Hi, so I’m new here and don’t know if anyone will see this but I’ll give it a go anyway 
I am looking to purchase a thoroughbred weanling as a future event/breeding prospect. I currently have her 5 year old full brother who is doing well in eventing, currently competing prelim (95cm) with plenty of scope and very good on the flat, have had lots of comments on him and a coach over from Germany said he was one of three horses he would take back with him if he had his pick.
The filly is currently 6 months old and will be weaned next month, I won’t post photos as she isn’t mine but I can put some pictures up of her brother if that would help. His pedigree is available here: http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/madgikar+archibald
I know just because they are full siblings that it doesn’t means she will be as good as him. The breeder has said that she will end up about 16.1/2hh and has nice big movement. I have not been to see her as it is a long trip so was just wondering what people here thought about buying a weanling, what do you look for? What price would you think would be fair for a tb who will be branded, DNA tested and papered? Oh and I could potentially get someone to go have a look or maybe make trip. (It is 13hrs by car)
Sorry for the essay…
I bought my now 20 yo TB mare as a weanling. We had several horses in the barn by her sire, but different mare. I took a chance on her because her dam was 1/2 sister to the other mare. She had decent conformation although when a baby, she was kind of narrow. I joked that it looked like her front legs came out of the same place. She ended up being a touch smaller than the other horses, but actually had a better temperment than the others due to her dam. The nice thing about her was that as she grew, she never did the fanny up, then front. She stayed very even the whole time so you could judge how she was moving easier. Maybe see if they can send you some pics or video since she is so far away. Good luck!
Thank you 
I’ve got some photos of her, just in the paddock so bit hard to tell but looks correct so far. Am getting a friend with a very good eye to have a look and my coach will ask about video… did you vet yours?
There is always a risk buying youngsters…they tend to hurt themselves…but I’ve bought several yearlings and now breed some of my own.
I’d say if you like the full brother, I’d go ahead and get the filly if you have a good place to keep her. In the end, you will end up paying quite a bit over time for her while waiting for her to grow up but it is spread out and a lot of fun.
When looking at weanlings, you need to pick the time to look at them. The old rule was 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months and 3 years…then don’t look closely in between. But sometimes they look best at about 3.5-4 months. Basically don’t worry what she looks like now as she will change a ton.
Cost will totally depend on where you are located and what the breeders were aiming for…i.e. if she was bred to race or for sport. Most of the ones I bought as yearlings were between 5-7500. But I’ve seen them cost less and cost more!
G3, yes I did vet my filly. Didn’t do xrays as I had known her since she hit the ground( my trainer had bred her). Just had them check heart, lungs, eyes, movement in case they saw anything glaring that would make her not suitable.
Thanks for the help we have bred a number up foals but never bought at this age, it’s always so hard to tell when they’re young!! We’ve had a couple that have always looked lovely and even but our yearling at the moment looks like a mule one week then looks nice the next… we’ve got plenty of room for youngsters luckily. Will wait for some more pics once she’s weaned and make a definite decision but I’m pretty keen on her!! Can anyone give me some more info on pedigree? I really like the sir tristram line and the habitat/sir Gaylord line but don’t know a huge amount about the others in there… just know that danehill throws some pretty types and have heard about some issues with legs?
Can’t work out how to post pictures but this is a link to a couple of shots of her:
https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=16ebab3076b0eac8&id=16EBAB3076B0EAC8!172&Bsrc=Photomail&Bpub=SDX.Photos&sff=1&authkey=!AN0xBCKihWOGZis#cid=16EBAB3076B0EAC8&id=16EBAB3076B0EAC8!173&v=3&authkey=!AN0xBCKihWOGZis
They’re not great but the best I’ve got at the minute…
I like her. She is of course way butt high in the pictures but she has a lovely looking shoulder (and that isn’t going to change). Legs look straight enough based on what I can see. I suspect she will be quite nice when she matures. Sounds like you have the means and knowledge to raise her up…I’d go for as long as she isn’t priced outrageously. I’d go look at her in person though to really make a decision. I also typically do a basic PPE…have the vet listen to her heart, check her eyes and, if it is a vet I know and trust, do a basic evaluation of her conformation.
I can’t really tell anything from those pics but wanted to ask why the foal was born in November? Was she an oops or do they not care about registering her? Unfortunately if she is registered she is a yearling now. I guess that doesn’t matter since you aren’t racing her but it strikes me as being odd regardless.
[QUOTE=Laurierace;7540557]
I can’t really tell anything from those pics but wanted to ask why the foal was born in November? Was she an oops or do they not care about registering her? Unfortunately if she is registered she is a yearling now. I guess that doesn’t matter since you aren’t racing her but it strikes me as being odd regardless.[/QUOTE]
I was under the impression that the OP is in another hemisphere. Prelim isn’t .95cm here and the grass sure doesn’t look like winter grass for us. I swear I read something that made me think NZ but I can’t find it now so I might be making that up.
She has a really sweet face! Good luck with her.
That makes more sense then. Not sure how they handle the age thing there.
[QUOTE=weixiao;7540683]
I was under the impression that the OP is in another hemisphere. Prelim isn’t .95cm here and the grass sure doesn’t look like winter grass for us. I swear I read something that made me think NZ but I can’t find it now so I might be making that up.
She has a really sweet face! Good luck with her.[/QUOTE]
That was my impression as well…plus that horse’s pedigree looks more NZ/AUS bred to my eye.
I know the pics aren’t great, I’ll try get some better ones if we go up and see her or if my coach goes up that way I can get a pic of her brother stood up if that helps at all? I really like her face also and from the photos she seems to have good bone much like her brother. As to why she’s a November foal, I’m in Australia so most of the foals born here are from October to December. For a tb stud she is a little late but these guys only breed a smaller number each year and I’m not 100% sure on registration but the people are registering her, microchipping, doing DNA and branding once she is weaned in may. Again thank you for the advice oh still wondering if anyone could comment on bloodlines as an eventer/jumper? 
[QUOTE=G3myst3ry;7541462]
oh still wondering if anyone could comment on bloodlines as an eventer/jumper? :P[/QUOTE]
I don’t know the lines up close…but further back…SCREAM good jumper. Sir Gaylord is a great line for eventers and you have it top and bottom. Buckpasser…great jump, Danzig, His Majesty, Round Table, Grey Sovereign…all really good lines.
So yes…I like her pedigree quite a bit. And yes…very cute face!
LOVE her… And just love the pedigree… She just has that spark in the photo, a look of energy, but wiseness and sensibility as well . She looks really uphill, super front and shoulder and strong limbs, short coupled with a nice butty back end, & long legs. I would snap her up if she was in the uk.
Pedigree- she’s got two sir Ivor / sir Gaylord and grey sovereign crosses… There is usually always something very very special about a horse that goes back to Sir Ivor… Even if it’s just one sir Ivor cross 4/5 gens back…Then it’s a very good horse…And there is Worden… He is close up in Jumbo’s pedigree … Worden was the sire of Seven Bells … Sire of international Showjumpers in Ireland … And of course the sire of the great jumbo! And Worden himself is by Wild risk.
Ok cool thanks!! She’s also got a double cross of star kingdom threw todman and karou star, star kingdom is in the lines of lots of good eventers (can’t remember names of the top of my head) I really like her lines bar the danehill/northern dancer line due to crooked legs and soundness stuff but it seems that all the other lines are very sound so should balance it out, hopefully. I’m so torn as we can’t afford another horse at the moment but we’ll be kicking ourselves if she turns out to be something special… I’ll see what she looks like at weaning. Oh I was also wanting to ask if anyone has had an experience with crossing Balou du Rouet over thoroughbred mares?
[QUOTE=G3myst3ry;7547215]
Oh I was also wanting to ask if anyone has had an experience with crossing Balou du Rouet over thoroughbred mares?[/QUOTE]
You should ask over at the Sport Horse Breeding forum. The few that I’ve seen were very nice but bigger than I want for UL eventers…but very fancy and good jumper type with good movement. If I had a shorter TB mare, I’d take a closer look at him. I don’t know about the gallop he would throw…but you should get a very nice horse.
Thanks, I’ll go have a look we were at a young event horse class and there was one competing, nice looking thing but huge and quite slow in the air. Nice jump and movement though and didn’t have a bad gallop, but a bit too big…
[QUOTE=G3myst3ry;7547398]
Thanks, I’ll go have a look we were at a young event horse class and there was one competing, nice looking thing but huge and quite slow in the air. Nice jump and movement though and didn’t have a bad gallop, but a bit too big…[/QUOTE]
That’s been exactly what I’ve seen. Nice horses though…I’m just trying to produce a bit quicker catty type.
I crossed Grafenstolz on my TB event mare and love type I got with him but the Anglo Traks are a bit…different 
More like a full TB in type and personality but lovely movement. He’s just a 2 year old so need to wait and see what he will be but is a really nice type so far.
I’m breeding to a his son this year on the same TB mare…excited for that cross as an event prospect (Future Gravitas http://futuresporthorses.co.uk/stallions/future-gravitas/ )
Nice!! I really like Grafenstolz, am considering getting some frozen from him but don’t quite have the right mare yet. Perhaps one of the foals due might be right in a few years
