IF you are breeding to sell your foal then your annual profit will most likely come down to two or three hours at an auction on one day in the autumn.

This makes it crucial that your foal is looking the best it can be on that day. The thought that a customer will give a decent price for a diamond in the rough is a thing of the past. Today’s client wants it all! When I am looking to purchase a horse of any age it has to give a sharp first impression because when I come to sell it I want it to catch the client’s eye just as it caught mine.

Foals can be quite difficult to produce well for a sale as there is a limited amount of grooming that can be done. If your foal is not looking well three weeks before the sale day the chances are it won’t be looking well at the auction.

To have your foal at its prime I believe the secret is to start preparation early. How early? I would say at conception.

A well-kept mare will nourish and develop her foal in utero much better than a poorly kept mare. If your mare is underweight before her last three months of gestation then it will be very difficult to get her gaining weight to a sufficient degree.

Most mares will maintain good condition without hard feed if their dentition is maintained, they are deloused and dewormed appropriately.

However, in the three months prior to foaling it is best to start supplementing with hard feed. I frequently see physically weak limbed foals born from mares in poor condition and I believe that a lot of horses with weak hocks and curbs were carried by such mares. I worm all my mares the day they foal as this helps prevent worm larvae being passed to the newly born foal from the mare.

It’s hugely important that worming of the mare and foal is kept up to date until the sale date.

I usually wouldn’t introduce creep feed to the foals until four weeks before the auction but all my mares receive about 3kg of course ration daily at grass. This will encourage better milk yield and, in turn, benefit the foal. The foals will eat some alongside the mares, the intake won’t be much but it will mean the foal will be better adjusted when creep is introduced.

I dose any foals that are going to auctions with ivermectin four weeks before the auction and then again two weeks prior. I believe this puts a much better sheen on their coats.

PERFORMANCE PEDIGREE

Selling your foal will be largely based on pedigree and it is imperative that you are fully aware of all its successful relatives, what they have done and who is competing them. ‘Competing successfully abroad’ means absolutely nothing in today’s market.

We have some excellent databases nowadays such as CapallOir, Horse and Breeder and Horse Telex, which can help with your research but none of these can be expected to have all of the information all of the time. It’s good to do your own research as well. Make sure you can locate a performance record to verify any performance in you foal’s pedigree.

I would recommend leaveing foals on their dams going to auction as they will show themselves off better when they are let loose and they will have the benefit of milk and hard feed for nutrition. It’s a good idea to put a rug on your foal for one week prior to sale as it will prevent them getting too hairy and will get their coat to lie down better.

It also helps to make them a bit easier to handle! It’s very important not to use a rug in transit or at the auction as if your foal sweats up it will not be possible to get its coat dry and shining within the day.

I think all foals should be plaited unless they have a very weak neck or they are less than eight weeks old. It does make them look more quality and attractive.

If they go to the auction on their dams you must have the mares turned out equally as well as it creates a better overall picture, which is very important and clients will be inspecting the mother just as much as her foal.

Finally, make sure you have thought about your selling reserve price before you leave home rather than deciding in the final moments before the sale as this often leads to regret. Your reserve should never be based on past costs but more about potential value and potential costs.

Top 5 tips

1. Maintain your mare and foal in consistent good condition from conception.

2Have you foal’s pedigree well researched.

3 Plait your foal.

4Don’t use a rug in transit or on sale day.

5Have considered your selling price in advance.