The training that happens in the weanling year occurs on a foundation of physical health and appropriate nutrition, and deficiencies in either area directly affect the foal's capacity to learn, its energy level, its stress resilience, and its long-term soundness. Understanding the basic nutritional and health care requirements for weanlings is essential for anyone handling and training them.
Nutrition for weanlings must support rapid growth — weanlings grow faster in their first year than at any other period of their lives — without causing the developmental orthopedic diseases including osteochondrosis, physitis, and flexural deformities that are associated with oversupplementation and unbalanced diets. A high-quality forage base appropriate for the foal's age and region, with a foal-specific balanced concentrate fed according to the manufacturer's guidelines for the foal's weight and growth rate, provides the foundation of sound weanling nutrition.
Vaccinations in the weanling year follow a schedule recommended by the veterinarian based on the foal's previous vaccination history (through maternal antibodies and any foal vaccinations), regional disease risk, and use. Core vaccinations — Eastern and Western equine encephalomyelitis, tetanus, West Nile virus, and rabies — are standard for essentially all weanlings in North America. Additional risk-based vaccinations for influenza, rhinopneumonitis, and strangles depend on the foal's exposure risk and competition plans.
Parasites are managed through age-appropriate deworming programs rather than calendar-based worming — working with a veterinarian to establish a fecal egg count-based program is the most effective and responsible approach. Regular farrier care — typically every six to eight weeks during the growth period — monitors and addresses any conformational deviations that develop during rapid growth.