Years
Even before conception, a Thoroughbred foal’s “life” involves a great deal of pedigree research to ensure that a competitive athlete is produced. Breeders accomplish this by studying race records and characteristics of different bloodlines, and then they consider affordability. With Thoroughbred stud fees ranging from $500 to $500,000, producing a foal can be a huge investment even before you consider veterinary fees, managing the broodmare before and after birth, and myriad other expenses to follow.
While people who breed riding horses may focus on producing offspring with good “minds” or outstanding movement, Thoroughbred breeders focus first and foremost on developing strong, fast offspring. The be-all and end-all goal is to have a competitive horse that can win. Of course, not all Thoroughbreds are winners, but one thing is certain—they all know how to run. Just watch a new crop of foals in the field sometime—at a very young age, they just naturally race each other. I remember one of the farriers at New Vocations in Marysville, Ohio, saying he could always pick out the horses destined for success as yearlings—they were always the fastest ones racing around the field. Future winners are the horses that refuse to be beaten, and this can be seen at a very early age, at play.
Thoroughbred racing is a huge, diverse industry with numerous participants at different levels. For example, within the breeding element exist large commercial breeding farms that may have over 100 broodmares. These farms breed with the specific purpose of selling stock at Thoroughbred sales, most commonly, yearling sales. Additionally, there are thousands of smaller, privately owned farms that breed horses with the intent to race them. Management varies, but in general, most breeding farms take excellent care of both mares and foals. With so much research and money invested in producing each animal, foals get the best of care so they can grow into strong and competitive individuals.
Some farms employ people who devote time each day to handling new foals and familiarizing them with human contact, beginning at birth. Other farms are limited as to how much time they have to spend with each baby. I find those that are handled at a young and impressionable age usually grow into more tractable adult horses.
One thing that most farms generally have in common is that multiple mares and foals are turned out together in large pastures so the foals become socialized with other horses their age. This allows them to run freely as they develop physically and mentally in a relaxed and natural setting. While indeed an idyllic start to life, all of these youngsters are headed toward the track—either via the sales ring or the farm’s own racing string.
Prepping for Sale
In the racing industry, there are, in fact, many different paths that a foal’s life may take. As I mentioned earlier, owners may raise their own foals to race (see p. 14) or they may be prepped for sales. Horses can be sold as a foal (with the dam), or as a weanling, yearling, or two-year-old in training.
Weanlings
If the foal is being prepped to sell in the fall as a weanling, meaning he has been separated from his dam and is between 6 and 12 months old, chances are the colt or filly will be handled regularly at a young age in order to be ready for the sale. Breeders aim to have their weanlings in top condition, so they are groomed and hand-walked daily, and bathed often. In addition, they are taught to have their feet handled and to stand quietly while their hooves are trimmed.
At the sale, buyers weigh conformation and pedigree most heavily.
SALES DAY
1.4 A–E Many Thoroughbreds are specially prepared for sale. Here, a well-behaved weanling is paraded at the Keeneland (KY) Fall Sale (A). Yearlings are conditioned and polished from head to toe (B). They are expected to stand quietly while inspected by potential buyers (C & D). For two-year-old sales, horses are prepared months ahead for a timed two-furlong gallop (E).
Yearlings
If a youngster is not sold as a weanling, or if he shows promise of earning a higher price as a yearling, the owner may opt to hold on to him for a longer stretch of time. Pedigree characteristics aside, yearlings tend to bring higher prices than weanlings because they are closer to racing age, and buyers have a better idea of how the horse’s body type and conformation will develop.
Prepping yearlings takes anywhere from 60 to 90 days, during which a strict routine conditions them physically and mentally for the sale. Appearance is of utmost importance, so yearlings are kept inside during the hottest part of the day. This helps keep their coats glossy and prevents heat-related stress, which might cause weight loss. Most are groomed daily and participate in a light exercise program that generally includes hand-walking or slow work on an exercise machine, four or five days a week.
A lot of groundwork is done to teach the yearlings to have good manners and to be comfortable with being led, touched, and having their feet picked up. Their feet are routinely trimmed and painted with hoof conditioner, and some yearlings are even shod for the sale if their feet start to chip or crack.
Over the course of a sale, yearlings are put on display again and again for potential buyers to look them over. (Sales can last days or weeks; however, individual horses are generally only at the sale for two to three days as they are rotated in and out.) They must stand still while their conformation is examined, then willingly and correctly walk, and sometimes trot, along a straight line to show off their movement.
While this sounds simple, there are many distractions for the youngster to contend with. Sales barns are full of activity, and the final—and most intimidating—situation is when the youngster has to stand in the fishbowl-like environment of the sales ring in front of hundreds of people in the audience and a noisy auctioneer. Time is well spent preparing the horse for such a situation with plenty of groundwork and an opportunity to learn to trust his handler.
After the sales, some yearlings go straight into training in their new facilities, while others are given several months of turnout before they are prepared to begin their racing careers.
Two-Year-Olds
Thoroughbreds may also be prepped for the “two-year-old-in-training” sales, where not only conformation and pedigree are taken into account, but also performance. At these sales, potential buyers may arrive several days early to see each horse gallop a timed two furlongs on the track; the faster the horse, the higher the likely purchase price.
As with those prepped for yearling sales, two-year-olds-in-training are also stabled, groomed, and exercised daily for several months prior to the sale. However, these horses have to develop mental toughness early and be able to handle stress well—above and beyond that required of yearlings. So, those intended for two-year-old-in-training sales are usually also broke to saddle at the end of their yearling year—in the fall or the winter—as the first sales of the season start as early as February.
