Foal Behavior by Nathan Coffman

Q: Why is "cute" foal behavior dangerous?

Per Nathan Coffman: it doesn't disappear with age—it becomes ingrained adult behavior. Nibbling, mouthing, pushing, and crowding are tolerable on a 200-lb foal but dangerous on a 1,200-lb adult. The behavior persists even as the size makes it problematic.

Q: Should I correct a foal the same way I'd correct an adult?

Per Nathan Coffman: yes—scaled to the foal's size and age, but with the same fundamental approach. Inconsistency between foal-level tolerance and adult-level expectations confuses the horse and creates the very habits you'll spend years trying to break later.

Q: What are the most important foal manners to install?

Per Nathan Coffman: leading on a slack rope, picking up feet, accepting a halter, standing tied, accepting handling all over the body, and respecting personal space. Each becomes much harder to install at age 5 than at age 5 months.

Q: When is too early to start training?

Per Nathan Coffman: foundational manners can begin within days of birth—imprint training, early halter introduction, gentle handling. Avoid intensive training that taxes a young foal physically or mentally; focus instead on consistent gentle expectations that shape behavior naturally.

Q: Can I fix a spoiled foal?

Per Nathan Coffman: yes, but it's harder than preventing the spoiling in the first place. Once the bad habit is installed, retraining requires re-establishing the boundaries. Several months of consistent work usually corrects most foal-stage problems before they cement into adult-stage problems.

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DON’T “Baby” Your Horse Baby By Nathan Coffman

Be Aware that your Foal Behavior Could Become Your Adult Horse Behavior!

Most all of us have had the opportunity to visit with those cute little things we call foals, and some of us have even had the opportunity to raise one or more. At this age it is hard to imagine that these innocent little saints could possibly do anything wrong. Especially when everything they do is just so “cute”. Unfortunately, it is easy to fall victim to their antics. We need to be sure that we see this behavior as no different than an older horse. Just as we know that a little child is developing his or her tendencies at such a young age, so too is our foal. As with that child, our foal is going to grow and get bigger and become tougher to handle due to it’s size. Habits formed at this age can be tough to break. So, what can we do?

First, and most importantly, we need to look at our foal as though it were a full-grown horse. By seeing him in this way we will begin to put his behavior in a different perspective. When a full-grown horse attempts to nibble on us, it certainly isn’t as cute and we certainly don’t tolerate like we do with a young one. If we don’t want an adult horse doing this, then why would we let our baby do this and expect him to simply stop at some point because he is now an adult.

Secondly, when correcting them for these mistakes they might make, we need to use the same correction we would on that adult horse. There, simply, can be no excuse for those behaviors we affectionately call playful as a youngster, but misbehavior as an adult. So next time you’re enjoying spending time with your foal and he does something other than what you want, ask yourself, “is this something I would allow or even want my horse, as an adult, to be doing?” It is perfectly acceptable to expect the same good behavior from our foal as we do from our grown horse. They all grow up, and quite quickly at that, so don’t waste anytime in instilling this good foundation and enjoy them while they’re still “Cute”.

Key Article Takeaways

Per Nathan Coffman: foal behavior becomes adult horse behavior—"cute" doesn't last, the habit does.
View foals as full-grown horses when correcting behavior—same standards apply.
Nibbling is endearing on a 200-lb foal; it's dangerous on a 1,200-lb gelding.
Use the same correction you'd use on an adult horse, scaled to the foal's size.
Habits formed at birth are habits at age 5—break them at the foal stage, not later.

Questions readers commonly ask:

Why is "cute" foal behavior dangerous?

Per Nathan Coffman: it doesn't disappear with age—it becomes ingrained adult behavior. Nibbling, mouthing, pushing, and crowding are tolerable on a 200-lb foal but dangerous on a 1,200-lb adult. The behavior persists even as the size makes it problematic.

Should I correct a foal the same way I'd correct an adult?

Per Nathan Coffman: yes—scaled to the foal's size and age, but with the same fundamental approach. Inconsistency between foal-level tolerance and adult-level expectations confuses the horse and creates the very habits you'll spend years trying to break later.

What are the most important foal manners to install?

Per Nathan Coffman: leading on a slack rope, picking up feet, accepting a halter, standing tied, accepting handling all over the body, and respecting personal space. Each becomes much harder to install at age 5 than at age 5 months.

When is too early to start training?

Per Nathan Coffman: foundational manners can begin within days of birth—imprint training, early halter introduction, gentle handling. Avoid intensive training that taxes a young foal physically or mentally; focus instead on consistent gentle expectations that shape behavior naturally.

Can I fix a spoiled foal?

Per Nathan Coffman: yes, but it's harder than preventing the spoiling in the first place. Once the bad habit is installed, retraining requires re-establishing the boundaries. Several months of consistent work usually corrects most foal-stage problems before they cement into adult-stage problems.