, by, for example, other ponies wanting to steal his food.

• Spilling food: A pony that eats by spilling or throwing concentrate feed may be anxious about his food and want to prevent it from getting removed or stolen. Alternatively, he may struggle to hold the grain in his mouth and chew.

• Bad odour: If there is a bad smell coming from your pony’s mouth or nose, you should ask your dentist to check for an infection in the mouth.

• Drooling: Ponies may drool after having eaten plants containing fungi or other irritating substances, or something might be embedded in the gums or under the tongue. Alternatively, some ponies drool because they have a dental problem.

• Sinus discharge: A small trickle of clear fluid is normal from your pony’s nose, but a running nose with thicker liquid can be a sign of a sinus or dental infection.

• Dehydration: Ponies with bad dental problems may be hesitant to drink cold water. A lack of water can lead to choke and impaction colic, and difficulty getting all the necessary nutrition from the food.

• Head tossing: There are many reasons why a pony may toss his head, but as tooth problems are a common cause, the teeth should always be checked.

• Head shy: If your pony is head shy and does not want you to touch or groom his face, then a painful dental problem could be the cause.

• Playing with the bit: A pony that fusses with the bit may be reacting to discomfort caused by the bit itself, but in some cases, the issue is actually a dental problem that makes holding onto the bit uncomfortable. Sometimes extra teeth can be a problem, and other times there may be sharp hooks or points that are causing general mouth pain.

• Spooking: Dental pain can cause ponies to become spooky and bolt.