Begin to draw blood for Coggins and EVA. Only one horse per form, title Coggins and EVA by property line (consignor). Use dam and sire’s name, no nicknames please.

Start leading your yearlings to and from the field with chifney bits in, (you might want to start with the shank out of the ring until your horse learns to accept the bit). Develop a good brisk walk to and from the field. Another way to introduce the chifney is during daily grooming. It’s very important that your yearling is well schooled in a chifney before he comes to the sale. How he shows himself will directly affect the dollars he generates.

Start picking your yearling’s feet every day. We suggest painting your horse’s feet 3-4 times a week during this dry period with a moisturizing hoof care product.

We suggest using Rice Bran Oil for your yearlings and mares.

If your sale horse’s mane is not laying over on the correct side, ie. the right side or off side, begin to wet it over during each grooming session and if necessary braid it to the right.

Start grooming your sale horses on a daily basis. Bath at least once a week.

Trim feet regularly to keep them from chipping or cracking. Consult with us and/or your blacksmith to see if there are any issues that might warrant trimming your yearling on a two week schedule.

Start practicing showing daily of your yearlings. I would like your horse to show in an open stance, with the off front leg slightly behind the near front leg. The near hind leg is behind the off leg.

Start walking your yearlings 15 minutes per session and work up to 30 minutes per day. Develop a good brisk walk, remembering to stay at your horses shoulder. Try to use any hills available, this is good for hip and gaskin development. Generally your sale mares won’t require any walking to get fit. They just need to look the picture of maternal health. If your mare is a breeding/or racing prospect that is another matter. Generally these horses appeal to two types of buyers: those that hope to get few more races from a filly and those looking for maiden mares to breed. In that case, the level of fitness your horse has coming into the sale matters. This is something we can discuss on a case by case basis.

Put your sale horses under lights in the barn until 10:00 pm. This tricks mother nature a little and helps maintain a slick hair coat. Also, breeders want barren and maidens that have already been put under lights. If necessary, put blankets on your sale horses. Please send the blankets with your horse to the sale. We will label them with your hip number and have them bagged up with your halter after your horse has sold for you to pick up.

Please discuss pulling and trimming your sale horses with us prior to doing so. We prefer a small bridle path, about 2 inches wide. All muzzle hair removed and the under jaw hairs removed as well. Depending on your horse during the winter sales, it’s not necessary to totally clean their ears out with the clippers. Only the hairs protruding from the ears need to be tidied up. A good rule of thumb regarding manes is to measure the mane the length of a dollar bill. Then if necessary we can pull it shorter. If you have any questions or are unable to clip and pull your horse prior to shipping, we can take care of this at the sale grounds for you.

EVA, COGGINS, STALLION SERVICE CERTIFICATES DUE TO SALES COMPANY.
 

REMINDER: PREGNANCY AND “CLEAN AND SOUND” TESTS MUST BE DONE
AND RESULTS TURNED IN TO SALES COMPANY WITHIN 10 DAYS OF YOUR MARE OR BROODMARE PROSPECT SALES DATE.
 

REMINDER: X-RAYS FOR WEANLINGS MUST BE TAKEN WITHIN 15 DAYS OF ITS SALE DATE AND TURNED INTO REPOSITORY AT LEAST 3 DAYS PRIOR TO SELLING DATE.

Our office will notify you prior to the sale with exact ship dates and time and barn to ship to.
 

If you’re shipping a long distance a box stall is suggested. Have your horse oiled and if coming from out of state, a health certificate done prior to shipping. Wrap your halter with either sheepskins flannels to protect from rubbings. Put identification or a shipping tag on your horse. We suggest you ship with an attendant.
 

grains
A 14-16% protein feed is recommended, either pellets or a sweet feed/oats mix. Base the amount of feed on weekly evaluations of your horse’s weight through visual inspection or weighing.Start on rice bran oil; build up to 2 ounces per feeding. Lactobacillus cultures are a good addition to the diet, found in products like Fast Track and Pro Bios. The addition of fat to the diet is suggested to improve coat condition and weight and rice bran oil is a good example.
 

hay
Good quality hay is a very important part of your horse’s diet. You want a good timothy or mixed hay that isn’t too stemmy. Good heads on the timothy and good color are all indications of good hay. If you use alfalfa, use sparingly - a flake in the morning and evening feedings.