May 2001
Preparing and Presenting Your
Yearling for Inspection
The Del Mar Yearling Sale
In its ongoing efforts to assist breeders/consignors who are planning to sell their stock at the 2001 Del Mar Yearling Sale, the CTBA Sales Committee has decided to provide a set of guidelines for the
event.
Following on the mailing of the nomination forms last month, with the closing date of March 5, here is the first of a series of articles that will be featured in California Thoroughbred in the few months leading up to the sale.
by CLYDENE BOOTS
Conformation inspection of Del Mar Sale nominees for Southern California, usually starts the first of April and extends into early May. You will receive prior notice, but don't leave working with your nominees till the last minute. It is best to bring them up and start schooling and grooming at least a week or two in advance, depending on how much has been done with them previously.
While the yearlings don't need to be sale ready, it is not acceptable to merely point to a couple of shaggy yearlings standing out in a muddy paddock and say "that's them". At a minimum, the yearlings need to be already up prior to the inspector's arrival, ready to be presented, and well mannered enough that they will walk and stand as required.
Hopefully their feet will have been properly cared for all along, and they will be in good body condition with no serious blemishes beyond the bumps and bites that active young horses do acquire. Colts play especially rough, so keeping the sale nominees up or at least separated for several weeks prior to inspection will allow time for bite marks, and the like to heal over. Many yearlings will still have part of their winter coat, but some vigorous grooming will give them a smoother, more mature appearance.
In addition to looking at the yearling standing quietly, the inspector will want to watch him walk toward and away from him, as well as probably taking a side view of the walk. Thus you need a smooth surface free of obstacles and distractions, and it should be fairly secure just in case the yearling spooks and breaks away from the handler. The driveway leading to a busy street, for example, would not be a good place. Dogs and small children should not be wandering about. If it is pouring rain, you may have to show in a barn aisle, but this is not really desirable. Your yearling will have a freer, more athletic walk outside where he can really stride out.
School the yearling in the area where you plan to show him, so he can become accustomed to it. If he is shown in an unfamiliar place, he will be moving unevenly and gawking around, which will adversely affect the way he walks and may give the appearance of poor conformation.
Most sale horses are shown in a Chifney bit as this helps the handler keep the horse's head in a straight line. If your yearling turns his head to the right to look at something while being walked, his right front leg will follow the direction of his head and may give the appearance that he toes out on the right. And if he is standing off-balance, don't push him back a half step to square him up, as this can make him look back at the knees. Step him forward a bit instead.
You want to present him in such a way that the overall impression is favorable. While it won't overcome conformation flaws or a marginal pedigree, a nice presentation helps your yearling show to his best advantage.
While x-rays are not a part of the conformation inspection, you should be thinking about screening your yearlings via x-rays if they are legitimate candidates for the Del Mar sale. Many serious market breeders have already been doing this to detect things that would affect the saleability of the yearling. A minor flaw, such as a small chip may be surgically correctable, with the appropriate x-rays and disclosure in the repository. If the problem is very serious, it is better to discover it before spending thousands of dollars on entry fee, sales prep, shipping and commission.
CTBA Sales is especially encouraging owners of accepted yearlings to x-ray the sesamoid, stifles and hocks, and receive a clean opinion before actually entering the horse in the sale.
If you have questions about this, or about the inspections, contact Cookie Hackworth (Sales Coordinator) at 626-445-7800, ext. 243.
Copyright © 1998-2001 California Thoroughbred Breeders Association
