Preparing Young Prospects for Sales in 2018
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54 – January/February, 2018
by Taylor Fabus
With the peak of the 2018 show season just on the horizon, some of the industry’s top exhibitors are in search of their next equine partner. The hunt for the next great champion brings with it excitement, anticipation, and optimism. The thoughtful preparation of these top equine athletes is a demanding and often lengthy process. Read on to discover how some of the nation’s top consignors prepare talented young stock to be marketed to buyers.
Mark Harrell, owner and operator of Mark Harrell Equine Marketing of Caseyville, Illinois, shares how he translated his talent for sales into a thriving equine business. “Many years ago, I started riding colts for a neighbor. We’d take the colts to local sales in Bowling Green, Kentucky. After that, we moved up to bigger sales like Tattersalls, and then the Congress Super Sale. For years, we were taking 20 to 30 head to the Congress Super Sale and were named the high selling consignor on more than one occasion. It was a great time, and I was lucky to have a wonderful team behind me. When the recession hit the horse industry, you could certainly feel it in horse sales. During this lull in sales, along came the internet to help fill a void. I actually haven’t been to the Congress sale or other sales in a couple years now. For my business, personally, Dreamhorse.com has been big. It made my life so much easier. I didn’t have to take a string of horses to the sale, set up the stalls, pull them out, and show them to 30 people a day. Fast-forward to today and Facebook has all but replaced Dreamhorse.com.”
Feeding & Nutrition
A wholesome nutrition program with high-quality hay and grain is crucial to preparing a young horse, not only for a sale, but also to become a conditioned athlete. Paula Hitzler, manager of Michigan State University’s Horse Teaching and Research Center, whose program focuses on teaching students to prepare young horses to be sold at their annual April auction, says, “Nutrition is where it begins. Feed the highest quality hay you can, and be sure that you have a feeding program that’s balanced on both hay and concentrates. We don’t see a great need for supplements if you’re feeding a balanced ration. If you need to add fat to a diet, one of the easiest and least expensive ways to do that is
with the addition of corn oil. We like to have our sale horses at a Body Condition Score of 6 at sale time. It may be slightly above ideal, but buyers tend to prefer a horse with more condition.” In addition, a methodical parasite control, or deworming, program is essential to the overall health of the animals as well.
54 – January/February, 2018
