Weaning season is upon us, and many of you will find yourselves caught up in the cuteness of the babies. For those of you with the experience to train your own horse, or the means to hire help to do so, purchasing and raising a foal can be a very rewarding experience.
Today's post will give you examples of three different breeds of foals (Quarter Horse, Arabian and Shetland Pony) and show you how to choose your new baby wisely.
Before looking at the pictures, let me give you some things to consider. First and foremost, IMO, is conformation of both the foal and its sire and dam. Second is bloodlines; I like to look for producers/earners in the first 3 generations. Also, temperament of the foal, the sire and the dam. And third, I look at color. No, a good horse is NEVER a bad color, but if you find two very comparable foals within your price range and that fit your needs/desires, its always nice to have the added bonus of a popular color that will really get you and your horse noticed!
By the time a foal hits 3 months of age, its legs should be straight and it should be well muscled. Overall, the appearance of a foal at 3 months old, is what the foal will look like as an adult. The only exception to this rule is if the foal is butt high/unlevel from growing.
** I am still trying to figure out how to post the photos so they are horizontal as opposed to verticle. Please bear with me while I learn my way around Blogger.com. (Any input or advice is always appreciated!) Also, Tomorrow I will post Arabian foals for your consideration, and Shetland Ponies will be the following day.**
These foals are an AQHA registered colt ($1500) and an APHA registered filly ($950). They are different breeds, but conformationally, we would look for the same qualities as they are both of stock horse type. They are both about 4 months old in these pictures.
AQHA Buckskin Colt- Foal #1
Sire
APHA Cremello Filly- Foal #2
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