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Laurelhighland English Rose,
2000 filly out of Guards Blossom by Waverhead Prince II, giving Mary Jean
a "smooch" when just a few hours old.
The Benefits of Imprinting Foals
What is "imprinting"? It is similar to the concept of imprinting ducklings. You know, if the duckling sees you before its mom at birth it will follow you around like its mother?! Imprinting a foal refers to a training technique developed by Dr. Robert Miller, DVM. At the time of birth, foals can absorb more information than at any other time. Lessons learned at this early age can last a lifetime. Imprint training is efficient (a lesson learned in a few minutes at birth can save HOURS of aggravation later if trying to teach an older foal the same thing). It also gentles the foals and prepares them for schooling later. Early exposures to certain stimuli allow the foals to accept the same stimuli later without fear, especially regarding humans. This technique includes doing things like rubbing the foal all over, pulling at ears, putting on halter, pressure on poll, taking a temperature, picking up feet, making loud noises, etc. It works best if you work with the foal as soon as possible after it is born (even before it stands) and then repeat the exercises within the first 24 hours during the "receptive" period, before the "fight or flight" instinct overpowers the foal's natural curiosity and receptiveness. Immediately after birth, the foal at this stage will usually "let you do anything" with little fuss -- of course there is no guarantee Mom won't fuss but she is often too weary at this stage to fret too much! If you don't use the technique within this time frame, it doesn't work. We are believers in this method of training and make every effort to imprint all our foals in a similar fashion. And when you start with a foal like a Friesian or a Fell that has a genetic predisposition to having a nice temperament, the combination is outstanding. With barn camera surveillance, I was able to work with the Fell pony filly shown above within minutes of birth. (She was literally just hitting the ground when I saw she was born on our barn cameras.) I'm sure this early handling established a bond or trust of humans more easily, allowing her to be willing to leave her mom and come over to me anytime I called, even when she was just days old. I'm sure her new owners will attest to the fact that she still seems to prefer to be in a human's "lap" as opposed to anywhere else!
After imprinting, our foals continue to receive daily, individualized care, while also enjoying the additional social benefits of life in a herd. This combination of herd life and positive human interaction provides the foal with the best social skills possible, helping to prepare them for anything life has to offer!
Fell Ponies & Friesians For Sale
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For more information about our breeding stock, see Our Fell Ponies or Our Friesians.
For more
recent updates on our new babies and all of our farm happenings,
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Many of our foals
are reserved before birth if not before conception! Please feel free to
contact
us for pricing information and currently available Fell pony and Friesian
foals and/or weanlings for sale. We occasionally have older stock for
sale. The list
below is not necessarily up-to-date so please contact us directly if you are
interested!
Also, please note that although our foals are in high demand
and are often reserved before birth
for guaranteed sound/healthy foal, the sale is not finalized until foal is born and
guarantee is satisfied. We have taken many years and great care in
selecting top quality breeding stock and take great pride in all of them, and we
fully expect that all of their offspring will live up to the same standard!
Note: Some foals noted below have been
reserved with a gender guarantee (either as fillies or colts) by return
customers. Since we don't know the gender in advance, a few of these could
thus become unexpectedly available after birth if they are born the opposite
gender.
If you are
interested in going on the waiting list for our foals, please
contact us.
All of our Fell pony foundation breeding stock were imported from England.
Laurelhighland Stardust FP71434C*
Castle Hill Dainty X Brackenbank
Romany's Prince
Stunning 2009 Black Colt * Available * (Private Treaty)
Stardust (shown below in winter coat) is black with a small star. He has a
beautiful head and neck and terrific action.
He is very compact but strongly built with great bone
and lots of hair, and is very friendly. Contact us
for more information.
Above Photos: Stardust in March 2010
Below: Stardust in October 2009
Laurelhighland Jasper FP71435C*
(Laurelhighland
Sapphire X Brackenbank Romany's Prince)
Gorgeous
2009 Solid Black Colt - Turning GREY (grey color is rare in Fell ponies) - *
Available * (Private Treaty)
Jasper is a beautiful colt with great bone and lots of feather, and terrific
action. He is very laid back like his mother, Sapphire,
our daughter's riding pony. Contact us
for more information.
(Photos below are as newborn (left) and at approx. 2 weeks (right))
Photos Below: Jasper in March 2010 (His feather was wet from the melting snow and mud, so it is hard to see!)
Laurelhighland Orion (Registration
pending)
Castle Hill Dainty X Brackenbank
Romany's Prince
Beautiful 2010 Black Colt * Available * (Private Treaty)
Orion is named after the constellation "the great hunter". He has a huge Fell trot and tons of hair! See video and photos below on
YouTube!
His foal coat is fawn-colored, like many other black Fell ponies, but he is
shedding out to black.
Sleddale Wild Rose V X Brackenbank Romany's Prince
Due 2010
Ludworth Lady Grey X Brackenbank Romany's Prince
Due 2010
Brackenbank Poppy X Brackenbank Romany's Prince
Due 2010
Sleddale Lib V X Waverhead Model IV
Due 2010
(before conception!)
Lunesdale Rock Rose X Brackenbank Romany's Prince
Due 2010
Lownthwaite Monarch X Brackenbank Romany's Prince
Due 2010
Lune Valley Dolly X Brackenbank Romany's Prince
Due 2010
Not Available
Laurelhighland Lyric X Waverhead Model IV
Due 2010
Laurelhighland Athena X Brackenbank Romany's Prince
Due 2010
All Fell pony foals are imprinted, extensively handled, halter-trained, DNA-tested, microchipped, and registered with the Fell Pony Society (UK).
Sofia vom Lindenbaum* X
Anton 343
*(a.k.a. Sophia Pandora v.L., Star, who was Reserve
Champion Friesian at Dressage at Devon 1999)
"Friso van Laurel"
2009 Colt - FHANA/FPS Reg. #840004200901
Friso is a stunning Friesian stud
colt with a gorgeous head, great temperament, lots of hair and fabulous trot!
His sire is
the famous Anton 343 (shown below) who is well-known for his tremendous amount
of hair and stunning good looks!
(Photos below at approx. 6 weeks of age)
Photos below of Friso in March 2010
Below: Friso's Sire, Anton 343 (Photo - Boiselle Archive)
Friesian foals are imprinted, extensively handled, halter-trained, DNA-tested, and registered.
