Buying a 9 month old colt.

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snooch

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Evening all,
Just a few questions and some advice please.

I have seen a beautiful young colt for sale which I am quite taken with, he is 9 month old, passported etc etc BUT

Not a great deal is known about him, the owner says she has had him from two week old!!!! but does not have the time needed to dedicate to him and that is why she is selling, she says he is a friendly boy and I have arranged to go and view him at the weekend.....now for the dodgy part.

I have not had much experience in bringing on a colt or a foal of any type for that matter so it will be a learning curve for both me and the young un, however, this will be a project horse who I hope to keep for many years to come and to build a bond with over time.
My questions are these....

I have heard that young colts like to throw their weight about , how is the best way to deal with this? A short sharp slap? A firm no and then push away when he rears etc etc

I would also be getting him gelded sooner rather than later so when is the best age?

He would be sharing a field with a few other horses (some of which are mares) and I am conscious of the fact he will be wanting to flex his manhood about.....is he safe to share a field with at 9 month or has his testosterone kicked in already.

This is usually such a friendly place to be so please no holier than thou posts about how I should not be even thinking of buying him, we all have to gain experiance from the beginning and I intend to give this young boy the best of possible starts if I should buy him.

Thanks in advance
 
If the current owner has had him from 2 weeks then they must know pretty much all there is to know, although they may not know the sire they will know the dam, have you seen her and asked about the sire?
You need to ensure that he will make a suitable size for you to ride, sounds obvious but if you are not used to seeing youngsters it is something to bear in mind.
He will be fertile, if not that actively thinking about it yet once the mares start to come into season he certainly will become interested and is capable of covering them. You should not risk putting him in with the mares until after he has been gelded, usually 6 weeks or so to be safe, he may well be a pest and you risk him being injured apart from the risk of an unwanted pregnancy.

Think it through very carefully, work out the costs involved before going and falling for him, not saying don't go just make sure you have the facilities, time and money to manage, the day to day handling can be learnt as you go, common sense and a firm hand but you need the right place for him to live until he is ready to be grown up and work, turning out with a group of other youngsters would be the best thing where he can develop properly and as naturally as possible.
 
I think I would be inclined to get him gelded asap, maybe even while he is at his current home

If not its worth checking if your YO would allow a colt on to the yard - many wont

I am not sure about fertility at that age sorry
 
snooch said:
Evening all,
Just a few questions and some advice please.

I have seen a beautiful young colt for sale which I am quite taken with, he is 9 month old, passported etc etc BUT

Not a great deal is known about him, the owner says she has had him from two week old!!!! but does not have the time needed to dedicate to him and that is why she is selling, she says he is a friendly boy and I have arranged to go and view him at the weekend.....now for the dodgy part.

I have not had much experience in bringing on a colt or a foal of any type for that matter so it will be a learning curve for both me and the young un, however, this will be a project horse who I hope to keep for many years to come and to build a bond with over time.
My questions are these....

I have heard that young colts like to throw their weight about , how is the best way to deal with this? A short sharp slap? A firm no and then push away when he rears etc etc

I would also be getting him gelded sooner rather than later so when is the best age?

He would be sharing a field with a few other horses (some of which are mares) and I am conscious of the fact he will be wanting to flex his manhood about.....is he safe to share a field with at 9 month or has his testosterone kicked in already.

This is usually such a friendly place to be so please no holier than thou posts about how I should not be even thinking of buying him, we all have to gain experiance from the beginning and I intend to give this young boy the best of possible starts if I should buy him.

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

So I assume the seller has the mother? At least you can see her and check out her temperament which will tell you a lot. I probably would leave another month before gelding to get the worst of the frost out of the way as he really wants to be turned out after.
 
I buy colts because no one wants them, I have the facilities to run them on and they live out with geldings and occasionally a grumpy old mare who kicks them in to shape. Unless this foal has really good breeding, you know the stallion or it is really going to be make the size you want in three years time do not buy it.
If you turn it out in a big group it will probably get bullied and run through the fencing, everyone will be petrified its going to break out and cover something and the best scenario is it will just be a nuisance in the field. I know someone who had all of the above happen in the last two months and is having to pay someone to have the said foal as it has now started to push her around. You will pay at least £200 to have it gelded and that's if its b**** have dropped.
Sorry to be so negative but the colts I buy are usually very well bred and I pick them up for next to nothing because other people have bought them as foals and can not cope.
 
Seeing as you will be wanting to geld him asap make sure both testicles have dropped before you buy him.
Try and find somewhere to keep him with at least one other of the same age.
 
I would also be checking out how much handling he has had. At that age he needs to have been taught to lead, feet, be able to travel safely and tie up. If he hasn't had any of that, then you need to take that into consideration.

Ditto what has been said about getting him gelded sooner rather than later - as soon as the frosts are over and he needs to be turned out once it is done. Be a bit mindful of turning him out with a crowd of older horses as he will get bullied. Best if you can put him in with a quiet older friend, before chucking him in the deep end. Don't just assume he is going to be a "pushy colt" because I have had a couple that were just sweet and shy.

My first young horse was a TB colt that I bought at weaning. We all have to start and learn from somewhere and working with young horses is such a buzz when you see them progress. However, do make sure he is of a type/size/breed etc that you can see yourself riding several years down the track. If you can look at sire, dam and siblings that is a good place to start.
 
If his testicles have dropped he can be gelded now. Best yet if he can be gelded before you take him. Having worked with both foals and older horses who were trained by novices can I recommend that if you're really going to do this, you find yourself a professional trainer to work with immediately? No suggestions we can give you are really going to help because what he needs most at this age is consistent handling from a confident handler and that is based on his personality. It doesn't take make to turn a nice colt into an absolute jerk honestly. This is true even if he's a darling sweetheart. In fact, those really sweet foals are more likely to end up babied by barn folk resulting in a very spoiled 2 year old who needs to be started all over.

It's not true that we all have to start from the beginning, I don't know what your experience level is but even as an experienced rider training is a different skill set. If you're doing this to learn how to train, work with a professional for a while first or at least with the colt.
 
Do check whether he has both testicles descended - if not and the second one is high in his abdomen you will be looking at a vet bill of £1000 - as recently happened to us! Our boy , now rising three, was worth every penny , but many colts either arent worth the expense , or left as rigs .
 
Provided both of his testicles have dropped he can be gelded now, you should check that both are there when you go to view him. I would definitely not turn him out with mares as he is fertile even if he is "not interested" I really would not take the chance.

Re throwing their weight around you need to be firm with them, if you give an inch chances are they will take a mile. They are not all bolshy though some can be really sweet it just depends on their temperment. You will need to ask your YO if they will have a colt on the yard as a lot will not and do not have the facilities to accomodate them.

Has he been handled by the previous owner? At that age I would expect him to lead, pick feet up, tie up etc. Please do not take this the wrong way but think very carefully about taking him on it is a lot of hard work. A lot of people jump into buying these youngsters when really they do not have the knowledge to do so and will not ask for help then have major problems a year down the line when they have an unruly animal on their hands, said animal is usually passed on to be someone else's problem.
 
He needs to be gelded before he can be with mares.

Are you at a livery yard? Most adult domestic horses have very little experience of youngsters, and I have seen colts and fillies, who are still learning social skills, badly bullied and chased by adults who don't know how to relate to youngsters or who get fed up with a playful baby hassling them. You need 'youngstock livery,' preferably a big field with other colts of similar age and maybe an older horse or two who knows how to show babies the ropes and teach them manners.

As others have said, unless you have a lot of experience with youngstock, it is difficult to know how a 9-month old will turn out. Whether it will be big enough for you to ride, whether or not it will be a conformational nightmare, whether it will be as sweet and cute at 2 or 3 as it is at 9 months (they are all cute as weanlings). It is a big risk.
 
ditto all above really-check he's got both his balls down and your gelding bill will be £150-£200...................if they arent you are looking at £1k. Which might be fine, if he is a bargain still incl that price, you might not mind, but be aware of it.

he MUST be gelded before he goes out with mares.

we have a 3yo stallion at home...........he is a darling, loving and cuddly and not at all nippy BUT he is handled by 4 people who all sing from the same hymn sheet and dont give him an inch. He is reminded (nicely but firmly) DAILY that he is never to throw his weight around.
Stallions are not monsters but due to hormones can so easily learn to dominate people, and very quickly.

so lots to take in to account.
 
I'm another who wouldn't turn a foal of that age out with adults, unless he was gelded and the adults were experienced brood mares. The foal mine was weaned with was killed by a kick after being sold and going to a livery yard. He needs the company of other youngstock, for his safety, normal development and enjoyment!
 
I would definitely get him gelded as soon as possible, but like others have said, check that both 'bits' have dropped first otherwise it gets expensive!
I got my youngster as a yearling (it was the only way I could afford a quality horse) and kept him separate from my 4 others (one is a mare) until I could have him gelded.
With regards to turning him out, I would be very careful. Obviously, if I had other youngsters, he would have gone out with them but that was not the case and I was not going to keep him separate from everyone till he was older as he was used to having the company of his brothers.
Instead, I spent weeks introducing mine to each other till I was sure they were all comfortable with the him. At first they could see him but had a driveway separating the paddocks, then he was moved into the field next to them so they could say hello over the fence, then in the same field but separated by electric fencing. After all of that, I let one of my horses in at a time with him, once he was comfortable and settled with one, I would add another a few days later. The last to go in was my competition mare as she can be a bit funny with others, but she has proved to be a star with him and puts up with him playing with her.
I think being with the older horses has really helped him with his behaviour and manners. He can still play with them and for the most part they will join in. He knows when they have had enough and will leave them alone. I have mostly just left him to be a baby (although he is 3 in April) and just from being out with the others he has learnt to move out of my way when I ask him to, to go back and he won't push into my personal space and is just a lovely boy in general.
Good luck if you go for it, but be warned, they can be very accident prone! (I have just had a lovely £400 vet bill because mine stabbed himself quite badly in the neck with a stick from the hedge!)
 
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I have had two colts in the past and currently have a filly, they are always turned out in a mixed herd of different ages from 4yrs - 23yrs and get no issues. The older ones ( both mares and geldings) keep the youngsters in place and I think its good for them as none have been bolshy or bad mannered in any way
 
We've had a couple of colts, never had many problems. Other than having them cut in their first spring and teaching them to lead, foot trimming etc they've had an easy life turned out with adults. Neither pushed us too much but we don't take any mucking about either, there are boundaries you will need to set, and you need to praise too.

I like youngsters - you know exactly what's happened to them whilst growing up and their sweet innocence is lovely, you can take things as slow as you like, and riding your young horse is a dream that many would love to fulfil.
 
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