# Things to look for in a new foal



## aussie12 (Oct 5, 2011)

Hi Guys

New to the forum 

I'm currently looking at buying my first 'baby' (weanling) I have had horses all my life and done work with babies and breakers but only as the helping hand and onlooker.

I'm looking for a future eventer, (Way way down the future), I want to really take my time with the bub and eventually break in myself (under the watchful eye of an amazing breaker). I'm going to look at a Buckskin colt on the weekend, who is out of a Clydie/Apaloosa mare and by a Stockhorse Stallion.

If anyone has any tips for 'must' check out things when I view him, would be much appreciated. Will have a good look at both sire and dam, their natures etc etc. 

But any tips especially re conformation or things that I otherwise may not think of please let me know

Much thanks


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

First off, howdy and welcome to the forum .

The first thing that I would look at when looking at the foal is his legs. I would want them to be straight and clean. Look closely for toeing out, toeing in, knock knees, cow hocks, unusual swelling or shapes on his joints or long bones, etc. That will be what is most important. An experienced eye can get a general idea of what his final body conformation will look like from looking at him as a weanling, but since many of them go through such wonky growth spurts, so much of how he looks right now can change in the next 2-3 years and really surprise you sometimes (for the better or worse can only be guessed :lol.

There are lots of knowledgeable people on here that could give you a good idea of any faults he may have if you were able to post some pictures of him. Someone here may be able to see something (good or bad) that you maybe missed.


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## aussie12 (Oct 5, 2011)

Great idea! Will get some photos over the weekend and upload  Thanks!


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

I would also make sure he doesn't appear to have an umbilical hernia, his teeth come together normally (vs. a parrot mouth or anything abnormal like that), and I don't know if he will have testicles showing or not, but if it does, two are always a plus. :lol:

I guess what I am saying is that I would look for things he could be born with that could lead to problems down the road.

I would want a horse with nice normal looking pastern slope too. Nothing too upright or too sagging.


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## kassierae (Jan 1, 2010)

Also keep in mind that while he will grow and fill out, his conformation will not change. Conformation is bone structure, which does not change.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Red Gate Farm (Aug 28, 2011)

Along with the suggestions above....

When purchasing a foal, I check to see what the dam and sire have done in the discipline I expect the foal to excel at.

I check show records, and barring those, what have the other foals out of this mare and by this stallion done? Are they showing? Did they turn out nice with a good disposition and clean lines and an aptitude for the particular discipline you want to do?

Were there any latent medical problems that showed up?


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

You want to look at angles in the leg, shoulder and hindquarter, and you want a foal that is relatively well-balanced. If you can see foal photos (3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months) they are also a good guide.

OP if you're from aussie-land anything you're looking at that has been weaned is already a yearling. Or it's been weaned too young. You want to look for this year's foals and wait a while, unless you specifically WANT a yearling.

Bloodlines are important. Parents' performance records? Conformation? Temperament? Especially seeing as you want an eventing prospect! I like clydie crosses for eventing, but not particularly sold on stockhorses or appies (have noticed a tendency for them to be a bit downhill) bar the occasional spectacular individual.

I just recently ventured into weanling-ownership myself and my filly is by an unproven stallion (the stallion was not even started under saddle, let alone competed, but has a nice jump), first foal from the cross, but I was looking for nice clean straight legs, good angles in the shoulder and hindquarter, and ok overall balance. And TEMPERAMENT. It is VITAL to get a foal with the right temperament for YOU, especially for your first. My girl is really pushy, but I chose her for that, because I'm really dominant and I don't want to frighten an already timid foal. She's not a spooky sort, in fact she is amazingly chilled for a foal her age. But definitely not lethargic. That is REALLY important!

You need to be able to tell the difference between chilled out/relaxed and lethargic! It is so easy to fall into the trap and end up with a foal that was drugged when you went to see it, or worse, a foal that's real sick.

I am lucky, I chose the foal most people advise to avoid - crossbred, totally unregisterable even with colour societies, from an unproven sire whose conformation was less than ideal. But I also chose the foal with nice clean straight legs, nice shoulder and hindquarter angles, and GORGEOUS movement. She is like a mini-warmblood. She's a bit of a fugly at the moment but that's yearlings. Like I said, you'll ideally want to see foal photos (I couldn't even see those! bit of a blind stab... hoping she turns out nice), especially if the seller is claiming that the foal is in the ugly stage.

In a foal at 3 days, 3 weeks or 3 months, you're looking specifically for good angles, nice even build (shoulder, ribcage and hindquarter should all be roughly the same size and the foal should not, at these ages, be downhill at all, or too uphill), and CLEAN, STRAIGHT legs. Great hooves are a MUST. You will ideally want a foal with some length of rein, but they are often short in the body and neck for their size. Ideally the top line of the neck will be longer than the bottom line, and the other way around for the body. I like a short body with a slightly long neck.

I, too, ride eventers/showjumpers, and I specifically bought Satin hoping she would mature into a nice eventing pony. But when buying a foal, you do need to keep in mind that you might end up with an unpleasant surprise down the end of the line. And you are guaranteed to look at your foal at some point and wonder why in heck you bought it... I'm at that stage with Satin at the moment because she is well and truly into the yearling fuglies.

EDIT; the person who suggested looking at previous progeny of both parents is very wise. It is a VERY good idea. Unproven stallions, mares, or crosses are a HUGE risk to take, because you honestly never know what you'll end up with... At the same time, though, I know a pair of ponies that are full brothers - chalk and cheese, my friend! One is absolutely stunning, stallion quality for sure (but sadly gelded as he is unregistered), and the other is, well, fugly. That's putting it politely!


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## aussie12 (Oct 5, 2011)

Thank you all for your advice, I'm going to see him today and will take everything everyone has said on board, will also get some pictures and upload them. The stallion he is by is also unbroken but I will have a good look at his conformation and check out his nature. 

Will get some more pictures this afternoon to upload, (As he is now 4 months old) but here is a very early picture, anyway.


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## Courtney (May 20, 2011)

Holy moly, does that baby ever have stocky legs and a big ol' bum. Wow. For some reason, his neck seems a little short to me, but that could be how he's holding his head. His hooves also look pretty dainty for the size of his legs, but that could change as he gets older too.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Aw, he's a cutie. I see the fairly short neck as well, but that could very well have already change or change in the future as he grows. He sure has good bone and I'll bet his feet will grow into the right size as well. My draft cross baby had tiny feet as a foal, but now at 2 years old, he would fit into about a size 3. The angles on his legs look good from what I can tell. IMHO, he'll be worth a look.

I can't wait for more current pictures .


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Lovely shoulder and I like his rump! Agree with the small feet thing, and yes, short neck. I'm not a fan of that neck all-round actually, more for how chunky it is than anything else... he might be too thick through the neck when he's older.

He will mature to have a pretty plain head I think. Heads usually get more plain as foals mature. It can and sometimes does go the other way but not often.

He MIGHT mature too stocky to excel in eventing, but he could make a nice jumper and/or dressage horse, especially with that lovely shoulder.

I think he is lovely but would like some more refinement. They rarely get more refined as they grow, usually it's a case of putting on more muscle as they get older (am observing this with my filly, and have seen it happen to a friend's appy gelding too). And in an eventing horse you want something substantial enough to have the power of movement and jump, but light enough to be able to gallop a cross-country course without exhausting itself. This little guy looks like he might be too solid for the purpose you are looking for. However, I have seen some REALLY solid horses competing and winning in the upper levels of jumping and dressage, so those are always an option. And if not, he is gorgeous, why not try hunters?


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## aussie12 (Oct 5, 2011)

Well been to have a look at him, and not what I was expecting at all. He's a totally different colour to start with!

Took a million photos so have uploaded some of the better ones that you can see him in. He was totally unhandled couldnt get a hand on him, but he was inquisitive and his mum very quiet, couldnt get near the stallion either. I'm a bit concerned he's maybe a bit too downhill - althuogh hard to tell because there was no flat ground to get him on.

Anyway have a look let me know what you think, but my gut feeling is this is the start of a long search


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## aussie12 (Oct 5, 2011)

The apaloosa is the mare and the dark chestnut with the shocking feet is the stallion


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

His hocks look a bit straight. More than I really like to have on a horse but they aren't straight enough to be a deal breaker for me. Probably his neck will never be long and pretty like what you see with TBs and WBs, his throatlatch is too coarse for that, but that won't mean that it will be too short to be functional. As for his head, it is actually quite attractive to me. When my guy was born, his head was absolutely fugly but he grew into it nicely. It's still a bit big but it's not ugly shaped or anything.

Actually, I like him quite a lot. He looks remarkably like my draft cross did at that age. You said he is 4 months? Here is a pic of Rafe at 3 1/2 months, they look almost identical except for the color.









And this is one of the best recent pics I have of him. He is now 26 months. He's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but he's dang sure sturdy and has the ability to do pretty much anything. He'll never be a fast turner like a cutting horse but for long stretches of straightaways, he'll have the umph to do whatever I need.


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