Not Putting The Feet Up Yet!

Well the breeding season is over for another year. The boys are having a well-earned rest and the foals are growing well on a good grass coverage.

Courtesy of the fantastic weather we’ve been having down here on the Mornington Peninsula.The humans are catching up on their sleep and everybody is putting their feet up!!! Whoops, that bit was a dream. No time for sitting around, as the next phase in a foal’s life is upon us. First up the foals all need to be branded. As you can imagine, this takes some time and they are done in batches. The foals are branded on their left shoulder with either the Bombora Downs brand, or, if an owner has a registered brand, their brand. On the left shoulder is the year and foal number, this being the order of their birthdates. DNA testing has to be done and then weaning can commence. Now this isn’t a sudden process all done in one day. No, it is over several weeks of careful and patient handling, getting a foal used to a halter and being caught, having their feet picked up and just basically having them learn that being handled by people is a great experience. And they also get to meet their new nanny, a protector and leader once mum has been taken away. So no time for putting the feet up yet.