Have all weanlings WEANED. The weaning process is stressful for mother and foal. Regardless of who is going to go through the ring in November, they will need time to recover. Foals tend to lose condition and develop that “just weaned pot-belly” look. This is best remedied with time and the use of products such as Equibuilder (available through Bluegrass Equine Products, Inc. 859-381-9242) or Bodybuilder equivalent available through KBC International (859-253-9669).

Start your weanlings on Rice bran oil (available from McCauley’s 859-873-333 or 800-222-8635). Build up to approximately 2 ounces per day.

Keep all sale horses, whether mares or weanlings, out of the sun during these last hot summer days. Turn out after 6:00 pm and have them in the barn by 8:00 am. It is very important to do this until the days cool down and the possibility of a sunburn coat has passed. Your horse’s hair coat is the barometer that buyers use of his health.

Start leading your weanlings to and from the field with chifney bits in, (you might want to start with the shank out of the ring until your horse learns to accept the bit). Another way to introduce the chifney is during daily grooming. It’s very important that your weanling is well schooled in a chifney before he comes to the sale. How he shows himself will directly affect the dollars he generates.

Develop a good brisk walk to and from the field.

Start picking your weanling’s feet every day. We suggest painting your horse’s feet 3-4 times a week during this dry period with a moisturizing hoof care product.

If your sale horse’s mane is not laying over on the correct side, ie. the right side or off side, begin to wet it over during each grooming session and if necessary braid it to the right.
 

Begin to draw blood for Coggins and EVA. Only one horse per form, title Coggins and EVA by property line (consignor). Use dam and sire’s name, no nicknames please.

Connect the chain on the shank through the halter and chifney ring. Make sure your halter is properly adjusted.

Start grooming your sale horses on a daily basis. Bath at least once a week.

Start practicing showing daily of your weanlings. I would like your horse to show in an open stance, with the off front leg slightly behind the near front leg. The near hind leg is behind the off leg.

Start walking your weanlings 15 minutes per session and work up to 30 minutes per day. Develop a good brisk walk, remembering to stay at your horses shoulder. Try to use any hills available, this is good for hip and gaskin development.

Generally your sale mares won’t require any walking to get fit. They just need to look the picture of maternal health. If your mare is a breeding/or racing prospect that is another matter. Generally these horses appeal to two types of buyers: those that hope to get few more races from a filly and those looking for maiden mares to breed. Then the level of fitness your horse has coming into the sale matters. This is something we can discuss on a case by case basis.

Trim feet regularly to keep them from chipping or cracking. This is especially important during the current dry conditions so many of us are experiencing. Consult with us and/or your blacksmith to see if there are any issues that might warrant trimming your weanling on a two week schedule.
 

Depending upon the weather, start leaving your sale horses in during the night and out during the day. Once it’s dark by 7:00 pm, put your sale horses under lights in the barn until 10:00 pm. This tricks mother nature a little and helps maintain a slick hair coat. If necessary, put blankets on your sale horses. Please send the blankets with your horse to the sale. We will label them with your hip number and have them bagged up with your halter after your horse has sold for you to pick up.

Please discuss pulling and trimming your sale horses with us prior to doing so. We prefer a small bridle path, about 2 inches wide. All muzzle hair removed and the under jaw hairs removed as well. Depending on your horse during the winter sales, it’s not necessary to totally clean their ears out with the clippers. Only the hairs protruding from the ears need to be tidied up. A good rule of thumb regarding manes is to measure the mane the length of a dollar bill. Then if necessary we can pull it shorter. If you have any questions or are unable to clip and pull your horse prior to shipping, we can take care of this at the sale grounds for you.
 

EVA, COGGINS, STALLION SERVICE CERTIFICATES DUE TO
SALES COMPANY.

REMINDER: PREGNANCY AND “CLEAN AND SOUND” TESTS MUST BE DONE AND RESULTS TURNED IN TO SALES COMPANY WITHIN 10 DAYS
OF YOUR MARE OR BROODMARE PROSPECT SALES DATE.

REMINDER: X-RAYS FOR WEANLINGS MUST BE TAKEN WITHIN 15 DAYS OF ITS SALE DATE AND TURNED INTO REPOSITORY AT LEAST 3 DAYS PRIOR TO SELLING DATE.
 

Our office will notify you prior to the sale with exact ship dates and time and barn to ship to.

If you’re shipping a long distance a box stall is suggested. Have your horse oiled and if coming from out of state, a health certificate done prior to shipping. Wrap your halter with either sheepskins or flannels to protect from rubbings. Put identification or a shipping tag on your horse.

 We suggest you ship with an attendant.
 

grains
A 14-16% protein feed is recommended, either pellets or a sweet feed/oats mix. Base the amount of feed on weekly evaluations of your horse’s weight through visual inspection or weighing.Start on rice bran oil; build up to 2 ounces per feeding. Lactobacillus cultures are a good addition to the diet, found in products like Fast Track and Pro Bios. The addition of fat to the diet is suggested to improve coat condition and weight and rice bran oil is a good example.