Advice on buying a foal

[erinrowan]

Does anyone have have any helpful advice on buying a foal? I'm looking to buy a Connemara for the future and this will be my first youngster. No point suggesting buying an adult as good ones are waaay to expensive!! <font color="purple"> </font>

 

[Montyforever]

I think there cheaper because over time there will be more cost, and more time and effort.

You have to consider the price of gelding (if colt), starting the vacc program, there constantly growing out of rugs, youll have to buy saddles, bridles, rollers ect when the time comes.

And you have aloooot of work to do, or a big expense for someone else to do it!

Hope this helps

 

[Shilasdair]

[ QUOTE ]
Does anyone have have any helpful advice on buying a foal? I'm looking to buy a Connemara for the future and this will be my first youngster. No point suggesting buying an adult as good ones are waaay to expensive!! <font color="purple"> </font>

[/ QUOTE ]

Hmmmm
If you are buying a foal to save money, you are confused!

Work out how many years it will be before you can ride it, then work out livery, farrier, equipment costs (they grow out of rugs/headcollars at lightning speed assuming you rug them), worming, teeth and insurance costsf for the time period. Add vet costs. Then the costs of breaking and schooling. And finally factor in the risk - it may be a git, it may go lame age 3, you may never ride it.
And the result - it will be cheaper and easier for you to buy an older horse now, or save for a while, until you can.
S

 

[Dogstar]

I bought a foal last year and also bred my own in 2000 so would say go for it; it is cheaper than buying a ready made horse -at least if you have your own land and hay and don't mind the wait to ride. Of course there is expense over the years but it is spread out so you don't notice so much! There is a lot to go wrong, but that doesn't mean it is not worth the challenge and enjoyment of buying a foal. When I spoke to my vet about vetting my filly foal she said there wasn't much they could look for at that age, so I didn't bother. I think connemaras are lovely so go for it and good luck!

 

[Toast]

id say do it, only if you have a hell of a lot of patience and the money to spend on a big pet for 3 years. Its rewarding but there will be times where you want to strangle said baby.. If i added up what Harveys cost me over the past year and a half in what i paid for him/insurance/livery/vet/farrier/wormer &amp; rugs (oh the countless rugs).. i could've bought a decent 4 or 5 year old twice over. And by the time i can do anything with him, i could probably have bought 2 more.
I wouldnt swap him for love nor money, but dont assume its the cheaper option because its really not.
x

 

[Rudey]

I agree with Toast here! I bought a 10 month old unhandled colt in January 2009. I didn't appreciate how much time and effort goes into a youngster - I was shocked

People just think you bung them in the field until they are 3 or 4 ready for breaking. Oh god no, blood, sweat and tears, but the results are very rewarding!

I love the fact I was the first person to put a head collar on my youngster. I taught him to lead (from both sides) and to tie up. I gained his trust so I was able to touch him everywhere, groom him and pick out his feet. I taught him to go in the trailer, and when he is really keen he takes himself in *wipes tear from eye* (proud mum moment). I love the fact that I have taken him to shows and successfully been placed when I have winged it knowing jack didderly about showing. The list goes on, but I assure you, the hard work was most definitely worth it!

I look forward to achievements and further progress we will make together this year, knowing that he is my own!

Like any sport/hobby/pet/interest, it can be as expensive or as cheap as YOU make it! If you're looking at getting a conny, rugging to the eye balls shouldn't be necessary. I over humanised my ISH (bay in siggy) and he is a real wuss needing layers of rugs

- hence lesson learnt for my youngster!

FWIW, my youngster is a TB x traditional coloured. The breeders didn't rug him as obviously he was unhandled. By the time I was handling him well, it was warmer months and he didn't need a rug. This year as a yearling, I bought an amigo second hand medium weight rug off ebay for £30 with postage. I only put it on him when it got really cold just before Christmas. It won't fit him for next year no doubt, so I will bang it on ebay as soon as I take it off him.

Go for it! It was the best thing I have ever done! xx

 

[millitiger]

it is much cheaper if you are looking to buy something with a bit of quality to get as a foal.

i guesstimate my youngsters cost £1000/year so add on £3-4k to the cost as foal and you should get your 4yro 'value.'

obviously less if you have land at home or very cheap livery!

they are great fun and as they are so naive and you don't have other people's bad work to correct they should be easy to train.

my lot certainly haven't been hard to do. yes you have some bad days but they are like toddlers so you have to take the rough with the smooth.
one thing youngsters will teach you is patience!

definitely research the bloodlines and buy the best you can afford now- the purchase price is small compared to the running costs so an extra £500-1000 now can make a huge difference to the quality of the adult horse.

having bought a few privately and through studs i will now always buy direct from the stud.
you can see a few foals in one place, they tend to be cheaper (lower running costs per foal) and hopefully you can see the stallion as well as the mare.

 

[Equestrian92]

You are very very wrong if you think you will be saving money!
I have two and oh my god I could of bought three connies by now!

 

[irishdraft]

Its amazing how peoples opinions differ, I bought 2 weanlings from the breeder 2 1/2 years ago, IDs for a few hundred each. I am in the lucky position to be able to keep them at home, out 24/7 eating only grass in summer and home made hay in winter. Yes obviously I have spent time teaching them things, but this is all part of an enjoyable experience I am greatly looking forward to backing them this spring and seeing how they turn out. They have not been the slightest problem with anything I have done with them and if all goes well I will have two lovely youngsters who probably wont have cost much more than 2k each and more importantly I will know exactly how they have been handled. So I say if you know what you are doing, do you have suitable company for the foal ? and you have thought out your costs, ie much easier if you have your own place, Im not sure I would if I was in livery, then its a great experience.

 

[lily1]

In the last 3 years I have bought 3 foals. Its easy to get carried away &amp; the AHH!! factor kicks in but you have to be realistic apart from the financial side you have to have plenty of time &amp; patience they may look sweet at a few months old but they soon grow into big strong youngsters who constantly need teaching how to lead out nicely without dragging whoever is on the end of the leadrope, picking feet up ready for the farrier, having rugs on, loading, It is rewarding to see them grow &amp; I would do it again.......... if OH lets me!

 

[erinrowan]

Thank you so much for all of your opinions! It's very interesting to see what people's views are. To answer a few comments - I am not going into this because it is cheaper - I have a mare now who is an absolute peach but I don't know how she is bred, her history or nothing! I would have loved to have seen her as a foal, it will give me great pleasure in knowing where my new foal will have come from and how she is bred. With reference to Rudey's comment - doing all those things first time round will be so special and I will look forward to getting to know her little quirks. I know it isn't going to be easy, but that's the challenge that I'm missing at the moment and if we're still a partnership in three years time then hey I'll have cracked it!! I have a good support network on my yard and know that if i'm struggling someone will be there to help me.

I've seen both the mare and stallion, I've seen her half brother and will be seeing a 2 year old mare on Saturday out of the same stallion - so I have a real good idea of how she will turn out! Now looking forward to Saturday - if the feeling is right then I'll be making an offer!!