What to look for when buying a foal?

[BethanT]

So by completely by accident, I am going to look at some foals/yearlings this weekend!

My plan was always going to be, that the next horse I buy would be a foal/yearling, as I would really like to get up the levels in dressage, but the only way I will ever be able to afford a horse that is able to do so is to buy a foal/yearling/2 year old. However, that wasn't going to be for a couple of years. That said a local breeder/producer advertised some of their youngstock by their stallion, and I asked the question of what sort of price they were to give me some kind of indication of what I need to save up for. I was pleasantly surprised at the price, and two have really caught my eye, so a friend of mine and I are going to take a look this weekend. My instructor knows the breeder and has said they have a very good eye, and the temperaments and trainability of the youngstock from this particular stallion are very good.

However, viewing youngstock is obviously very different from buying a ridden horse, and it isn't something I have done before. I have had plenty of experience in handling youngsters and backing horses but buying them is a whole new ball game. I have seen full siblings of some of them out and competing, and I have spoken to a few people about the Stallion, all with good reviews. I also know to ask about the temperament and trainability of the mare.

So what are the big questions I should be asking, aside from the above, and is there anything, in particular, I need to be looking for? Anything I should be aware of? The breeder does have a good reputation so I'm not worried about that.

Stallion in question is SOS Kantjes Unicolour. Youngstock I am looking at vary on the Dams side and have the likes of Pro-Set, Wish Upon a Star and Ricardo Z. So any further information on these lines would also be good

 

[ihatework]

The mare is so important. No stud is going to tell you the mare is bad tempered / untrainable / unsound so I would want to ascertain what the mare has done under saddle, how long they were worked/competed and who they were ridden by.

Unless you are talking elite type performance mares bred purely for breeding from (which I doubt these are), I’d want evidence they had done a decent job before being bred from.

Assessing the actual youngstock is quite tricky. It’s probably just seeing if you like their general personality and that their limbs aren’t wonky. It would be fairly normal for that age to be a bit toe out so don’t worry about that.

I’d also ask their worming policy and also how they wean, for me that can really set back a young horse if too traumatic.

 

[vhf]

I was eyeing up that stallion for my mare, until I talked myself out of it. (Still would like to...!) I liked that he hunted with a 10yo as well as being able to perform in the arena. I understand his stock throw big, but you probably know that already. You could ask how foal in front of you compares to ones you've seen grown up in terms of development at that stage, etc. but I've known full siblings turn out so completely different from each other that it's still a gamble.
I think youngstock buying is even more "go with your gut" than normal! My current 6yo was bought at 11 months to be a sensible middleweight 15.2 with a touch of quality. Both parents fit that bill, two full brothers ditto. She's a 14.3 pocket rocket! When we saw her I thought "bit small, bit sparky" but she was lovely, so took a punt...

 

[BethanT]

I was eyeing up that stallion for my mare, until I talked myself out of it. (Still would like to...!) I liked that he hunted with a 10yo as well as being able to perform in the arena. I understand his stock throw big, but you probably know that already. You could ask how foal in front of you compares to ones you've seen grown up in terms of development at that stage, etc. but I've known full siblings turn out so completely different from each other that it's still a gamble.
I think youngstock buying is even more "go with your gut" than normal! My current 6yo was bought at 11 months to be a sensible middleweight 15.2 with a touch of quality. Both parents fit that bill, two full brothers ditto. She's a 14.3 pocket rocket! When we saw her I thought "bit small, bit sparky" but she was lovely, so took a punt...

Yes he seems like a nice sort, and funny enough a fellow livery is picking up her new horse tomorrow, who is by this stallion! So that could be interesting to watch.

Full sister siblings to one are out competing and doing really well. My trainer and another friend who knows the breeder both say that the line is really nice. Flashy enough to up their game when the rider needs to, but easy enough for the non-professional!

ihatework, she does put a lot of effort into her breeding, but I will certainly ask about the mares. My trainer did inform me that the Wish Upon a Star mare was quite quirky, hence they put her in foal! My friend who is coming with me said the same thing, which could be a shame as that foal was one of my top two.

 

[TheMule]

When you say 'up the levels', I would have a think about how far you want to get and look for performers to at least that level in the immediate damlines (so dams who have competed themselves, who have siblings out competing or whose dams did it/were well related). If there isn't much indication of performance on the dam line then I would carry on looking. From what I can tell the sire only competed at elementary level himself and there's not much info about offspring out doing the job but he has been standing for a number of years.
All of the damsires you mentioned have reputations for making 'quirky' ones!

 

[BethanT]

When you say 'up the levels', I would have a think about how far you want to get and look for performers to at least that level in the immediate damlines (so dams who have competed themselves, who have siblings out competing or whose dams did it/were well related). If there isn't much indication of performance on the dam line then I would carry on looking. From what I can tell the sire only competed at elementary level himself and there's not much info about offspring out doing the job but he has been standing for a number of years.
All of the damsires you mentioned have reputations for making 'quirky' ones!

So my aspirations would be BE80/90 level. But Dressage I would like to get up to Ad/Med maybe? Full sister to one I really like is PSG, and full brother is BE 90/100 I think.

 

[AmyMay]

Find out about the mares before you view.

 

[AmyMay]

And as the mares are presumably there ask to meet and look at them.

 

[TheMule]

So my aspirations would be BE80/90 level. But Dressage I would like to get up to Ad/Med maybe? Full sister to one I really like is PSG, and full brother is BE 90/100 I think.

Well that sounds pretty promising!

 

[Kaylum]

Look inside the mouth and check to make sure the foal.is not parrot mouthed. Also make sure the foal has been well handled. If not why not. I am sure a good breeder will have handled all their foals. Also be aware foals learn from playing so make sure you have young stock for them to play with when home.