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Elite Veteran
Posts: 911
     Location: Durango CO | I do not have a horse that I am trying to prep for a big sale but what does it take? When do people start? What are they fed? Exercised? Supplements? |
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| Number 1 ... they are fed or injected with beef growth hormones or good old steroids ... then you buy expensive feed and pay someone to feed 3x/day and to care for 3-4 horses with brushing, baths and meticulous mane, tail and ear hair care ... along with walker time twice a day ...
Week before sale you start the baby oil routine on nose, below the eyes and a slight sheen to body coat, mane and tail .. while maintaining all the above which includes catching the poop before it hits the shavings ... lol
The Lazy E probably has one of the best sales prep programs around ... last I heard ... $30/day for minimum of 90 days and all vet, farrier and misc can push the cost to an easy ++ $2000-3000 during their stay ... same game trainers play on race horse owners .. lol ..
HAVE FUN ..
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 Saint Stacey
            
| ^^^So NOT true. About the steroid. Some do, but most don't.
It does take a lot to sale prep a yearling. Having a well known person with connections help. Lazy E does too many and the little guy will fall through the cracks. Biggest thing is to keep them from bleaching out. Ours are kept out of the sun starting in May. They are simply fed well here at home and are out in the pasture overnight and before the sun comes up. First of July they go to the sale prep guy. He then keeps then in stalls, feeds them up, has people brushing on them daily and he has a huge hot walker that he breaks them to. This thing is lo large and fast he can actually lope them on it. Cost is $27 a day. But he is the best.
By having someone like this guy do it, you are not just paying him for the work but also his contacts. People know the job he does and are constantly showing up to look at his consignments prior to the sale. Or they call him and ask what his sale crop looks like and what he has. At the sale he always has people available to show the horses. Then if you want a minimum price, he will make sure to get the horse to that price or get it back for you.
Edited by SKM 2016-08-15 6:39 AM
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 Bulls Eye
Posts: 6443
       Location: Oklahoma | I used to sales prep on some of the top TB farms in KY. We would start about 90 days out from the sale. Horses would either be hand walked 45 minutes at a brisk walk in sets or put on the equicizer to start building up muscle and top line. They would be inside under fans during the day and out at night. We fed 3 times a day a high % protein feed with oil. Each horse was groomed 45 min-1 hour a day and bathed after their exercise. The got turned out at night until 2 weeks before the sale. During the day we also practiced walking them like they would be walked at the sales and standing them up. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 911
     Location: Durango CO | This is really interesting. Anyone else have input? |
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Regular
Posts: 85
  
| In the cutting horse industry, the "BIG" yearling sale is in December, so starting in September we have them under lights to keep them from growing a winter coat. They are also kept on a great feed program and exercised daily. We handle and groom them a lot too, since they have to wear slinkies and blankets for months coming up to the sale. All of the colts go to the sale with a full set of xrays, so we try to have them gentle enough that the vet can move around them and do what he needs to do.
Edited by Lph88311 2016-08-15 10:24 AM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 610
  Location: MN | I am currently sales prepping for the ocala yearling sale and the keeneland yearling sale. I start 90 days out. The yearlings are in during the day with fans and turned out only at night. I don't use any steroids etc. They are fed a good quality 14%;grain with a pound of a omega fat supplement and top dress the grain with rice bran oil. If the colt is on the thinner side I might grain it three times a day. I exercise them in a round pen at a trot 12 to 15 minutes each direction then they are bathed. A few days before shipping to the sale they get their sale shoes and feet sanded and clipped.
Edited by pinkee 2016-08-15 11:37 AM
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Member
Posts: 21

| We sales prep every year for the LQHBA sale in August. Normally we bring the babies up for stalls 75 days out. Put them on a feeding program, which consist of higher protein feed, electrolytes, Equine Omega Complete oil and calf mana. Exercise walker everyday, round pen or equicizer 3 times a week. lots of grooming, bathes and keeping out of sun. Try to build up a lil muscle and get fat basically. Free choice coastal and alfalfa once a day. keep the stalls clean and always clean water. a week prior to sale we put shoes on the front and pull manes, few days prior to sale we cut the bridle paths, ears, muzzle. Once we get to sale, you just keep them well groomed and pray they settle in and eat well. have a nice leather halter for the sale to present your yearling top notch. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 670
    Location: Running my kids somewhere. | TwistedK - 2016-08-15 7:02 AM I used to sales prep on some of the top TB farms in KY. We would start about 90 days out from the sale. Horses would either be hand walked 45 minutes at a brisk walk in sets or put on the equicizer to start building up muscle and top line. They would be inside under fans during the day and out at night. We fed 3 times a day a high % protein feed with oil. Each horse was groomed 45 min-1 hour a day and bathed after their exercise. The got turned out at night until 2 weeks before the sale. During the day we also practiced walking them like they would be walked at the sales and standing them up.
This sounds about right. I spent a few years prepping TB and Standardbred yearlings for sales. |
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