What is temperament worth when selling a weanling?

[Stacie]

How much does temperament affect marketability and price with a weanling? Would you price a weanling with an exceptional temperament differently than one with an average temperament or do you expect that a good temperament just helps sell the baby but the market value of the baby lies in other factors?

[YankeeLawyer]

Frankly, while I think temperament is very important, unless the weanling is a real stinker, I don't think there is that much variance in temperament to warrant much of a price difference, and it is also too early to predict how their temperament will be as a mature horse in a way that is relevant to their aptitudes. For example, ideally I want a kind horse with a good heart and a good work ethic. But when they are very young, you probably can only discern whether they are agreeable, quick to learn, and sweet - at best. The vast majority do not have much of an attention span at that age, and given that their primary jobs are to play, eat, and sleep, work ethic is not really tested. And some may seem shy or reticent early on but come into their own and be super later.

[columbus]

When you have a youngster with a lot of charm and a great disposition they are giving you the most advantages. They will show well to visitors. They will be more cooperative when you work with them so they get farther with less fighting. I was going to say they cooperate to get better photos for marketing but the truth is you get lots of pictures with nostril prints on the lens as they never get far enough away to snap the shots...the trick with a good temperamented youngster is to put out a prop they will be entertained by like an open umbrella...the breeze moves it in circles without rolling off like a ball might do. Of course this works until they stomp the umbrella. You set the price and the good temperament means you don't have to deduct for issues that make him more dificult to live with. It doesn't necessarily add to the price but it means that more people can be his new parent. He is less likely to get dinged up and if he does he recovers faster. He does better in his new home so his brother and sisters start with a higher price. PatO

Oh and you the breeder tend to not have that desperate look in your eyes because you have to get rid of that unpleasant, unmanagable colt who should only go to a pro but you don't know any pros and so you will have to con an amateur about how flashy and "animated" this youngster is. If you are an amateur looking for a wonderful temperamented colt you want to see the "youngster with an umbrella" video as first he trots pretty then he goes to meet the unbrella and then he destroys the umbrella and they he brings the beaten umbrella to the videographer to show them he needs a new umbrella...this one is broke. That is the video you WANT to see not the Fred trots pretty video. PatO...who breeds Irish Draughts and watches Irish Draught TV as the Irish Draughts of various ages are chasing each other around the pasture with the fragments of an umbrella.

[crosscreeksh]

As others have said - all things being equal - the sweet disposition will sell itself more quickly than the "punk"!! In today's difficult market and amateur owners, people are realizing that a pleasant, easy to handle foal may make a more pleasant, easy to handle horse/project. We have two foals who will leave their mom's and make their way to visit total strangers and schmooze with them. One is an overo 3/4 TB/RID and the other is a tobiano paint. They are easy on the eyes and so social our visitors fall in love immediately!!

[InstigatorKate]

Depends on who you're selling to. An ammy with little experience might be much more prone to buy the sweet foal vs the terror. The pro might like the spunk of the naughty one. I bought a weanling who really earned his name: Trubble. He was a real stinker. At 6yo, he's one of the quietest horses I've ridden, and the easiest to break. Now people laugh when they hear his name, but too late to change it now :-) Not sure how much early temperment translates to temperment under saddle. I suspect it has a lot more to do with how the horse is brought up from that point forwards.

ETA: Maybe a slight price difference for the sweet foal, more because you're likely to get that additional money than the horse actually being worth more.

[kookicat]

It also depends on who you're selling to- the ammy with the family will want a easy to get along with horse, while the person looking for a show horse (and is sending that horse to a trainer) may not care as much.

[Oakstable]

I have one that was really shy and now that he is under saddle, OMG, what a work ethic.

[patch work farm]

I happen to think it does make a difference since some foals don't generally show their movement, if you happen to have the one that won't show off, what else does someone have to gone on? I have had foals that refuse to trot so a buyer really only gets to see walk/canter (which are the gaits I want to see) but many want to see that flashy trot. If they are friendly and out going, I find it does help.

Many years ago I sold a yearling (frankly the VET sold the yearling). The buyers came out several times before the purchase, the filly was the boldest one I had ever bred, would whinny to all, come running up-a real personality. At the time of the PPE, the vet made me chase her around the field to get her heart rate up-as I was, she looked at the buyers and said, "after this chase, if she comes right back to her, there should be no question in your minds because I wouldn't get near her after she chased me like that". Of course, the filly came right to me and the vet looked at them and said, "you really need to buy this one". I didn't even know the vet but thanked her for the sale! Since this filly was such a puppy dog and loved attention, she sold herself.

[Walnut Farm]

agree 100% with YL! there is NO way of telling apart how a well handled foal will be under saddle vs the unhandled one. I have had the sweet foals lack pizzaze and the spunky shine under saddle.

So no, means nothing when selling. Now, with that said, I still think to know that it helps if the dam or the sire has a good reputation.

[Tamara in TN]

[QUOTE=Stacie;4139178]How much does temperament affect marketability and price with a weanling?


I subscribe to the "stinky baby=stinky adult" school of thought....I have even rated the temperments to buyers one against the other...ie "he is the most workable and this one less and that one is the worst of them all" and my buyers appreciate disposition more than other things

best

[FriesianX]

Oh there are so many variables... If it is a stinky baby (love that technical term), but hasn't yet been gelded, well... Brain surgery might make a world of difference. I've got a friend who just did that - stinky baby (we all hated him!) is now much easier. And another friend who bought a sweet, easy, in your pocket baby several years back. At about 4 years old, he turned into the "no way, not doing it, I'm scared of the world" horse.

I have a filly who was SO ALOOF (not naughty, just not into people) as a foal, and she is such a sensible, easy, sweet heart now. Nothing phases her, and she'll do anything for a scrap of attention.

It is easier to sell a sweet, in your pocket, curious and friendly youngster, but sadly I don't agree naughty baby always = naughty adult... Sometimes, yes, sometimes, not. And in some cases, naughty simply means "I want a job, I want more attention"!

[Tamara in TN]

Oh there are so many variables... If it is a stinky baby (love that technical term), but hasn't yet been gelded, well... Brain surgery might make a world of difference.

It is easier to sell a sweet, in your pocket, curious and friendly youngster, but sadly I don't agree naughty baby always = naughty adult... Sometimes, yes, sometimes, not. And in some cases, naughty simply means "I want a job, I want more attention"!

true....but just speaking for me personally...my oldest homebreds are 10yos this year...and every one of them that has left this farm from those first (one of whom did 14 th in pony finals last year) to the 3 yos starting under saddle this year is exactly in disposition, the same, as they were here...


gelded, intact, mares, what have you....stinky or perfect ;) no amount of being out "there" has changed them....they still are what they were when I put that halter on for the first time....so I value it a great deal

best

[Stacie]

Thanks for all the interesting responses.

I get the impression from the posts that there are differences in what we consider to be temperament. And thinking about it, I think most of what I consider a great temperament boils down to intelligence and trust.
A desire to bond and trust can certainly be lost through poor handling, but with good handling, I would expect both of those personality traits to continue into adulthood. Perhaps this is why one breeder can "peg" their foals early and expect to see the same temperament even in the adult.

I would also expect trust and intelligence to translate to ride-ability in a positive way. Given how may horses I know whose work ethic soared when a pain issue was addressed, and knowing how an intelligent horse likes to be out "doing", I suspect that a low work ethic in an intelligent animal could be health related rather than temperament. That said, many horses will work their behinds off regardless of pain and while that may be desirable in a professional's horse, whether that is good thing overall for the HORSE is debatable. This could be considered by some to be part of temperament. I'm on the fence on that one. Related to this is how pain may make an otherwise tractable horse seem "hot". TBs for instance, will race with fractures, and I suspect that many hot and wired TBs in other sports are actually in pain and using adrenaline to keep working through it. But that is a different thread.