THE beginning of a new year brings with it the excitement of a new crop of foals, hopes are high and thoughts are already turning to sales time.

Breeders put an immense amount of work and finances into ensuring the arrival of healthy viable foals. Next comes the planning for next year with the mares returning for cover and then it is onto approximately six months of foals being foals and growing up with a relatively stress free existence unaware of the importance of these formative months.