Was anything said at the Keuring? Those poor foals must have looked like auction mart rescues compared to the others presented…
Well, my Arabian friends in the Scottsdale area seem to have magically found those non-existent ration balancers… for many, many years.
Thank you!! I cringed when I noticed that in the photos as well…
I’m shocked that nobody at the keuring called the SPCA.
We have Kate posting pictures of horses in very poor condition, supposedly as proof of how good her feed program is. We have her bringing foals in the brink of starvation to a keuring to be evaluated by experts.
So the question is does she actually not know / understand what a healthy horse looks like or is this some delusional disorder where she believes they look ok and this is normal?
Ding ding ding!
35 or so broodmares on hay only and 24/7 turnout. Anything that needs grain they keep elsewhere. Proof that you CAN keep broodmares on a hay/pasture only diet, if you actually feed them 
So you are saying that since Kate’s horses look horrible it is not just the lack of something other than hay, but that Kate is not feeding them enough hay either?
I think you start with good quality hay in good amounts and if that’s not enough you add something else.
Perfect. That is what almost everyone is saying.
And when your horses are too skinny and your mares and foals/weanlings look like a rescue case, clearly the hay, no matter how amazing it is, is not enough.
The mare in the top photo… look at her spine. It makes me so sad.
Calories count. So do a lot of other factors but no matter how well-balanced a diet, if there are insufficient calories then it’s a problem.
Those foals and mares look AWFUL. I don’t have an issue with a little thin at points in time because active babies and mamas who are gestating have their moments (then you adjust the calories gicen UPWARD) - that doesn’t apply to the photos shared here.
I can’t imagine bragging about those horses’ body conditions; for her not to get dinged by the inspectors leaves me reeling.
Yes Virginia Horse Mom just pointed out this list is added on to the semen post, I hadn’t scrolled down enough. Only saw the other post. I was thinking it was something you screen shot and that K subsequently deleted because she deletes a lot but it was just my search skills lacking!
I call BS on the “foals scoring lower because of their size/age.”
This is my filly at her inspection in mid-September 2012; she was born at the end of June so was only 2 1/2 months old, and was the smallest foal there. She was First Premium and scored an 8 - 8.3 for “general impression.”
My BM is in the breeding business (has foaled out many hundreds), so knows how to feed broodmares and babies; they get grain and hay - plus pasture. None of the babies are “unthrifty”, even as they go through the stress of weaning (or growth spurts), so there is zero “excuse” for the condition of these mares and foals. Zero excuse.
I’m looking at the lovely healthy coat on both mare and foal. THAT speaks volumes to me as well.
Since you’re here, I have 2 questions:
Explain those away for us, please.
Just based off my interactions with the keuring judges, they minced NO WORDS when I talked to them in the characteristic “Dutch people are so direct it almost feels rude” sense. (One kindly reassured me I could take my horse to the IBOP because you don’t need to ride well for that and there are poles to help you find the jumps) I suspect they told her that her goals were underdeveloped and she wrote it off that these experts who see hundreds of babies a year just don’t know what a foal that age should look like. I wasn’t there but I wouldn’t assume the KWPN judges/organization condoned their condition just because she reports a different set of events. She has a big public breakup with them at one point too, surprised that didn’t last.
Stunning baby! In immaculate condition! Nothing like those upside down creatures from the black lagoon KS is presenting.
Kate Shearer’s words live on.
In addition to looking overall horrendous they look like they’re built out of spare parts. Who in the hell woujd buy that for a hunter?
Yes I feed a forage based diet.
Yes I grow my own lucerne. (Alfalfa).
Forage based diet means forage for horses = grass.
Lucerne is a legume which means peas and beans.
Grass hay would be better if nothing else being fed.
Yes when there was no grass and we had one year with not one blade of grass on 100 acres, I not only fed other stuff, I was feeding up to 6 - 12 times a day to try and stop them trying to graze so as they didn’t get sand colic.
It doesn’t matter what diet you feed, step 1 is look at the animal, if it is underpar, CHANGE what you are feeding. Either amounts of what you are feeding or what you are feeding.
It is not rocket science.
Thank you, that’s very kind! 
I thought you recently fired someone over feeding issues…
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
