YEARLING SALES PREPARATION – ART OR SCIENCE?

WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER
Top priced yearling (R2.4 million) at the 2009 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale
(Photo : Summerhill Stud) 

"Please click photo to enlarge..."

Summerhill Stud's Racing & Bloodstock Manager, Kerry Jack, gives us her views on preparing yearlings for the sales ring :

Kerry JackThe National Yearling Sale is held annually in April and is the showcase for the country’s best bred and best conformed young racehorses.  The youngsters are all roughly 18 months of age and are selected by a panel who inspect each nominated horse months in advance and give him/her a physical score as well as a pedigree score. The 500 individuals with the highest scores are accepted and then prepared intensively for 3-4 months leading up to the showcase auction. 

As the saying goes, there are many ways to skin a cat, and in the same way there are many ways to prepare a yearling for a sale.  When buyers have hundreds of horses to sort through and you have literally a few minutes to make an impression, presentation and appearance is vital as it can make the difference between a ‘no sale’ or hundreds of thousands of Rands – sometimes millions.

FEED & SUPPLEMENTS

A well balanced feed is probably the single most important ingredient when preparing a yearling for sale.  Remembering of course that no matter how good your feed is during the months leading up to the auction you cannot straighten legs, improve bone density or change the frame of the horse in a few months.  Proper feeding is obviously important from day dot, that is, from the time of conception.  A balanced diet, good grazing, regular de-worming and farrier work are all essential in the development of an athlete.  You cannot perform miracles leading up to the sale and need to have a solid base to start with.

We never feed more than 2kg per meal as a horse’s digestive system is not designed for large meals, but rather frequent small feeds.  Regular feeding also prevents boredom as the yearling gradually spends more and more time in the stable and less in the paddock.  They are fed 3 meals a day at regular intervals, some 4 meals if necessary.  The colts tend to need more than the fillies and some fillies just need a sniff of food to put on condition.  Good eating hay and clean water are supplied ad lib.

I am not a big fan of supplements and the only thing I add to the feed is oil.  Oil is great for putting on condition and does wonders for their coats.  It is often not very palatable, but if introduced slowly (increased by about 20ml a week) you can eventually feed over a cup of oil per feed with no problem.  Some studs in Australia literally float their feed in oil and swear by it!

Everyone has their own ‘secret recipe’ in giving their horses the edge – anything from raw eggs, Guinness, flowers of sulphur and a whole range of commercial products promising to bulk up muscle and shine coats, but if your horse is in good health and your feed is well balanced these added extras just cause confusion, waste money and may even unbalance your ration.  For those who take a little longer to adjust to the changes in their routine anti-ulcer medication and probiotics can be helpful.

EXCERCISE, DISCIPLINE & GADGETS

A walker is an invaluable tool in conditioning yearlings for sales as it builds muscle and teaches them to walk well.  There are many gadgets used to teach a horse to carry him/herself correctly and build muscles in the correct places, but my gadget of choice is the neck stretcher.  All the youngsters go on the walker with a neck stretcher correctly fitted and gradually work up to 50 minutes of walking .  The speed is steadily increased so that they learn to stride out without trotting.  Buyers are impressed with a good walking yearling as a good walk often translates into a good gallop.  Some horses are naturally good walkers, but it is something that can be taught or at least improved on.  Walking in hand is also extremely important as it teaches the horse manners and a good walk around the farm is a change of scenery and prevents boredom.  Walking, standing and turning correctly is practised daily so that by the time they reach the sales it is second nature for both horse and handler. 

INDIVIDUALITY & COMMON SENSE

It’s important to let a horse be a horse and live as naturally as possible for as long as possible so the little critters are pretty wild and woolly when they come in for their sales prep.  The trick is to make the transition from paddock to stable as smoothly and stress free as possible.  Like people, different horses take stresses and changes in routine differently.  Some take anything in their stride while others go off their food and worry for any little change.  Most times it’s not rocket science, but treating each horse individually - a bit of common sense and attention to detail goes a long way.