Spotlight on the Hanoverian Elite Auction foals

What a tantalizing tidbit this little Hanoverian foal, shown here as part of the Elite-Auktion Hannoveraner Reitpferde und Fohlen. Named Spotlight, he is by Sandro Hit out of a Dimaggio mare. Look at the way he stretches up through the wither, and that cadence! He'll be a real dancer.

    And of course, how can I resist a knee-high-socked chestnut named Bob? He may not grow up as elegant as Spotlight but he has a roundness to his frame I love.

A La Dressage: Aptly named

This amazing little guy by Ampere "smashed" the auction record at the Oldenburg elite foal auction last August. Somehow I missed the announcement and footage, but here it is now. Talk about round knee action!!

B-day! What I want

Today(Saturday) is my birthday. Bob always asks me to tell him what to get, because he considers birthday gift-buying to be a form of torture. I want to make it easy on him, so I'll tell him exactly what I want.

Bob gets his wish 

How bout this chestnut pictured right, Bob? I found this colt on facebook and I went ga-ga. It's a sign from the Gods that he is named B-Day! I love the pretty markings and unusual face but he has more going for him than color:

• he was top foal at his Hanoverian inspection
• he has bloodlines to die for,  by Benidetto out of Willbuerg/Warkant. Benidetto is a super stallion with great rideability
• B-Day was bred at walnut-farm.com. 

Way back when I was looking at babies, I visited Walnut Farm (Ohio) and met breeder Linda Woltz.  You won't find a nicer, more knowledgable, more enthusiastic person, and her farm is baby-raisin' heaven. She showed me a lovely 11-day-old foal. I was not ready to buy (this was the first stop on my horse-shopping journey). That exquisite little liver chestnut baby ended up at the top of the USDF standings by age five.  This is a breeding program that serious dressage folks should know about.

So here is B-Day. Will Bob step up to the plate and make me the owner of THREE horses? We'll see...

Palimino baby: Always airborn!

Jo Kimmins was kind of enough to loan me this photo from her Facebook page. It's a palomino foal bred from her stallion Crown's Ace of Pearl.

Fun with foal photos (courtesy of Foxwood Farm!)

Thanks to Foxwood Farm for letting me share these marvelous photos of their 2010 colt Karl by  the Grand Prix stallion Blue Hors Romanov.  His mom is by Stedinger out of  a Prince Thatch mare.

Says the breeder: "He is probably the boldest foal I've ever had, with a freakishly good character and temperament. He's got nice, uphill conformation (strongly resembles Romanov) and if he's half as nice of a mover as his mother he will be one lovely horse."

I can hardly doubt it. Already that he looks like quite an athlete.

Foxwood Farm is an 85 acre farm in Charlotte, Vermont --  look at their news page and their mares page, these guys are doing it right!

"You know how it is with babies..."

"You know how it is with babies. It's all very exciting, and then you're done..."
                                                                         Felicitas Von Neumann
 

Truer words were never spoken -- and here's the proof!

Importance of the mare in breeding: Living proof!

This little fellow is named Boot Cut, is that perfect or what? His markings are outrageous, I love that right knee. The dad, Black Tie, has a fair amount of white too. Actually, I can't quite tell if his good looks are more from mom or dad, but both mom and baby have fantastic rhythm in their trot. And the jumping in unison is just adorable.

The 2009 foals - some cuties!

One of my lunch break pleasures is Youtube. While munching some pumpernickel pretzels, I searched for videos of 2009 foals for a dose of baby cuteness. Success! Make sure you watch them all.

Here is a Damon Hill X Flemmingh foal (filly), interacting with a tarp and being adorable...

The footage below shows a pretty remarkable filly IMHO. The blurb says she is two weeks old -- she looks a bit older -- but the movement is spectactular regardless.



Here is another by the same sire, this one is in Ohio. If you're in the market for a baby, you should look hard at the mom, and this one is a beauty...



Here is a nice Quaterback foal, from http://www.hannoveraner-pfer.de/

10 weeks, Quaterback X Londonderry

Same one at 4 weeks

New footage of Quaterback, and more BABIES!!!

It's been awhile since I've posted on Quaterback, the stallion that is generating a lot of buzz in sport horse breeding. He was only about 3 or 4 years old in the 2006 video that "made him famous" as a youngster. Quaterback has no doubt changed and I have been looking for new pix or footage. Hopeful Farm shared this picture on COTH -- think it is fairly recent.

Well, just this morning I discovered 2009 video footage on Youtube! He looks stronger, more fully developed and in control of his own movement. In short, still gorgeous. Sigh.

Judy Yancey of Yancey Farms shared some photos of his 2009 crop. Aren't they just lovely? The bottom picture is a baby out of a mare (by ET) that I drool over, Tamarinde. My friend who breeds Oldenburgs -- she can spot conformation weaknesses at 20 paces -- calls her a "kickass mare." You can bet I'll be looking out for more pix of this flashy chestnut.

I have one gripe, which is why can't any of these Quaterback breeders pick the names I am dying to see in use: Quiji and Quixotic. I mean, how many good 'q' names can there be????

Natal Clasi: Brindle stallion's babies

Last spring I wrote an article about Natal Classi, the brindle warmblood imported from Brazil several years ago. I had a few long and enjoyable conversations with Doni Biggs, his owner, hoping to write an article based on the interview. I never completed the article, but recently Natal is back in the news -- has has two foals on the ground! Here's a recent picture from Stoney Brooke farm where he is currently standing in Kentucky.

clipped from http://www.stoneybrookefarm.com/horses/Natal/

Natal Classi

Brindle gossip Central
You can read this post on COTH to get the latest buzz on Natal. The Stoney Brooke Farm owner leads a discussion of Natal in this recent thread on groomingsupplies.com. The "buzz" is alternately fawning and skeptical. There's some conjecture about why Natal has not been campaigned, marketed, or bred extensively. From my talks with Doni, I think the answer is just that Doni is a pretty independent spirit, and after a lifetime in horse breeding she's not that interested in playing by the rules. Also she has some health concerns. But I admit I don't really know why we haven't seen more of Natal. Me, I'd be booking him on the Horse Expo circuits and giving the public a big treat!

And now, the baby!

He has had two babies, one with some brindle patterning at birth. Here are a few pictues of the patterned foal...


Apparently he's lost the patterning, but there is a chance it will return. At any rate, here is an inspection photo. Is he not lovely?

clipped from http://www.photostockplus.com/home.php?user_id=18633&tmpl=33&event=207089&action=viewphoto&photo_id=10863020&album_id=207089&showall=1&showallrank=16&pcount=45

clipped from http://www.photostockplus.com/home.php?user_id=18633&tmpl=33&event=207089&action=viewphoto&photo_id=10863008&album_id=207096&showall=1&showallrank=4&pcount=45

Weanling/yearlings: Lead rope safety

NOTE: Thanks to Rachel, who suggested more articles about baby horse experiences.
I don't remember where I first read this wonderful piece of advice--on a bulletin board, I think, maybe COTH? At any rate it's worth sharing. Attention young horse owners: Get your baby horse used to a lead rope dragging on the ground and banging against them. Do this BEFORE you try to teach him/her to lead, especially if you won't be working in an enclosure. Why? If a youngster gets loose from you he/she may run in terror from the thick "snake" that is chasing them. A panicked baby is at risk for injury, It's easiest to take a few preventive measures to avoid that situation.

What the unattributed source said:
According to the source I don't rightly remember, the safest place to introduce the "dragging lead rope" is an empty stall devoid of -- well, everything -- everything but soft bedding. Put a leather halter on the youngster, and attach a thick, soft lead rope. Then just step out of the stall and monitor the situation closely. Most likely the youngster will run around the stall until he/she gets used to the feeling.

What I did:
When Riley was a 6 month old weanling I had no access to a stall or pen. I needed to work with him on basic handling, but my only "work space" was a 9 acre field with a run-in shed and three other baby horses. If he got away from me while he was in-hand, he might run from the dragging lead rope and get himself hurt. What to do? For better or worse, I modified the technique. Disclaimer: I'm not recommending this, I'm just sharing my successful experience. I can only say that it worked with my one admittedly mellow fellow.

I used:

• an old rein or pair of reins
• a 6-8 foot thick, soft, heavy rope
• a thin leather halter that fits.

My technique:

1. I loop the rein or reins through the bottom ring of the halter (for control).
2. I loop the thick soft rope through the bottom of the halter (not through the ring, just somewhere under the chin).
3. I pull it through so there is about 5-6 feet of rope on the left side (the side I'll be on) and 2-3 feet on the right. If Riley spooks at the dragging rope, he is more likely to jump away from me.
4. Standing on his left side, and holding the rein ends in my right hand, I encourage Riley to walk forward.
   
5. Once Riley gets used to the dragging rope, I pull the existing rope through the halter so that it is about equal length on both sides and more likely to fall against him.
6. I lead Riley some more and let him/her get used to that feeling.
   

What if Riley had freaked?
Well, he didn't. Riley was more perplexed than afraid, and after we walked a bit he ignored it. If Riley had panicked, I could have released one rein and let it pull through as he ran away. In theory, the dragging rope would pull through too, from the weight of the rope and friction of the ground. However, a quick-thinking handler could grab one end of the dragging rope and let it pull through.

The drawbacks
The stall method is the preferred method, for sure. The pasture technique? I guess it's pretty safe, with these caveats.

• A hot-headed baby can always find a way to hurt himself/herself. I maintain that the risk is smaller than the risk of leading a youngster without any preparation of this sort.
• If the baby panics, and the rope pulls free, the baby is at least safe, but nothing is gained.If the rope does not pull through right away, or does not pull through at all, you have a problem, but I don't think it would stay attached to the halter if the baby was really running.
  
• Letting the youngster pull away/break free repeatedly will encourage/reinforce a bad habit. That's never good. I guess it's a matter of which risk you want to take -- the risk of injury or the risk of a horse that tries to break free of the handler.
• I think leading him with a dragging rope temporarily confused Riley about leading cues. At the time he was just learning to lead, and my asking him to move forward was in conflict with the backward pressure from the dragging rope. Fortunately, you don't have to do the "drag a lead rope" technique more than once or twice.
  

I welcome any critiques, improvements, experiences from others. Am I overstating the risk of a dragging rope? Are there better methods? Is this too darn complicated?

Quaterback babies, now in fashion colors!

I didn't know they came in black (disclaimer: not a true black, but chocolate brown is gorgeous too)


Or creme!

Bay, and wow, fancy fancy!


Here's a yearling that skipped the fugly stage


And of course chestnut...


And now for my book tag response...

I was book tagged by Cdncowgirl from http://myhorsesmylife.blogspot.com/, and my instructions are to grab the nearest book, go to page 56, sentence 5, and take the next two to five sentences. I'm at work, and it's lunchtime. My nearest book is Flash 8 in 24 hours. Hang on to your hats!

"These fills and lines are all drawn on the same plane meaning that if you draw two shapes on top of each other, the one drawn second will wipe away the shape underneath. This behavior can actually be used to your advantage although it can be disorienting at first."

Sorry it could not be more exciting than that....

Longeing: Safety first!

Okay, now I admit that I'm not an expert on longeing a horse (see me longeing Riley in my previous blog video to confirm this). Harv is a seasoned old codger and he's totally predictable on a longe line. The first time I longed my 2 year old, Riley, imagine my shock when he suddenly turned into the circle and bounded toward me. I instinctively stepped toward him and hit him on the head with the whip to back him off. It happened to work. Since then, my barn manager has given me a few tips on longeing babies.

Even before my Riley experience, I have seen other people longeing horses in ways that shock me: dangerous, ineffectual, and unfocused. One dear friend seemed to love seeing her arab cross buck, leap, and careen around the ring -- until he fell and got injured, that is. Longeing carries risks for the horse and the owner. Below is my own personal list of longeing tips, stemming mostly from my "pet peeves" with regard to longeing and safety. I'm talking about casual longeing for basic exercise, not the formal training situation with surcingle, sidereins, etc. For more thorough discussions of longeing, see the resource list at the end...

Equipment/location
Always use a cotton longe line that "handles well" (falls easily into loops) and has a swivel trigger snap. Keep it looped in your hand. The halter, bridle, or cavesson can be used in many configurations depending on the situation -- read the resources at the bottom for more info. Always wear gloves. For young horses, always carry a whip long enough to actually reach the horse on a 20 meter circle (usually 6 feet long rod, 5-10 foot long tail). Use leg protection (on your horse). Longe in an enclosed space, in good footing. And lastly: wear a helmet. Yes, that's right. A helmet.

It ain't geldings gone wild...
Most people longe to get the edge off a fresh horse, but it should not be a free-for-all. Even if you really just want to exercise your horse, keep in mind that horses learn about their relationship to you when during a longeing session. Too many people adopt a passive demeanor -- a "human post" that does little more than hold one end of the line. When you longe, establish yourself as the leader and exert control over your horse's actions. His/her attention should be on you.

How do you do this? Set a tone with your longeing session. Keep the horse's mind occupied by changing gaits and speed within gaits. Keep the horse moving forward to minimize the chance that he'll think of stopping or turning. Keep your body and the whip "behind" the horse to move him forward. Move your body and point the whip "in front" of the horse to slow, stop, or reverse him. Occasional bucking or cavorting will happen, but use your voice and pressure on the line to bring the horse back on task. If the horse is out of control, be prepared for a kick or sudden turn, and try to eliminate slack in the longe so that tangling is less likely.

Body language/voice commands
While I didn't know this was a specific rule for longeing, I've recently read that you should never step backward when a horse comes into your space. Riley is fairly calm and I can use the whip to encourage him back out on the circle when he cuts in. The bottom line is, use body language and voice tones that assert your authority. The same way you direct his actions under saddle you direct him on the longe line. Unless the horse is tense for some reason, s/he will fall into a relaxed rhythm on the longe. Try to make your commands follow this natural rhythm so that the "spell is not broken."

Don't yak at your horse incessantly or they'll tune you out. Your commands are whoa, walk, trot, canter, quit, and easy. Upward transitions should have an upward inflection (second syllable higher pitched), downward transtions should be be spoken (or sung, if you prefer) in a descending pitch. BTW, whoa ALWAYS means halt. When you want a slower pace, say Easy. To correct naughtyness, say quit rather than no, which sounds like whoa. A horse halting on the longe should not face you. They should halt with their body still on the circle. If they face you, gently direct them back on the circle until they halt properly.

Like I said, I'm not an expert, and these tips are only scratching the surface of all there is to know. So here are some sources that I found useful...


RESOURCES
How to lunge a horse (video)

Lungeing a horse from University of Kentucky

How to Lunge a horse from youtube.com

Longeing Safety from Equisearch

Longeing and long lining a horse in safety from horseshowcentral.com (good discussion of equipment safety)

Art of longeing from Newjerseyhorse.com

Longeing head to tail from myhorse.com

Lungeing: The basics

The USPC Guide to Longeing and Ground Training by Susan Harris


101 Longeing and Long Lining Exercises: English and Western by Cherry Hill

Training Mythunderstandings: Teaching your horse to lunge from Meridith Manor

Again with the Quaterback babies...

But this one is really special, I swear! His face is just exquisite. I enjoy watching the handler --he seems at a loss as to how to control this foal. At one point he pushes him away with his foot. Poor baby! No harm done.

Should I buy a weanling? Some points to ponder...

I bought a weanling in 2006. It was a good decision for me. I can say this because so far I've been lucky, and because I bought my baby horse for the right reasons. Are you thinking of buying a weanling or young horse? Here are some things to think about...

Pros of raising your own
- You will learn through the experience and gain a greater understanding of the way horses develop from foal to adulthood. If baby-rearing process itelf appeals to you, this is a pro.
- You'll know the animal you raise really well, and won't have to wonder about his/her past.
- You won't be correcting someone else's mistakes (but you may be faced with cleaning up your own mess).
- If you're careful in your selection, you can maximize your changes of getting the adult riding horse of your dreams.
- If you own your own horse property and can do your own training, it might be more cost-effective than buying a made horse (if both conditions are not true, you'll be very very lucky to break even).

Cons of raising your own...
- It is probably not going to be cheaper than buying an under saddle three year old.
- Will you have a horse to ride while you're waiting for this baby to grow up?
- You get to do the starter vaccinations (expensive), the first trailering (scary), the first tying (dangerous), the first teeth floating (pay for the vet to sedate!), the first shoeing (test your relationship with the farrier!), etc.
- Foal insurance is more expensive than regular insurance.
- Raising a baby can be dangerous -- both horse and owner are put at risk.
- An alarming percentage of weanlings don't make it to riding age without injury or debilitating illness. About 20% of foals get OCD.
- Good bloodlines are not a guarantee of the quality, temperament, or suitability of your horse.
- If you don't take an interest in your baby horse, it's a long wait.
- Babies have special needs in terms of turnout, pasturemates, feed, etc. It can be hard to find a boarding facility.


Q and A's

How expensive is it to raise a baby?
If you need to board, think again about the cost effectiveness of raising vs. buying a made horse. If you buy a weanling for 8K, and spend $350/month on board for three years, you're in the hole 20K and you haven't even factored in vet expenses, farrier, worming, vaccinations, insurance, etc.

Babies are so cute! Won't I just love having one to play with?
Babies are cute. Yearlings not so much. See photo to the right ----->

I want to back and train my own horse.
God love you. Hopefully you have experience. I've accompanied friends on horse-buying trips and the most pathetic cases were young girls selling horses that they tried to raise and train. The horses were way behind in their training and had bad habits. No one in their right mind would buy them. At any rate, maybe you should cut to the chase and buy an unbacked 2 or 3 year old. They will be a better deal.

I want to have the experience of raising a baby and think I would enjoy it. Is this silly?
To me, this is a great reason. If you relish the idea of working with the youngster and watching him/her grow up, then all the downsides fade away. A friend told me that babies can be nice because you don't have the pressure that come with training under saddle and the skills required from teh rider. You can work with babies on simple things, using principles of reward and punishment. If you are patient and consistent, and your baby has a pretty good mind, this is a great experience. If you are buying a baby only to wait impatiently for him or her to grow up, I'd reconsider.

I want to get a head start on training to put my youngster on the fast track for riding. Is this a good reason to get a baby horse?
No, not if you try to push them to do things they aren't developmentally ready to do. The first time you braid or bathe a weanling you'll understand! Weanlings aren't mentally equipped to deal with confinement/boredom of braiding; and the hose, OMG, you have no idea the kind of reaction running water can elicit from an youngster. One breeder I met said that first time baby owners often proudly tell her that they've "saddled" their 9 month old. She cringed at hearing this. Her advice was to let babies grow up and leave them alone till they're three. I wouldn't go that far -- basic manners and respect for people are lessons to learn early -- but the breeder's point is well-taken. Pushing a youngster is ill-advised. Teach them manners that are appropriate to their age and stage of development.

Qcredit: Quaterback baby extraordinaire

Also some videos of a filly at http://youtube.com/user/erikavideos1

New Quaterback foal (no, it's not getting old!)

At least not to me, I love seeing these babies...

Also see full list of Qback babies and pix from Judy Yancey...

Young horses: Feeding for healthy bones

Table of Contents: Mare nutrition; Creep feeding; Exercise; Genetics; Protein; Carbs; Insulin and thyroxin; Minerals; Stress; Formulating a diet; Resources
Developmental bone problems are very common in young horses. In a sample of 500 foals, researchers found the incidence of OCD to be 25-30%. While surgery can correct OCD, there is a chance the lesions may be inoperable, and the surgery itself carries risk. Given the costs and complications of bone problems, good feeding and foal management practices are a wise investment.

Mare nutrition
Healthy foals start with healthy mares who have had proper nutrition to support the growth of the in-utero foals and the newborn foal. For the first three months babies rely on mother's milk for their nutritional needs, including vitamins and trace elements that promote healthy bone growth. It is possible to have the mare's milk analyzed, and if necessary mare's milk can be supplemented with special additives -- Rejuvenaide is one such additive that can be administered daily. Many farms analyze milk on day 4 and week 4, 8, and 12. For more information on mare nutrition, see these articles.

Creep feeding
At about three months, foals begin to produce enzymes that allow for the digestion of starches, and at that time foals benefit from "creep feeding" milk pellets on a free choice basis. This helps prepare their tummies for the transition to concentrated feeds. Studies show that creep-fed foals are healthier and experience fewer problems with limb development.

"Baby food" must have high concentrations of nutrients because foals have such small bodies they cannot consume much food. As they grow and take in more food, the percentage of nutrients can level off. At six months, babies begin to consume increasing amounts of forage. By the time they are yearlings, they should be consuming predominantly forage.

Causes of bone development problems
Nutrition, exercise, breeding and foal management practices, and genetics are important variables in predicting which foal is at risk for bone disorders.

Exercise
Studies show that regular exercise is critical to bone development. Foals that get plenty of exercise have significantly less OCD that those on restricted turnout. Confinement is particularly damaging when coupled with overnutrition/overfeeding. In a study carried out in Germany, 30% of foals with 5 hours/week of exercise had fetlock OCD, compared to only 16% of foals with 20 hours of exercise a week. Foals born early in the year are often stalled due to bad weather; they get less exercise and tend to have more OCD. Irregular exercise (being stalled for a few days and then turned out) can stress the joints and result in developmental or traumatic joint issues. Excessive exercise is also detrimental to the growing foal.

Genetics
Genetics partly determines how bones develop. In a Danish study of eight stallions and their offspring, one stallion's offspring had a very high rate of OCD, although his own radiographs were clean. One large study reported findings that mares with OCD tend to have more offspring with OCD -- 27% of babies of OCD mares had OCD, while only 11% of foals of non-OCD mares had OCD.

Protein
While protein has gotten a "bad rap" for causing developmental bone problems, research shows that crude protein amino acids DO NOT cause OCD. Most nutritionists recommend feeding a diet of 15 to 16 percent crude protein to foals, 13 to 14 percent crude protein to weanlings, and 10 to 12 percent crude protein to yearlings (these amounts are for the total diet, not just the concentrated feeds). Increased incidence of OCD lesions have been noted in horses fed 130% of what the National Research Council recommends for carbohydrates and protein. As proteins have more or less been ruled out as a direct cause of DOD, carbohydrates are the prime suspect here.

Carbs
Young horses fed excessive amounts of carbs are heavier and bigger. While studies don't always agree, there is at least some evidence that heavy/large foals are prone to OCD. In a Swedish study, hock OCD was found to be linked with foals which had a larger than average birth weight, large skeletal frame, and demonstrated a higher average daily weight gain. Experts do agree that the growth spurts are undesirable; the growing process should be steady and regular. Overfeeding for rapid growth or underfeeding to slow growth can both put a young horse at risk for bone problems. In short, practice moderation in feeding to minimize growth spurts and ensure adequate nutrient levels. Many vets recommend regularly measuring and weighing babies to assist in regulating growth.

Insulin and thyroxin levels
High energy sweet feeds and concentrates are usually the cause of excess digestible energy. When hay is digested, it is broken down into fatty acids; grain is broken down into sugars. Sugars influence the balance of insulin and thyroxin in the body, and excess thyroxin carries increased risk of OCD. It's possible that some foals are glucose-intolerant and/or insulin-resistant. If such foals were placed on a high-carb diet they would theoretically be more prone to OCD. See this article in California Thoroughbred for more information.

Minerals
Calcium, phosphorus, copper, zinc must be fed in adequate amounts to promote healthy bone. Calcium is necessary for calcification of cartilage while both calcium and phosphorus are needed for the formation of subchondral bone. Copper promotes cross-linkage of collagen fibers used as the core for subchondral bone.

Some facts about these nutrients:

• The calcium to phosphorus ratio should be about 1.5 to 1. High phosphorus levels (where there is more phosphorus than calcium) have been implicated in OCD lesions, and one study did consistently produce lesions in young foals fed five times the NRC level. Slightly elevated calcium levels have no detrimental so long as the proper ratio to phosphorus is maintained. Very high amounts of calcium have been shown to interfere with the absorption of copper, zinc, and phosphorus.
• Copper levels are important, but most feeds now include sufficient levels ofcopper. Studies show a higher incidence of lesions in foals with low-copper diets in the vertebrae, but not the limbs. It is hard to overfeed copper.
• Zinc and copper levels should be jointly determined. A copper to zinc ratio of about 1:4 is desirable. If copper levels are raised in the diet, zinc levels should be raised too.
• A deficiency of zinc impairs protein and energy utilization which impacts cartilage development.

For more information, see the book Care and Feeding of Horses on Google -- there is a chapter on Vitamins and Minerals.

Stress
Anything that stresses a foal can increase the likelihood of developmental bone problems. Stressed animals produce cortisol, and cortisol inhibits the creation of bone tissue. Weaning is a high stress period in a foal's life, and it is also a time when their nutrition might be compromised. Other possible stresses include pain, separation from mother, prolonged fear/excitement, and confinement.



Formulating a diet
The easiest way to do plan your foal's feeding program is to go to contact a nutritional consultant at a reputable feed company and ask for assistance. Progressive Nutrition has an excellent reputation and competent specialists that assisted me. I have emailed head nutritionist Don Kapper and received an answer within an hour (of course I can't promise anyone will be that lucky). Choose a company you trust and follow their guidelines. Ask a local breeder with a good track record for healthy foals if you don't have a company in mind.

Folks who want to be more hands-on in their horse's nutritional program should read the Kapper article (part I) below, and also this article chapter on growing horses in the book Feeding and Care of the Horse.

RESOURCES

Nutrition of the Growing Hanoverian Part I by Don Kapper, Director of Nutrition at Progressive Nutrition

Nutrition of the Growing Hanoverian Part II by Don Kapper, Director of Nutrition at Progressive Nutrition

Feeding the Young, Growing Horse for Optimal Skeletal Development

Articles on DOD in The Horse magazine

Quaterback baby vids and pix!

VIDEOS

Also see full list of Qback babies...

Hengstfohlen v. Quaterback x StPrSt v. Don Vino


PICTURES (courtesy of Judy Yancey and Cookie Originals, photographer)
Hope I got the names correct!

Qcredit


Quincara

Quinelise

Qwetzl

And another Quaterback (not U.S. born)

This one is six months old. See all babies in the original post...