How do you tell what a foal will become (more)?

[cowgirljenn]

At what age can you look at a foal or young horse and have an idea of what his movement’s going to be like/what discipline he would be best suited for?

I’m not a breeder but am starting to think about my next horse. I want to start with a young horse again and train him/her myself. Since I run a rescue, I’ll likely adopt one of our young horses…

I’m sure this is a complete novice question. But I admit when I last got a young horse, I just loved the horse and didn’t care what he would be able to do. This time I want to be a little more educated/smart about it.

[TrinitySporthorses]

Around 3 months is the best time to judge a horse (though if it hasn’t received proper nutrition or was stunted in development for some other reason, this may not hold true.) Around 4-5 months they usually begin to go through wonky growth phases and you may not catch more than a rare glimpse of the future beauty for the next 2+ years! Depending on the breed, somewhere between 2-5 years you will see the adult appear =)

I strongly suggest you watch many videos on YouTube of young horses in your chosen breed/discipline. Read articles about evaluating young horses and just functional conformation in general. You must train your eye in order to be able to properly evaluate a baby.

If it’s sporthorses you’re interested in, attend as many breed inspections and in-hand shows as you can. The more quality you see (especially when accompanied by an explanation), the easier it will be to know which ones don’t meet your goals.

[Nootka]

this one is cute

http://www.bluebonnetequine.org/horses/Galeno.htm

[KJackson09]

I am looking at a foal that is in utero at the moment and a good friend of mine that has bred Hanoverians for 25 years told me the cardinal rule to know what you will have…

3 days, 3 months, 3 years. – That will give you a pretty good estimate as to what your going to have… that is also if your buying a baby.