Q. I'm interested in buying a weanling, but I have no idea how to raise one. I also don't know how much an untried weanling would cost. I want to buy this weanling, but I need information about weanlings first!

A. Oh boy, you're looking at taking a tremendous risk and investing a huge amount of time and money in a baby for what reason? Are you thinking this will be a less expensive way to acquire a horse than to buy an older, already trained animal? Not so! Although the baby might cost less initially (the cost of a weanling could vary from less than $100 for a grade pony foal to tens of thousands of dollars or more for a well-bred, potential show animal), the ongoing expenses involved in raising a foal to riding age can be astronomical. Not only can babies be particularly accident-prone (resulting in potentially enormous vet bills), but they require specialized, expensive diets, very safe stabling and fencing, regular and frequent farrier care (perhaps including costly corrective work), and numerous vaccinations. This will go on for several years before you have to face the considerable additional expense of having this animal professionally trained - that is assuming the youngster hasn't already caused himself some sort of injury that results in a marginally useful future. Then there's always the possibility this foal may develop into a beast with a poor attitude or way of going that makes him unsuitable for your needs anyway. Perhaps you want a trail horse, and this baby grows up into an animal that forever spooks at every shadow behind every tree. Perhaps you want a hunter, and this animal has taken a vow never to lift more than one hoof off the ground at a time. Maybe he'll just mature too tall or not tall enough. The fact is, a weanling is an unknown quantity even under the most studied conditions.

And we haven't yet discussed the fact that beyond all these financial considerations, a weanling will require a HUGE amount of your time! I can't begin to teach you all you will have to know to raise a baby safely and successfully. You must understand, though, that every instant you spend with a young horse is training time. He will be learning from every interaction with you from day one. How you handle him as a weanling will have a lasting effect on his attitude and manageability as an adult. If you screw up the formative months and years, there may be no trainer that can undo the damage.

Am I trying to talk you out of buying this weanling? You bet! They're not toys, these very big babies, and unless you know what you're doing, the potential for serious injury to both you and the weanling is great. However, if you're still committed to bringing this animal into your family, here are a few books you should read before taking on this overwhelming responsibility:

Resistance-Free Training the Weanling by Richard Shrake

Early Learning by Robert M. Miller, DVM

Foal to Five Years by Ann Hyland