Finding Your Foal

 I was asked recently what I look for in a foal.  How do I pick a good one, or what is it about a youngster that sparks joy in my heart?  I found it wasn't a snap answer.  Definitely one to give some consideration to from multiple view points.  So, here are my viewpoints.  They are just mine, of course, but maybe they will give you some perspective on finding your own!

Maximum Majesty born May 2013.  Max was our first foal.  He was a perfect first foal.  From a veterinary standpoint he was a bit of wreck at birth but had a strong and self assured personality.  He was compliant, brave but not over sensitive.  

I remember asking my mentor, Eitan, what he looked for in a horse.  How did he pick the champions from the many young horses that came through his hands. He found it hard to verbalize.  Like the artist and horseman that he is he described it as a feeling.  You just know.  There is something about the horse that  speaks to your soul.  When I look at the horses that have remained as part of my herd I would have to agree.  There is something about the outside of a horse that touches the inside of the human and that connection is a lot like picking a spouse.  It's hard to define.  

Mia Fe born July 2020.  "Fe" was a very sensitive but brave foal from day one.  She is an athletic level mover much like her momma.  She is opinionated but smart.  Definitely one to challenge you.  

As a Veterinarian I am called on to examine young horses for health and wellness.  I often get to see these youngsters at their 24 hour check up.  It's quite honestly one of my favorite things to do.  If I wasn't also trying to run a business I would do these check ups free of charge.  It's the very best part of our job.  We listen to the heart, checking for regularity and lack of murmurs.  We listen to the lungs to ensure there is no lingering fluid and air is moving equally through both sides.  We feel all the joints to be sure there is no swelling.  We check the umbilicus, scrotal area and perineum for any hernias or abnormalities indicating possible inherited reproductive defects.  We look at the jaws, to ensure there is no evidence of malignment of the bite.  We look at the eyes to be sure we don't have any suspicion of congenital cataracts.  And finally we draw blood to make sure that baby received all of the colostrum from momma to set it on the path of health and wellness for a productive life. None of those very important things tell me anything about who the horse is destined to be.  The completely healthy and normal 24 hour old foal may grow up to be a clobber footed dingbat who can't walk a straight line without tripping or spooking.  What does give me some information as to who this foal will be is how they handle the process of this examination.  

Sheila Fe was born May 2021.  Sheila has been very sure of herself and smart since birth.  She is forward thinking and more likely to tell you what to do than accept what you tell her to do.  She has the energy of a horse twice her size. 

Whether your foal was imprinted properly or was gathered from a range mare and trapped in a corner while someone restrains the veterinarian eating momma, you can see right from the start if this is a sensitive, curious, frightful, brave, or smart baby.  It still doesn't tell you much about their winning potential but it does give you the first glimpse of their personality.  In my very humble and relatively inexperienced opinion, that personality means at least twice what the conformation, breeding and type mean for performance in the long run.   

The next important aspect of evaluating a young horse is to be realistic about what you hope that foal will grow up to be.  You may have a discipline focused breeding program that is carefully creating foals for a specific purpose that predetermines the athletic future of your foal.  You may also have one special mare that you bred in honor of keeping the legacy of that special horse alive in your herd.  Either way, the best of intentions can be overridden by so many variables that are completely out of your control and likely more related to your horse's personality or possibly physical limitations.  My great grandpa, grandpa, father and uncle were all attorneys.  My mother was a paralegal for my father.  I was bred to be an attorney and raised in a home filled with it.  My personality determined that wasn't possible for me.  That's a little anthropomorphic for our foals, but they will tell you what their job should be if you listen.  You are much more likely to turn a baby bred for your sport into a happy participant in that sport but they can still surprise you.  

Betty Fe born April 2022.  Betty is quiet and accepting as well as smart and friendly.  She is quick to learn and easy to teach new things and once she learns something new it's pretty solid.  A very level headed foal.

This is again why I think personality is so important in your selection.  If you are a hunter jumper you want a brave, forward thinking not overly sensitive (spooky or touchy) foal.  If you are a reiner you want an athletic, sensitive, smart but level headed foal.  If you are a casual trail rider you want a foal that is trusting, quiet, brave but not reactive.  It's important to be realistic about your goals.  You may think you want a high powered athletic cowy son-of-a-gun, but if you are only a casual hobby cow worker that horse may spin right out from underneath you because his game is bigger than yours! 

I believe you can see a lot of this potential in a youngster from day one, but especially by 3 months.  It's a little tougher if they haven't been handled much but you can also watch how they interact in the herd or with their mother.  You can watch how they learn, how they process stimuli, how they seek release.  

So, how do I select my next partner from the small breeding program I have been blessed with?  I have a sentimental legacy that I very much want to carry on in selecting an offspring from my stallion.  I had hoped to have a son of his to carry on his legacy but he is going to have to carry that legacy through one of his daughters.  I am an avid mountain rider but I also love fancy movement and a flashy horse that tests me and forces me to grow and learn with it.  I also want pretty.  Ultimately, I think I pick out my horses most like Eitan.  There is just that something.  That indefinable something that touches my soul when I see a horse that needs to be mine.  I'm still not going to be able to put it into any more words than that! 

Patti Fe was born October 2022.  Patti has been smart and quick since she was born.  She was up on her feet before her mom and nursing faster than any foal we have had.  She is self assured, athletic, curious and brave.  She also has that something.