Inspection Preparation - One month to go

[okggo]

I could use some pointers on getting a mare/foal ready for inspection. The long story short, they have both been on field board at a place with no shade but a run in shed. My mare is usually jet black and she looks like a buckskin, fly bitten, and underweight. The foal is fat and happy, but she is sunbleached brown shedding to grey and looks like a moth eaten freak.

The long story short, we bought a farm and have been busy putting up fencing and getting the pastures ready to bring them home, so sadly I've been pretty much relying on our BO to care for them and let us know if something happens. We try to get out there weekly, but have been pushing to have at least one pasture done, and when you have a full time job and do your building on the weekends, it's hard to find 4 hours to drive across the State and visit and then drive back.

The good news is we HOPE to be done at least one pasture this weekend, which means getting them home, and TLC - fattening up the mare at the very least. How on earth can I revive her coat? She looks like a teenager that has been using sun-in, coat is totally fried, dull, and listless. She is supposed to be getting TC Growth as well as Ultimate Finish.

Filly hasnt' had a lot of hands on work, sadly. She was VERY insanely shy when she was born and our visits would consist of trying to convince her to let us catch her. Once she finally came out of her shell we were able to work on some basics, you can take the halter on off, groom, pick feet, and "sort of" lead. When I say "sort of," as long as you are leading behind mama she follows like a champ, but if you try to take her off on her own she curls into the fetal position and cries for mom. She is 110% mama's girl.

THe good news is, once we move them we will be working with them DAILY. I assume practice trotting mom and baby are essential. I've never shown a foal on the line with mom at their side. Are they pretty willing to follow along at a strange place?

Anyway, any tips on 1. Getting rid of foal coat 2. Bringing life back to sunbleached fried fur 3. Foal handling necessities for going on the triangle...would be greatly appreciated.

I just PRAY she and our other baby load on the trailer for us...NOT looking forward to that. I think this one will as she will want to follow mom, but the other has a stubborn streak a mile wide. She has been trailered twice and both times it was a challenge to get her on.

I can't wait to get them home, the most frustrating part is prioritizing farm work over horsie visits, but it's the only way we will ever get our place done!

[FLIPPED HER HALO]

Congratulations on the ranch Julie!

There was a thread I started on here a while back about inspection preparation - it has some good suggestions in it. Here it is. http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=152286

There is a thread I read last night too about baby fuz removal. I've been brushing Aiden daily and using a mixture of skin so soft and water on him. He's been on a trailer ride once and thought that was fun. His favorite part was jumping out afterward. ;)

We go to inspection too the end of August and I'm excited and hoping they strut their stuff. Both Hailey and Aiden are living in a pasture 24.7 and she's a bit sunbleached but I heard the judges don't worry about that so much. I may start spraying her with the skin so soft mixture too.

[clint]

In my experience, at an inspection, a new place, the foals stick to the mom like glue. That is very useful because they trot bigger instead of running off and bucking. Teaching the dam to trot in hand is necessary, as someone will need to run the mare in order to get the trot from the foal. If you are also inspecting the mare, then it is even more important that she show a good trot in hand. As far as the coat quality, you probably aren't going to be able to do a whole lot with that. A clean, well groomed mare and foal will go a long way, though. Get a very professional braiding job on both of them, make the tail look fabulous, get the feet done and put hoof gloss on them. The judges are looking for movement and conformation, not coat quality.

The foal will need to be led with the mare. An important point here, you will need to catch the foal after the halter is removed for the trotting with dam part. I have had foals where that part has been a bit of a worry, but everything has always worked out in the end. You will need to load the dam and foal in the trailer, and hopefully, the mare will load. The foal should be popped in first, although sometimes, for me, it has worked better to load the mare and have the foal jump in after. Loading problem foals do better going in first.

Good luck! My mare and foal live out 24/7 too, so I share your pain.

[okggo]

Thanks you two. Flipped, what is the SSS mixture? Do I have to order that from an avon lady (where ever would I find one of those!)

Clint, the mare is great and is also being inspected. She loads like a pro, trots in hand, so I'm not too worried about her. I think her filly will load okay. It's my other filly that won't but she doesnt' have any shows this year, just the trip "home."

I didn't know the foals went at liberty (that just tells you how little I know, huh?). I did a breed show with a weaned foal that was not allowed at liberty, I had to lead him. All my other in hand shows have been yearlings or older, which were all led. This filly has come out of her shell and has decided people are okay so catching shouldn't be a problem, but two months ago would have been a worry.

Should I braid the mares tail? Is that what you mean by "make the tail look fabulous" or is a good washing, show sheen, brushing good?

Tks again!

[clint]

I didn't know the foals went at liberty (that just tells you how little I know, huh?). I did a breed show with a weaned foal that was not allowed at liberty, I had to lead him. All my other in hand shows have been yearlings or older, which were all led. This filly has come out of her shell and has decided people are okay so catching shouldn't be a problem, but two months ago would have been a worry.

Should I braid the mares tail? Is that what you mean by "make the tail look fabulous" or is a good washing, show sheen, brushing good?

Tks again!

In breed shows the foals are led; inspections, at least all the ones I have done, the foals are stood up and examined while haltered, but when they trot, the halter is removed.

We don't braid the tails, and I don't think I have ever seen anyone else braid a tail either. However, we trim the docks if necessary, bang them, and of course wash and Show Sheen them.

[Tiki]

Tails are only braided for hunter shows and hunter breeding shows, never for a WB inspection.

[Home Again Farm]

Once they are home, I would keep your mare and foal in for the hot part of the day to try to bring mama's coat back. Have her as fat and fit as you can. Long walks can really help in conditioning a mare. Beyond that, have her as shiny as you can, beautifully braided and, if there is a pro handler available, use him. It is well worth it. Good luck!

[jilltx]

okggo try Paprika for the mare to help darken her coat. I think the dose is one heaping TBSP a day. Try searching for "paprika" and see what you get. It really helps to darken them up pretty quickly. I would also add some flax for shine power.

Good luck!! Which inspection are you taking them to?

[okggo]

Home Again, I used a pro once and it didn't work so well. The foal was used to me and just didn't respond well to her. I don't mean to sound snide, but is it that difficult? I may rethink using one...but I've got long legs and running along a big stride is not an issue for me. I know there is a lot more to it then that, though. Would you suggest just for the mares inspection, since the foal goes at liberty? Or get a handler for the mares and the foals inspection??

Jilltx, BWP in VA. I'm bummed that my beautiful mare is looking so crappy right now :(

Ohh, Home Again, another question, what about lunging the mare to get her back into some element of muscle? Brief sessions 2-3 times a week? I could start riding her again too, but I think that would be a challenge with the foal.

[Home Again Farm]

I was suggesting the pro for your mare's inspection, not the foal. Longeing will be a great way to get her looking good, too. Good luck with it and please keep us posted! :yes:

[acottongim]

All of the above! Here is my "program" such as it is. My mares/show horse whatever I have to get ready is in during the day and out at night (if this is possible.. might not be for you, and if that is the case try and contain them in the SHADDIEST paddock you can (even if you have to split the paddock to the shaddy section then let them out to the larger area at night). Best feed/hay possible with daily grooming (naturally! LOL). I also give all my show horses flax seed and some of them get rice bran. Both help with coats and weight!! Light lunging for the mare to get her in shape. I will, have, and do clip my foals if they are going to a show and they are "molting". I find that except for the head area they handle it pretty well. :D Just do this early enough so if you need more than one session you have time and if you need to grow "lines" out you have time! For foals btw, I only take out the fuzz of their ears that is growing out like old man ear feathers LOL. For the inspection itself, braid, groom, bathe etc and I hire a handler. No matter how much they like/trust me I can't show them as well as my handler. That being said there are only certain handlers that I will use. ;) Good luck and let us know how it turns out!!!

[winsmorefarm]

okggo - here is my prep schedule and recommendations. My BWP inspection is first on the tour, so I have less days than you. For pics of my mares/foals at inspections/shows please goto: http://s283.photobucket.com/albums/kk320/winsmorefarm/?albumview=slideshow
1. Paprika - will work on new hair as it grows in, not hair that is already burnt. Can purchase from www.herbalcom.com 1 Tblspoon for regular dosage, 2 Tblspoon for extra help dosage.
2. Black Horse Henna & Clear Henna - can purchase from www.chevalinternational.com. Follow instructions on bottle and remember to shampoo at least 2 weeks prior to show. If you can body clip your mare (doesn't have to be too short, but enough to get off good portion of burnt hair, do so BEFORE henna application. I do the clear henna 1 wk before, and 1 -2 days before show on the last bath. If doing bath day before show, do early in day (if not too hot) so body oils will add shine.
3. Curry mare EVERY day. Brush foal everyday too. Try to turn-out during early a.m. and/or evening and have under cover during day. If very hot and humid, try a vinegar rinse to neutralize sweat - which adds to bleaching of coat.
4. Fresh ground flax seed, rice bran and black oil sunflower seeds (2 cups flax, 1 cup rice bran, 1 cup black oil sunflower seeds) - all high in Omega 3 & 6, which will help will shine too. Also LMF Gold is very good for putting weight on and shine. For building muscle, as long as you have a decent amount of protein (not too high), and lungeing, etc. is fine to get mare in shape, but don't work too long if you want her to put weight on.
5. Hire a professional handler. I recommend Jens Richter, as he will get your mare to move out the BEST and your foal should follow just fine. As long as you work with going upto your foal to make easy to catch, you should be just fine. I have his number if you need it.
6. Any clipping, etc. should be done 2 -3 weeks prior to show to allow any mess ups to grow out a little bit.
7. Shampoo - I recommend Lucky Braids shampoo - it's is all natural and gets horses extremely clean without using alot. Conditioner - If mare's tail is really dry, brittle - use mayonnaise. Wet it down and slather it on. Wrap in a baggie and let sit for 30 - 60 minutes (the longer the better). Wash out with shampoo and then put regular conditioner on - I recommend Shapely's.
8. All tack should be extremely clean. Horses should be impeccable - clean and shiney. I braid the manes (use bands, yarn that match the color of the mane - no silver/gold), but not tails (they should be full and shiny).
9. I have show halters for my foals with matching browbands BUT that's me, because I'm just like that and I prefer some sparkle. The main thing is that the bridle compliments the shape of the mare's head. I happen to use rolled leather bridles and halters for my mares and foals.
10. Have your mare's feet done at least 2 -3 weeks prior to show. I use Effol hoof oil, because it enhances the appearance of the hoof, but dirt does not stick to the hooves.
11. I do use Vetrolin shine for both mare and foal, but I hand-apply on baby with cactus-cloth, making sure NOT to get on branding area (left hind leg, around hip area).
12. Any white areas should be clipped, as well as feathers on the legs and around coronet band. I do not use baby powder, but use Lucky Braids Whitener instead, because it actually gets rid of the stains (including grass, manure, etc.) and cleans the white area, as well as colored areas. I do not clip baby's muzzle, but do clip outside of baby's ear to get rid of extra fluff.
13. I use Sleazy/Jammies (full body for mare and baby night before and take off at show, when doing final preparations). It helps to keep braids in place and dust/dirt etc. off of both.
14. I give mare/baby 1 -2 days off of working (meaning in arena, etc.) and keep in stall night before as I have learned that energy levels are much better if well rested.
15. If baby will be wearing a halter during inspection, allow baby to get used to wearing any halter before - usually a few weeks time.
That's all I can think of right now. Please feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.
While many might feel that much of this may not be necessary, my personal preference on this is that the "turn-out" is really out of respect for the
judge(s). I realize that they are tired and have travelled quite a distance, so I want to make the most out of this and even if they don't score on the way my mares/foals look, I believe it tells them that not only do I appreciate their time, but I belileve that it shows them that I am serious about my "craft". Plus, it's a great time for pictures and to capture the snapshot of that day.
Regards to all,

[winsmorefarm]

Forgot to add - I also use babyoil, vaseline or "highlighter" (which is pretty much the same thing) around the eyes, on the muzzle - BUT only enough to darken the area - not in the same fashion that it is used on arabs (no offense) - so not super oily/shiney, but just enough to enhance it a little.

[au_panda]

At the ISR/Oldenburg and AHS inspections, the foals are shown at liberty with a handler running the mare (the handlers I've had have been guys and they run faster than I could ever run). I've shown 2 mares and 3 foals. One colt was so studdish that he went to the back gate to visit the next mare coming in and had to be chased with a whip to go around the ring at all (he could have cared less where his mom was). One colt was a star and did everything right (and he still does, it's his nature). The full sister of the good guy however, wandered off from mom from day 1 so I tried a new tactic with her. She was pretty good about being led and would trot with me between outbursts of bucking :lol:. So I put her on the off side of the mare, which is where the foal is supposed to be while being inspected, and ran the leadrope through the mare's halter. Mama quickly got on board to let the filly know that anything other than trotting next to her without pulling on the leadrope was NOT appreciated. At her inspection this filly trotted as if glued to her mother's side. I have spectacular pictures of the 2 of them and the judges were quite complimentary of the filly (as was the handler who said she was an absolute pleasure and the easiest foal of his day). I think because she actually trotted and was clearly visible to the judges the entire way around the arena, they were able to actually assess her potential.

This certainly may not work with all dams and foals but my '08 filly will be exposed to the same program before her inspection.

As to the sun bleached coat, my vet suggested to me to mix almond oil in water and sponge that all over them to increase the shine. I have a friend who prepares race babies for the sales; she curries then brushes, then sponges a mixture of water and people hair conditioner all over them, then curries and brushes again.

[pintopiaffe]

1/2 to 1c of Rice Bran OIL daily will help with both the weight and the coat. You'd be surprised how fast it works. It's $$ compared to plain oil. If you can't find it locally, best price I've found online is Macauley's, as shipping is included.

The only other thing I've found to make a dramatic difference super-quick is CocoaSoya. 1c/day. You'll get the inside-out gleam going, and it's the safest way to add calories.

Can you clip the foal? If you do it at least 2 weeks out, that will leave enough time to grow in any imperfections. It's early enough you're not going to have to worry about getting ready for winter *yet*. I know people argue for and against. I know inspectors *know* what foals look like. I also know how FABULOUS my black filly looked body clipped vs. not. Was absolutely the right choice for her. She was SO much more comfortable for the rest of August too! (and grew plenty of mink coat for winter)

If you can run--then *I* think you're better off doing it yourself. I *can't* run, I'm short, stubby, fat, and tip forward from the hips, and my horses have all done exceptionally well at SHIH and inspections. The lowest score was the one time I hired a handler. Go figure.

HUGE congrats on the new farm. How wonderful. :D

[FLIPPED HER HALO]

What if the mare didn't lose all her pregnancy weight? Getting weight on mine isn't a problem....she's too fat in my opinion! Will they mark her down for still being a bit thick?

[winsmorefarm]

I personally believe that any judge would rather see a healthy-looking nursing mare, then a thin nursing mare. My new mom is a BIG mare anyway, and I don't think that she looks fat, but she does look healthy with her new foal. While I would not necessarily want her to add to her weight, I also would not want her to lose much either.

[FLIPPED HER HALO]

I personally believe that any judge would rather see a healthy-looking nursing mare, then a thin nursing mare. My new mom is a BIG mare anyway, and I don't think that she looks fat, but she does look healthy with her new foal. While I would not necessarily want her to add to her weight, I also would not want her to lose much either.

Thanks. My mare is a big mare too - 16.2 hands but very deep barreled. Sometimes people have a hard time believing she's a TB due to that and her thick bones compared to my other TBs. You can see most of her in this pic I took on Saturday. She's not as sunbleached as the pic makes her look - it was smokey here due to all the wildfires. http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i131/TBJMPR2/Aiden/IMG_5335_1.jpg

[okggo]

Wow, some amazing advice, thank you so much!! Winsmorefarm, I very much appreciate your posts, that is a lot of great tips to think about!!

They will be out 24/7 here as well, BUT BUT BUT my pastures (it feels so cool to say that, "mine") are amazing. They were first a orchard/alfalfa hay field, then they had sheep and prior to my getting the place they have been vacant for a year. They are FILLED with big huge shade trees (apple, pear, chestnut, and a ton more) plus have a very large run in shed. So they will go from basically no shade (they had a run in but I never actually see them in the thing) to lots of shade and great grass. And my TLC daily. So I hope we can do great things with the mares appearance in a month. She is underweight but not scarily so, just a bit ribby and looking dragged down. Her coat is pretty terrible. I'm going to try to get some pictures this weekend once we get them home, so I'll share some.

Thanks for all the tips, they are very greatly appreciated! If anyone will be at this inspection, please come say hi! I'll have the tall, sunbleached used to be black mare with the big question mark blaze and the grey foal.

[okggo]

The only other thing I've found to make a dramatic difference super-quick is CocoaSoya. 1c/day. You'll get the inside-out gleam going, and it's the safest way to add calories.

I googled this, what exacly is it? A milk? Something they sell at the grocery store?

I give Ultimate Finish, which has flax and oils in it. I'll add rice bran oil, paprika, BOS...I'm looking up LMF Gold and the CocoaSoya for more info....

Edited to add...UF contains a lot of this stuff, maybe when I am the one giving it (aka can be sure she is getting what she needs)...
FEATURES:

• 25% fat supplement used to increase calories without adding more grain

• Blend of vegetable oils from flaxseed, soybeans and rice bran

• Fortified with minerals and vitamins so no dilution of the diet occurs

• High in Omega-3 fatty acids

Buckeye has other options, anybody want to check out the fat supplements at http://www.buckeyenutrition.com/equine/index.html (scroll down) and let me know what you think...

[winsmorefarm]

okggo - I checked out your feed and the only thing that I didn't really like (just off the top of my head), was everything (the essentials) are all HEAT PROCESSED - which is not good. You won't get quite as much benefit as you are paying for. I use Max E Glo (rice bran) which I believe is human grade. I use fresh ground flaxseed (please do NOT soak your flaxseed) everyday that I grind each day in a coffee grinder and add. The same goes with the BOSS (don't grind, but not processed). I prefer not to use oils, as they can become rancid very easily, unless you have a refrigerator at your barn and again, they are processed somewhat too, so I prefer to use ingredients in natural state, with minimal processing as much as possible. The only other supplement that I can recommend is Platinum Performance. It is a bit on the costly side, but if you were to purchase everything that goes into it individually OR purchase other supplements to combine to get the same levels, it will actually cost you MORE $$. My horses have been on it for some time now, I can't say enough good things about it. But, I will add your feed to my massive spreadsheet and see how nutritionally it compares with other grains, supplements.

Flipped - your mare does look big (but not necessarily in a bad way). I think my mare is larger - check Alexa out: http://s283.photobucket.com/albums/kk320/winsmorefarm/?albumview=slideshow
Run your hand over her ribs to determine the layer of fat. Check her back, too. If her fat layer isn't too much, then she should be fine. Is she still on green grass? If so, I would be careful about that, especially during warmer afternoons. I completely understand about the smoke, as that has been our weather forecast on and off for awhile now in Bay Area.

[FLIPPED HER HALO]

Flipped - your mare does look big (but not necessarily in a bad way). I think my mare is larger - check Alexa out: http://s283.photobucket.com/albums/kk320/winsmorefarm/?albumview=slideshow
Run your hand over her ribs to determine the layer of fat. Check her back, too. If her fat layer isn't too much, then she should be fine. Is she still on green grass? If so, I would be careful about that, especially during warmer afternoons. I completely understand about the smoke, as that has been our weather forecast on and off for awhile now in Bay Area.

My horses live in irrigated pasture 24/7. We've already cut and baled the field and now its growing back up. It's nice not having to feed hay.

[Altamont Sport Horses]

I've been to a couple of inspections held by the American Trakehner Association. They very much understand that the foal will be fuzzy and the mare won't be in athletic condition. We personally leave the halter on the foal but allow them to run at liberty at the dam's side which the ATA encourages. I wouldn't want to take the halter off completely just in case the foal did get a little scared, having the halter already on would make it easier to catch.

I haven't seen any foals that wouldn't stay pretty close to the dam especially when the dam starts to trot or canter. Sometimes the foal will stray a bit and inspect the flowers or triangle while mom is standing still for conformation evaluation but they don't take off.

[pintopiaffe]

CocoSoya is by Ukele.

It's oil, unrefined soy and coconut. I spelled it wrong, hence the no google. http://www.cocosoya.com/

And while these days I use less oil and more rice bran, flax and boss... I don't think you can get any faster, safer results than the oils. I DO think the cocosoya or rice bran have far more useful nutrition in them than just 'veggie' oil.

[sporthorsefilly]

We have a professional handler coming to the BWP/NAD Keuring in Virginia, so not to worry! Lots of good advice here, but I think I might have a difficult time convincing my mare and two year old that they should get in shape...they look at me as a very, very poor role model :-)

Both are conformation hunter porky...well I have a month, perhaps riding one and leading one might work for all of us :)

I like ultimate finish, but nothing beats hard work with a curry and brush!

[okggo]

Both are conformation hunter porky...well I have a month, perhaps riding one and leading one might work for all of us :)

Can I borrow a couple hundred pounds for the day?