I couldn't spell prepping or preping. Some of us hi-jacked another thread and we thought we should start a new thread on getting yearlings ready for sales. Lets start with the ground rule that we all can have differing opinions and its ok. What works for one may not work for another.
My Questions:
When do you start on them?
How long they in stalls?
What does a finished or polished yearling look like?
Could I bring in a yearling in late July and sell him in Sept.
Sales Yearlings Questions
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Jenny
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A friend of mine went to the Keeneland sale a couple of years ago and asked one of the grooms. How do you get your horses looking so good and muscled with top line? He replied " These guys were out in a field 60 days ago." He went on to tell her that they live out in big pastures until approx 60 days before the sale then they bring them in, and start working on them. He said the main thing is they walk them for 30 mins, 2 times per day and that is what makes them look muscled. Also good feed and lots of grooming. That is just what one guys told her.
Sounds plausible to me.
My yearlings look really good and I don't do anything with them. They do live inside and are fed well. I am not putting any through the sale so I have no reason to get then ready for anything. They will get broke however this fall.
Good luck to everyone selling anything this year.
Sounds plausible to me.
My yearlings look really good and I don't do anything with them. They do live inside and are fed well. I am not putting any through the sale so I have no reason to get then ready for anything. They will get broke however this fall.
Good luck to everyone selling anything this year.
Roger, thanks for starting up another thread! Have you noticed that TB Times has run articles on prepping weanlings in the last two issues? Slightly different approach because they're younger and because of the time of year it's done, but still good for getting some ideas.
In answer to your questions, our yearlings start prep in early July for the Sept. sale. That means they're in a stall with a fan during the hottest part of the day (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and out at night. A "finished" yearling looks fit, well muscled, and very very shiny.
In answer to your questions, our yearlings start prep in early July for the Sept. sale. That means they're in a stall with a fan during the hottest part of the day (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and out at night. A "finished" yearling looks fit, well muscled, and very very shiny.
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ratherrapid
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Roger, i think its a good and interesting thread. i'd like to see it under "Sales" category though. would be interesting if different breeders post specifically how they prepare their youngsters and also those raising youngsters to race instead of sell. unknown if many are willing to do this, but, I found the account of the Tapit filly that just sold for $130,000last year very informative!
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serenarider
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I will step up to the plate on this topic;) I prep weanlings broodmares and yearlings for the sales.
weanlings- 60 day prep starting before the sale. For the weanlings they are all out at night and in during the day with fans. So we put them out at 6pm and they come back in at 7 am. When they are in we groom, bath, and hand walk 2 times a day to build muscle. We never put them in a euro walker like some people and we never put them on a walker. Making them go around in a circle is to hard on there joints imho. Plus the hand walking gives them manners and lots of attention;) They do get 2 supplements in there grain.
Yearlings- same as above the only thing we add to there program is we pony them 1 time a day with hand walking 1 time a day.
Broodmares- Same as above but they do not pony and we do not hand walk them. We do teach them how to stand up to be showed.
weanlings- 60 day prep starting before the sale. For the weanlings they are all out at night and in during the day with fans. So we put them out at 6pm and they come back in at 7 am. When they are in we groom, bath, and hand walk 2 times a day to build muscle. We never put them in a euro walker like some people and we never put them on a walker. Making them go around in a circle is to hard on there joints imho. Plus the hand walking gives them manners and lots of attention;) They do get 2 supplements in there grain.
Yearlings- same as above the only thing we add to there program is we pony them 1 time a day with hand walking 1 time a day.
Broodmares- Same as above but they do not pony and we do not hand walk them. We do teach them how to stand up to be showed.
Roger, I pulled up some pictures from last year to try and illustrate what I was talking about in the other thread. The purpose of prepping yearlings for the sales is not to make them fat, it's to make them sleek and fit and toned. This is a picture of a yearling filly we sold last year. It was taken in June, straight out of the pasture:
This is the same filly, 2 months later, ready to go to the sale:
If anything, she's thinner than she was earlier, but she's gained muscle and definition.
This is the same filly, 2 months later, ready to go to the sale:
If anything, she's thinner than she was earlier, but she's gained muscle and definition.
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Strategic Maneuver
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Mood Swings
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I started prepping in May for the September sales. I would rather not have to panic come July or August if a horse is too thin because by then you do not have enough time to get the weight on. Some horses can come out of a field looking like a million bucks - I like those 
The "kids" I am prepping are on night TO and come in during the day with fans on. The colts are on individual TO and the fillies are together. I handwalk them because I agree with serenarider that it is better for them physically and they learn manners Good feed is so important. If the horses being prepped are happy and healthy everything else is easy IMO. I will post pictures when they top the sale, hehe 
The "kids" I am prepping are on night TO and come in during the day with fans on. The colts are on individual TO and the fillies are together. I handwalk them because I agree with serenarider that it is better for them physically and they learn manners Good feed is so important. If the horses being prepped are happy and healthy everything else is easy IMO. I will post pictures when they top the sale, hehe "People come and go but horses leave hoofprints on your heart"
Thanks for the compliments!
The point I was trying to make is that when it's done right sales prep is supposed to enhance the yearling's natural attributes, not create something that doesn't exist through unnatural means. A large portion of the yearlings in central Kentucky look just like mine. They grow up living mostly outside in big groups in huge pastures with great grass. They run, they play, they eat, they sleep, and they get muscular and sleek all on their own.
Here's a colt we'll be selling this year. Picture was taken in late May, again right out of the pasture. It'll be interesting to see what he looks like post-sales prep.
The point I was trying to make is that when it's done right sales prep is supposed to enhance the yearling's natural attributes, not create something that doesn't exist through unnatural means. A large portion of the yearlings in central Kentucky look just like mine. They grow up living mostly outside in big groups in huge pastures with great grass. They run, they play, they eat, they sleep, and they get muscular and sleek all on their own.
Here's a colt we'll be selling this year. Picture was taken in late May, again right out of the pasture. It'll be interesting to see what he looks like post-sales prep.
LB wrote:Thanks for the compliments!
The point I was trying to make is that when it's done right sales prep is supposed to enhance the yearling's natural attributes, not create something that doesn't exist through unnatural means. A large portion of the yearlings in central Kentucky look just like mine. They grow up living mostly outside in big groups in huge pastures with great grass. They run, they play, they eat, they sleep, and they get muscular and sleek all on their own.
Here's a colt we'll be selling this year. Picture was taken in late May, again right out of the pasture. It'll be interesting to see what he looks like post-sales prep.
Is he related to the filly above? They look so much alike!
"I've never trained a horse in my life, the horses have trained me"-2006 BC Juvie Winner & 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense's trainer Carl Nafzger
gotpaints wrote:Is he related to the filly above? They look so much alike!
They are only very minimally related (different sires, different dams, different families.) The only thing they have in common is that the filly is 4 x 5 to Nearctic and the colt is 5 x 5 to Nearctic, and both dams are from the Storm Bird sireline.
They are nice babies. How did the filly sale and has she started yet. I really like the colt, I like his rear a lot more than the filly's rump. It looks like you had to take a few pounds off the filly and the colt looks like you might need to add a few to him to get him sold, but he looks great to me. Please keep us updated on these two. I do have to admit that your babies are only a little fat coming out of the pasture and they should train on. Great pictures, can you tell us the names of their sire and dam.
The filly sold for $140,000 and she's training at Saratoga. Hopefully she'll have her first start there. She's by Vindication. The colt is by More Than Ready, and I don't think we'll be adding any weight to him, just some muscle and definition. (I'm surprised actually that you think he'd need more weight to sell.)
Pictures are not a good source to judge a horse's condition, but it looks like there might be a little bone showing in the hip, he looks a little shallow back there compared to the filly, but his bone structure is great! Again, I'm looking a picture and I'm not a yearling buyer and you seem to know your business very well. Do keep us updated. The filly's rump looks like a Nasrulla line rear-in to me.