OVER the last four years, Liz Joscelyne has focused her efforts predominantly on producing horses for the sales, getting busier and busier each year, and the success of her efforts can be seen in the recent host of top results from horses she has consigned - seven winners from 10 sales horses sold.

Joscelyne has 20 years’ experience working and learning from some very experienced horse people including Susan Hogan, Goffs agent Ros Easom, Bobby Donworth of Roundhill Stud and Adrian Costello of Clenagh Castle Stud, who Joscelyne credits as being her main mentor.

Rossamilan, a six-year-old gelding by Milan who won his maiden at a point-to-point in Portrush last month, was where it all began for Joscelyne, who acquired the horse as a foal and sold him as a yearling. He sold for €6,000 at the 2012 Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale to current owner Laura McAleese.

Joscelyne went on to consign three horses at the 2014 Goffs Land Rover Sale, all of which have won.

St Stephens Green and Someone’s Opera both won on their latest starts. The former, a six-year-old gelding by Diamond Green, made €18,000, he is trained by Emmet Mullins and won a maiden last month in Dundalk after some success as a four and five-year-old in bumpers. The latter, a six-year-old mare by Mahler, made €8,000 and has since won a maiden at Monksgrange point-to-point. Finally, What A Game sold for €20,000 and won a handicap hurdle last year at Cartmel.

In 2015 Joscelyne consigned both Geneva Barracks, who won on his latest start in the Guinness Maiden Hurdle at Down Royal, and Ask Paddy, who has had three recent wins over hurdles. The former belonged to Joscelyne’s vet, Bill Murphy, and sold for €15,000 at the Tattersalls Derby Sale and the latter sold for €8,000 at the Goffs Land Rover Sale.

ENTRY CRITERIA

So what is Liz Joscelyne’s secret to success?

One of the fundamental learnings Joscelyne took from her time spent working with others in the industry was to listen, see as much as you can, always ask for advice and work as hard as you can.

She also learned to treat every horse as an individual and prepare them in a way that best suited their individual needs. Respect and attention to detail are key, according to Joscelyne.

Joscelyne recommends preparing horses at least six to eight weeks in advance of the sales - this is the ideal. “Foals which are born at Rathcannon House Stud would be well handled from the outset and this early handling saves on time and effort when it comes to prepping for the sales. If foals are well handled they will only require a small bit of walking each day,” explained Joscelyne.

“When it comes to yearling prep, I spend approximately 20 minutes lunging the horses before walking them in hand, then they are turned out for the day. This allows the horses to develop and mature without being pushed too hard.

“Three-year-olds require more work and attention. People purchasing three-year-olds want horses that are hardy and that are ready to be saddled and ridden away. Three-year-old horses would be familiar with the bit and bridle so I begin by putting the roller on them and then attach side reins when they have become accustomed to the roller. I hand walk and long-rein them then also to develop their top-line and overall strength.

“Depending on the horse, a typical daily workout for a three-year-old might include 20-25 minutes of lunging in the roller and side-reins and/or 15-20 minutes driving or hand walking. It’s all very slow work, there is no fast work involved. I really believe you can see the difference, at the sales, between a horse that has been long-reined and one that hasn’t.

“The main thing is to keep an eye on the horse’s condition, you want them to build-up muscle, so some need more work than others.”

Liz Joscelyne will be taking on a small number of horses for the upcoming National Hunt sales. For more information contact Liz by emailing:

joscelyneliz@gmail.com

Liz Joscelyne’s TIPS FOR SALE SUCCESS

1Obviously it all comes down to the preparation you put in leading up to the sale, but how you show the horse at the sales is also very important. Make sure you have assessed your horse in walk and trot, what gait shows them to their fullest potential? If your horse has a good walk then let him walk forward and use himself. If your horse has a nice trot stride then show potential buyers a trot.

2Three-year-olds need to represent the best version of themselves at the sales. They should be well plaited and should show themselves well. This can make all the difference. Turnout really is of the utmost importance. When I am plaiting I always use white bands on dark manes to accentuate the horse’s outline.

3At the pre-parade ring you have a final chance to catch a potential buyer’s eye. Your horse may have been overlooked up until this point based on their pedigree but now you have an opportunity to get more interest. So make sure you arrive to the pre-parade ring in plenty of time.

4Remember, every time you are asked to show the horse is an important one. If your horse shows themselves badly, you could potentially lose that customer because there are so many horses to choose from.

5Have your showing plan worked out and practised well in advance. Choose where you are going to stand up and show your horse for buyers at the sale wisely. If you have help on the day make sure they follow the same plan and are familiar with how you have trained your horses to show. It can make the sale of a horse.