by Cynthia McFarland

At one time, many of the best racehorses in the United States belonged to owners who bred and raced their homebreds. Legacies were created, due in part to broodmare bands that had been carefully nurtured over many years.

While some lament the passing of those days, today's Thoroughbred breeder has more options than ever before. The breeder can go into the marketplace and acquire the bloodlines that once were unavailable.

The sales of top race fillies and proven broodmares have enabled even relatively new participants to become involved in the breeding industry in a serious way. In 2007, North American broodmare sales at public auction were the highest in the last 15 years. A total of 5,531 broodmares sold for $384,674,148, an average of $69,549.

Gainesway ranked as the 11th leading consignor of broodmares for 2007, selling 83 mares for a total of $8,534,000. About 25% of the mares sold each year are Gainesway's own horses—the farm's broodmare band averages 50 to 60 horses—while others are client horses that are consigned with Gainesway as agent. To date, Gainesway's highest-priced broodmare sale was Be My Queen (Ire), a then-four-year-old who sold in foal to Mr. Greeley for $1.9-million at the 2007 Keeneland November breeding stock sale.

Neil Howard, general manager of the historic Lexington farm, earned a degree in animal science from the University of Kentucky and has been in the Thoroughbred business in Kentucky for three decades. He took time out of his hectic schedule to share how broodmares at Gainesway are prepped for sales.

Which mares to sell?

Deciding which mares are the best sales candidates depends on several factors. "Most people are looking for ways to upgrade their broodmare band," Howard said. "We've got fillies at the racetrack running, so sometimes we will sell a mare in our band because of the new ones coming in."

Covering stallions play a role. Howard acknowledged that buyers often are keen to purchase mares in foal to new sires, but established sires also are in demand.

"Occasionally, we will breed a nice maiden filly to Mr. Greeley, who we stand here, just to sell," noted Howard. "Most of the mares we sell are established broodmares or fillies that came off the track that we decide not to keep for one reason or another. We usually retire and pension our older mares. Sometimes if we have a daughter or two out of her, we will sell an older mare, but not often."

Fetal sexing, in which ultrasound diagnosis determines the gender of the unborn foal, has become popular among some breeders. Because a foal's gender influences the value of the dam, breeders may use this information to determine whether to sell the mare.

"Fetal sexing seems to have caught on over the last few years, and some people may sell mares depending on what sex the foal is," Howard said. "It's a tool some people use, but we don't do this. For our purposes, we're just happy to have them pregnant."

Start prepping

Once mares have been selected to sell, Howard likes to start sales-prepping 75 to 90 days before the sale. Because he wants a mare that foaled that year to have plenty of time to stop producing milk after she has been weaned, he likes to wean mares selling in November as early as possible.

"We don't cut them short, but we try to have them weaned as soon as we can and let them dry up," he noted. "Most of these mares are bred back, and by the time you wean them they will dry up pretty quick. When they do, you can start feeding them grain again."

Broodmares at Gainesway are fed high-quality timothy grass hay and a balanced 16% pelleted feed that was developed specifically based on the soil and grass in Fayette County, Kentucky. "In addition, we use corn oil, and that's pretty much it," Howard said. With a balanced nutrition program as the foundation, mares naturally have a good hair coat, but Howard does not necessarily want a broodmare to have a show-horse coat.

"As long as they have a healthy, shiny coat, we don't strive to have a super short coat," he said. "Their hair might be a little longer than you would see on a sales yearling, but it's flat and shiny. I don't believe it's fair to a broodmare to have them slick with virtually a summer hair coat when they have to come home and go out in the winter elements."

Gainesway uses sheets and light blankets when sales-prepping mares to keep them from developing a thick winter coat. But they are not blanketed heavily nor are they kept in warm barns. Howard shies away from body-clipping a broodmare. "I've been doing this for 30 years and have never body clipped one yet," he said.

"Sometimes you'll get a filly off the racetrack that has been clipped, and there's not much you can do about it. But to body clip a mare means you're going to have to keep her up in a barn if she's in a cold climate."

While some sales consignors put horses under lights in the fall to trick their bodies into having a short, slick coat, Howard does not follow this practice. "I've found you can screw up a horse's system if you put a horse under lights in a barn and convince their body that it's spring when it's really wintertime," he said.

Good condition

Because the sun can still be strong during the early weeks of sales prep, mares are kept inside during the day and turned out at night to avoid sun-bleached coats. By late September or early October, the sun's rays are not as damaging to a hair coat, and mares can be turned out earlier, at around 3 or 4 in the afternoon, and stay out until the next morning.

As soon as cooler weather arrives, usually by mid-October but sometimes earlier, sales mares will stay inside at night and wear either a sheet or light blanket while in the barn. They are then turned out from 7 a.m. until noon, but they spend the rest of their day in the stall.

That turnout time is important both mentally and physically because it is the only exercise that broodmares receive. Sales weanlings will be hand-walked for exercise, and sales yearlings go on a walker, but mares are simply turned out.

Handlers practice standing mares so that they will show themselves well come sale time, and mares typically are shown in a Chifney bit. Howard emphasizes the importance of making sure the Chifney is properly adjusted to fit the mare's mouth. If a mare seems bothered by the Chifney, she will be shown with a leather chain shank instead.

Faithful daily grooming—combined with good nutrition—will be obvious in the condition of a horse's coat. But Howard is not a fan of frequent bathing, especially with sales horses.

"We try to give very few baths because the more you give, it takes the oil out of the hair and, depending on the time of year, you also run the risk of skin disease," he said. "Bathing is something we try not to do often because it takes that shine off."

Vacuums are used routinely in the grooming process at Gainesway, and Howard much prefers a thorough vacuuming to remove excess dirt, rather than a water hose.

Clipping of ears, muzzles, bridle paths, and fetlocks is done within a few days of the sale. Manes on sales horses are pulled during the prepping process, but left on the long side.

"Some people say you want the mane to be the length of a dollar bill, but we like it a little longer so it lays flat," Howard said. "Then we go through and pull them again to even them up and get them to the desired length just before the sale. Occasionally, we will braid a mane if it doesn't want to lay right. We just want a very natural look."

Broodmares are left barefoot if the quality of the hoof allows. Although Howard would prefer a mare not be shod, if an individual needs shoes for some reason, front shoes are put on. At the sale, feet are painted with an oil-based dressing for a uniform shine, but black polish is never used.

Howard said healthcare is no different for a mare headed for the sale than it is for a mare in the farm's broodmare band. Routine vaccination and deworming practices are followed, and Howard finds that a regular vaccination schedule covers all the bases.

Cynthia McFarland is a freelance writer based in Fairfield, Florida