Kathy D. wrote:

>I have discovered that people get just as emotional and dogmatic and
>opinionated (with no backup from research) about horse weaning as they do
>about human weaning.

I remember talking with you about our horses a long time ago.  You have
wild mustangs, right?  We have mostly standardbreds and my husband and I
have been having discussions/debates about weaning for years now.  I keep
pushing for natural weaning, but his biggest reasons for early weaning are
1) he breeds the mares back at 7-10 days pp (Yikes!  Something I don't even
like to think about in human terms! <g>) and doesn't like the foals nursing
too far into a subsequent pregnancy.  Says it takes too much out of the mare.
2)he says the foals are very wild when weaned too late because most mares
won't let you handle the nursing foals.
I keep pushing for extended nursing, but since the horses are mostly his
"thing", I probably won't be getting my way in the near future.  Of course,
I guess that's fair, since he doesn't have much control over the extended
nursing of our children, either.  ;-)

Angie, LLLL in MI
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mommy to Jacob Drew (8/20/92), who weaned 3.5 mos. ago, and
was sad to find out he's now forgotten how to nurse
Joshua Brett (8/6/91 - 9/17/91), Our little angel baby 0:-) who
would have been breastfed
and Shane Justin (3/5/97), my most challenging nurser, but doing
better every day!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~