09/26/2024
๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐ก๐๐ฃ๐โ๐จ & ๐๐ฌ๐ค-๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐ก๐โ๐จ
๐ ๐ ๐๐บ๐๐ ๐๐พ๐๐๐
๐พ ๐๐ ๐๐๐พ ๐๐๐๐๐พ ๐๐๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐พ๐๐บ๐๐๐๐ ๐บ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐พ ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐บ ๐๐บ๐
๐พ ๐๐บ๐๐พ๐ ๐บ ๐
๐๐ ๐๐ฟ ๐๐๐๐พ, ๐พ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐๐๐, ๐บ๐๐ฝ ๐๐๐๐พ๐. ๐ฌ๐๐๐ ๐๐พ๐๐๐
๐พ ๐๐๐
๐
๐๐บ๐๐พ ๐๐๐พ ๐บ๐๐๐๐๐บ๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฟ ๐บ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐พ๐พ-๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐พ๐๐๐๐ฝ ๐
๐พ๐บ๐ฝ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐พ ๐๐บ๐
๐พ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฟ ๐๐๐พ ๐๐บ๐๐ฝ ๐๐๐๐. ๐ถ๐พ ๐๐๐๐
๐ ๐ป๐พ๐
๐๐พ๐๐พ ๐๐๐พ๐๐บ๐๐บ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐ฝ ๐๐พ๐ผ๐๐๐๐ผ๐บ๐
๐
๐ ๐ป๐พ๐๐๐ ๐ป๐พ๐ฟ๐๐๐พ ๐๐๐พ ๐๐๐๐๐พโ๐ ๐ป๐๐๐๐. ๐ถ๐พ ๐๐บ๐๐พ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ผ๐๐๐๐๐ฝ๐พ๐๐บ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐พ ๐๐พ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐พ๐พ, ๐๐๐บ๐๐, ๐บ๐๐ฝ ๐๐๐พ ๐ฝ๐บ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐พ๐ ๐ฟ๐๐บ๐
๐โ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐ฝ ๐ผ๐๐พ๐ฝ๐พ๐๐๐๐บ๐
๐. ๐ถ๐พ ๐บ๐๐พ ๐ฟ๐๐๐ ๐ป๐พ๐
๐๐พ๐๐พ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐พ 80/20 ๐๐๐
๐พ. ๐ณ๐๐พ ๐๐บ๐๐พ ๐๐ ๐๐๐พ ๐๐๐๐พ๐ ๐ป๐พ๐๐๐๐ฝ ๐๐๐พ ๐๐๐๐๐พ. ๐ณ๐๐บ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐ฝ ๐๐๐พ ๐ฟ๐พ๐พ๐ฝ ๐๐๐๐๐๐บ๐ ๐บ๐๐ฝ ๐ผ๐บ๐๐พ ๐ฝ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐พ ๐๐๐๐๐พ'๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฟ๐พ๐ ๐๐พ๐บ๐๐ ๐๐ฟ ๐
๐๐ฟ๐พ ๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐บ๐
๐
๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐บ๐๐. ๐ง๐๐๐พ๐๐พ๐, ๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐
๐
๐บ๐ ๐บ๐๐ฝ ๐๐๐๐พ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐พ๐บ๐๐
๐๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐ฝ ๐๐๐-๐๐พ๐บ๐-๐๐
๐ฝ๐ ๐๐๐พ ๐ป๐พ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐บ๐ ๐ป๐พ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐พ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐พ๐ผ๐ ๐บ๐ ๐๐๐พ ๐๐บ๐
๐พ, ๐๐๐พ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ป๐พ ๐๐ ๐๐พ๐บ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ผ๐บ๐
๐ฟ๐๐๐. ๐ณ๐๐๐ ๐๐พ๐บ๐๐ ๐๐๐พ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
๐ฝ ๐ป๐พ ๐ฟ๐๐, ๐ผ๐
๐พ๐บ๐, ๐บ๐๐ฝ ๐๐พ๐
๐
-๐๐บ๐๐๐พ๐๐พ๐ฝโ๐๐๐ ๐บ๐
๐๐บ๐๐ ๐บ๐ ๐พ๐บ๐๐ ๐๐บ๐๐ ๐๐๐พ๐ ๐ฝ๐พ๐บ๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐บ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐พ๐!
๐๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ญ๐๐ข
A veterinary evaluation is crucial before starting any pre-sale conditioning program or starting the horse under saddle. Radiographs can reveal common joint problems, which may or may not require surgery. Getting a good set of radiographs before marketing them and having a baseline on the horse before any training starts is crucial. We get radiographs on the knees, hocks, and backs of all our two-year-olds before starting them under saddle or beginning any conditioning. We are also very strict about getting the young horses' teeth done at around 2-3 years of age. At a minimum, they have to have their wolf teeth extracted if they have them. We arrange all of this in our c**t conditioning program.
๐๐ง๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ก๐๐ฃ๐
Yearlings and two-year-olds not only need to look great at the sale, but they also need to know how to behave. We firmly believe in getting them respectful of leading, being tied, and having their feet trimmed, brushed, and haltered, but the trick is not to get them spoiled. Our c**t conditioning program does just that. They get handled daily, on and off the wash rack, in and out of the treadmill, on and off the Vita floor, with their feet picked and brushed. They have to stand tied, work in the round pen, etc.
๐๐ง๐-๐๐๐ก๐ ๐พ๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐
It is no surprise that yearlings canโt be conditioned like adult horses. However, they still need to be in top form before the sale. Hand walking is a great way to increase a yearlingโs muscles, which may still work for some (though itโs time and labor-intensive!). Slow trotting can usually produce the result that walking canโt. However, this is a case of careful balance as you also donโt want to strain growing bones and joints too much. This is where the swimming comes in. When we swim horses, they become buoyant, which reduces all impact on their joints and bones. It is crucial for young horses to reduce the impact and stress we put on their joints and bones. This will increase your horse's long-term outcome and give you the longevity your horse deserves. It will increase their red blood cell count and the oxygen to the muscle, allowing them to be properly fit and conditioned. Decreasing the stress on young horses is an imperative part of the foundation, and you do not want to skip it.
๐๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฃ
Round pens are commonly used for conditioning yearlings and two-year-olds. If using the round pen, gradually increase exercise time and work the horse equally in both directions to avoid uneven muscle building. You should not try it if you donโt know how to do this. Understanding how a horse thinks and how to set them up successfully for the c**t starter is a very important step in a horseโs foundation.
๐๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐จ
They are the most popular method for conditioning young horses, but can be very hard on their joints and bones. The most common thing we see is people donโt think about the stress we put on these horses at such a young age and how underdeveloped their muscular & skeletal system is. This is why we start with radiographs at the end of the c**t's long yearling year and then again as a two-year-old. It may seem expensive, but in the long run, waiting an extra few months to let the bones and joints finish growing and closing will save you and your horse. ๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐.
๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ก๐ก๐จ
Swimming is one of the best ways to condition your equine athletes, from babies to older horses. Treadmills provide an even surface for the horse to move on while also allowing us to evaluate how the horse moves. When we start our young ones, we always get their minds thinking before adding water. We get their feet going on the belt, and then once you see them soft in the eye and relaxed, we can add water. We donโt drug them to do this. We go slow and easy and let them tell us when they are ready for the next step while still maintaining respect and pushing them. Most of our young horses are not handled as much as babies. Thus far, they have all been easy to get going. Some are more sensitive and scared than others, and you must find a way to keep their minds going and feet moving. Keeping the reactive side of the c**tโs brain moving is a very important key to understanding how to handle them.
๐๐ช๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐๐๐ง๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐จ & ๐๐ฌ๐ค- ๐ฎ๐๐๐ง ๐ค๐ก๐๐จ
High-quality nutrition and forage are paramount for any horse, especially those that are being prepped for sale. In the months leading up to the sale, most yearlings will be kept inside the barn during the daytime to avoid bleaching of the hair coat and to have them accessible for conditioning, handling, and grooming. With our winter climate here in Colorado, they must get that extra light on them and not be outside in colder temperatures. What has worked best for us with our young horses is to start them on a high-fat, low starch and sugar-based diet prior to sale. We feed the ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐. It is low in NSC and non-structural carbohydrates, with only 7% sugar and 11% starch. It contains nutrition from organic trace minerals, vitamins, kelp seaweed, yucca, and biotin. It includes natural digestive enzymes, prebiotics, and probiotics to support healthy gut function. Usually, they need around 90-120 days of this to get to where we expect them to be at. You need to pay extra attention to your grain and protein. You can cause just as many problems by overfeeding them when they are young and forcing them to grow at a faster rate than their body is ready for. This is also the biggest cause of epiphysitis. High-calorie diets are at the highest risk for this. Take time to educate yourself on your feed program and the protein, starches, and sugars in your forage. Adding a healthy fat source such as flaxseed oil can help improve coat condition and increase energy intake. No matter how much prep work youโve put in, sending your young horses off to be started or to the sale is still stressful. We keep all of ours on ๐ญ๐๐๐๐. From the day they are weaned on. The digestive system is at the heart of most major problems in a horse, such as colic, diarrhea, compaction, founder, poor appetite, and weight loss. Forco feed supplement digestive fortifier is a source of nutrients. This source feeds and nurtures the entire scope of bacterial and microbial populations in the full spectrum of the digestive system.
๐๐ง๐ค๐๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ก ๐๐๐ค๐ฉ๐ค
This is the most common mistake people make when selling a horse. A good photo of your prospect may seem silly, but I assure you it will help in more ways than you know. We have two different photographers who will video and take photos throughout your c**ts conditioning phase. We create small, simple, short marketing videos for you and advertise them on our social media platforms. This exposure alone is very beneficial. Thereโs no doubt about itโprepping any horse for the sale or even to be started under saddle is a big job. But putting in the time and effort with training and handling, conditioning, and good nutrition will pay off when you find the right buyer who you know will help your prospects reach their full potential.
The foundation of your c**t starts with you! As a breeder and owner, it is your responsibility to do right by the future buyers of your prospect and to withstand a reputable reputation for high-quality prospects. Ensuring you donโt skip any steps to build that foundation is the key to success with your equine prospects.
๐ฎ๐ฝ๐๐ถ ๐ป๐พ๐๐-๐ฑ๐๐๐ถ, ๐ช๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ช๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ฉ๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ & ๐พ๐ค๐ฃ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐๐ฃ๐
