11/03/2023
I’ve debated with myself for quite a while if I should write this, as I know it’s a bit of a sensitive subject. However, I am too regularly seeing foals and young horses advertised for sale, with an obvious problem in terms of either poorly or untrimmed hooves, stressed behavior and or what appears as malnutrition or possibly untreated parasites/no deworming done.
I really don’t mean to be pointing fingers and everyone who’s ever owned a horse will know that sometimes, despite all our best efforts, they can look “not great”. Even when we are doing everything ‘right’ in terms of feeding, deworming, training and general management a horse can suddenly lose weight or be unwell and it is up to us (and possibly our vets etc.) to find out why and solve the problem. I know! So this is more to clarify some common misunderstandings as to why price and quality coherence isn’t only about whether the horse is a potential Olympic Star, but the entire management around foals is equally important no matter the destiny of the horse.
Having a horse sound and healthy begins when the horse is born. Foals are rarely born with 100% perfectly balanced feet. They usually need a small correction, and
it’s when my farrier trims a millimeter of the outside or inside of a foal that it always hit’s me how even the tiniest correction is the difference between a horse with straight sound legs, or one who will grow to be imbalanced and more prone to injury. 1-2 millimeters in a foal can mean make it or break it as an adult horse. Some need to be followed closely if they are prone to wearing more or less on one side or the other, so the position of the leg remains correct until growth plates close for
correction.
And yes, it costs the same to have 1 millimeter taken off on the outside on a foal hoof, as a trim on an adult horse. And yes, they usually get 3-4 trimmings from birth to 6 months. If they are in need of further assistance you can add foal-shoes and various corrections every two weeks. That is, if you are trying to help the foal grow to have straight legs. If you don’t care, and hope for the best there is money to be saved. However, someone will pay the bill one day. Sooner or later the little
imbalances will give irregularity, then lameness, maybe tendon injuries etc. I don’t know many horse owners these days who won’t give and do anything for their horse to be healthy and sound.
But what if the foundation for the lameness lies in a small imbalance that could have been 1 millimeter at birth and turns our to be the millimeter that wears the joint out before the horse turn 8 years old?
Giving foals the optimal conditions isn’t cheap. Actually it is pretty costly. Maybe I shouldn’t get started on feeding, but a quick touch to clarify that no (!) They don’t live on mom’s milk until weaned! To make sure their diet is balanced and complete, count as an absolute minimum with them eating as much as any other since 3 month of age. A correct feeding regime goes for both mare and foal, and shouldn’t be compromised in either, as this is the time where bone is growing. Imagine building a house. Would you choose the bricks that have holes and are slightly thinner here and
there making them easy to break, or the solid ones that you can’t break? So that’s why we actually began feeding the foals long before they were born, with a balanced and correct diet for the mare to pass the solid bricks to the foal already as it’s growing inside her.
I think this is not something we have to discuss and it’s also not the sensitive subject in this post.
The reason why I feel a need to voice my concerns about seeing poorly managed foals and young horses, is because they are the ones mine are compared to.
“But I’ve seen one same age for half of what your asking?” Is a comment I’ve heard before. And yes. There are cheap foals out there, that someone is selling cheap to maybe break even or accept a loss. Maybe they have 1-2 foals per year and hope to break even or just get enough to pay the bills of next years semen price, or maybe they cut corners on the management.
Before you even look at the actual quality of the foal in question, look at what the mare had as nutrition. See the hay, hard feed, balancers etc. Look for hooves and trimming of the hoofs. Look for the belly, coat and energy in the foal. What you are looking for, is how well the foundation has been built. Because the few thousands you can save on a cheaper foal can come back to haunt you with a tenfold bill later on. A sound horse is cheaper than a lame horse. Vets are expensive - and honestly, horses shouldn’t be box rested and hand walked due to recurring issues that could have been avoided with correct management as a foal. And sadly I’ve had a few of those pass me by in my time.
So when you are in the market for a sound, healthy, well mannered, good character, kind and trusting horse you can enjoy for many years, please remember there is a breeder out there who lost countless nights of sleep to be there when a foal was delivered and make sure everything went well, to make sure the foal gets up and gets the important colostrum. That breeder payed the farrier to come by when the foal needed it, not when the next scheduled shoeing was up, and that breeder handled the foal with love, so it grew to trust people. That breeder spent time everyday with the foal, to make sure everything new that was introduced was done in a way that made the foal feel like a success and grow confidence. The breeder carefully weighed the mares feed and made sure she always had plenty of quality hay, and that she as well was cared for by the farrier, vet and dentist.
If you go look for that breeder when you look for your next young horse or foal, chances are you’ll get a horse that will last several generations, and be a trusting friend to you.
We do exist. And our foals aren’t the cheapest on the market when you purchase them, but they are your best chance at buying one that will only see the vet for the annual vaccine or dental care. Try not to buy problems, they can come fast anyway. If you really love horses, you should support the breeders who actually walk that extra mile, I can tell you first hand, we are not in it for the money, so please know that we aren’t spending your payment on a foal on caviar and Champagne 😉
My ‘payment’ is trusting foals who come running when they see you, and who can leave our farm 100% trauma-free and seeing our offspring thriving, making their owners happy and representing the Lusitano breed all around the world is also payment in itself ❤️
