Prepping Yearlings for Sales How It’S Done at Elm Tree Farm
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FARM MANAGEMENT brought to you by CYNTHIA McFARLAND Prepping yearlings for sales How it’s done at Elm Tree Farm BY CYNTHIA MCFARLAND In 1989, Jody and his father before the prepping process begins. bought the original property that After yearlings start staying up in “CHOOSE A JOB you love, and became Elm Tree Farm in Paris, the day,they are groomed thoroughly. you will never have to work a day Kentucky. While getting this ven- Stiff brushes are the only thing used in your life.” ture off the ground, he also man- on tails because a comb pulls out the When Confucius uttered those aged the equine operation at the hairs. Yearlings begin wearing a words, the Chinese philosopher University of Kentucky, a position Chifney bit in their mouths during likely wasn’t referring to farm life. he held from 1989 until 1996. He grooming and are hand-walked with No matter how much you love it, and Michelle married in 1994 and, this equipment so they are very ac- making a living with horses involves after their daughter, Caroline, was customed to it before the sale. long hours and plenty of hard work. born in 1996, they made Elm Tree After exercise, most horses are At Elm Tree Farm in Paris, Ken- Farm their sole occupation. rinsed off and receive a shampoo tucky, owners Jody and Michelle At Elm Tree Farm, which now bath only once a week. Horses that Huckabay have been working side encompasses 600 acres, the Huck- go in the swimming pool are bathed by side making their dreams a re-abays offer a full range of services, with antibacterial shampoo every ality for many years. They have including breeding,boarding,sales time they swim. carved out a solid niche in the Thor- prep,and consignment. In an average Yearlings are barefoot through- oughbred sales industry and con-year,Elm Tree Farm sells anywhere out sales prep and hoof oil is ap- Courtesy of Elm Tree Farm Courtesy of Elm Tree sistently rank among the top 20 to from 50 to 75 horses at public auc- Jody and Michelle Huckabay’s Elm Tree Farm is consistently a plied daily. Farrier visits twice a 30 consignors in North America tion, and roughly half of those are leading seller of yearlings and broodmares month until June keep feet rounded selling yearlings and broodmares. yearlings. off and in good condition. After In 2011, Elm Tree Farm sold 22 After the horse is comfortable is not used to alfalfa.” June, it is once a month, and then yearlings for a total of $2,512,500, Prepping process going in the bridle and surcingle, Feed is top-dressed with soy oil yearlings get front shoes just be- plus 18 broodmares for $2,210,700. Yearlings selling in July and Au- side reins are added. These are loose and each horse also receives Thyro- fore shipping to the sale. Their highest-priced yearling ever gust are stalled from 7 a.m. to 7:30 at first and then gradually, over a L, a powdered supplement that the The Huckabays paint turpentine came in 2010 when a Malibu Moon p.m. starting in early May. By May few days, adjustments are made Huckabays find improves coat con- on the horses’soles to help toughen filly sold for $700,000 at the Keene- 15, the colts are turned out sepa- until the horse is traveling with its dition. Other than this, horses re- them up. land September yearling sale. rately at night, while fillies will be head lowered in a somewhat more ceive additional supplements only turned out in groups of five or six. collected frame. Eventually, most if needed. Sale time Lifelong horsemen The yearlings start an exercise pro- horses are spending 20 to 25 min- At the start of the prepping pro- Manes are pulled and touch-up Both Jody and Michelle Huckabay gram, which gradually increases in utes in the machine at a good trotcess, each yearling is treated for clipping is done just before the sale. have decades-long backgrounds with intensity as the sale approaches. working in the bitting rig. The Huck- five consecutive days with Panacur Jody said that halter fit is impor- horses. Born and raised in Louisiana, “We’ve got various ways of prep- abays have an every-other-day plan dewormer and then stays on a dose tant when it comes to presentation Jody Huckabay grew up riding,show- ping, from ponying to free-walker and yearlings do not work in the of Strongid C daily dewormer. because it can enhance or detract ing, and working with horses less machine to hand-walking to swim- machine every day, so they aren’t To make sure horses are devel- from the attractiveness of a horse’s than an hour from Louisiana Downs. ming,and we may add or delete some- working their muscles and joints in oping according to plan, the Huck- head. He likes to see the noseband It was not until he left for college at thing from the program,” Jody said. the same way day after day. abays rely on a monthly weigh-and- rest two fingers below the cheek- the University of Louisiana at Mon- “You can mess up a yearling quicker measure program offered through bone. The Chifney should be nei- roe that he got involved with Thor- than anything if you push too hard. Nutrition counts Hallway Feeds. ther too loose nor too tight. oughbreds. At the time, he had I firmly believe if you listen to these The Huckabays believe there are “They bring a scale to the farm Depending on the horse, the han- aspirations of being a jockey, but his animals,they will tell you how much three main concerns when prepping once a month and all foals are dler may show it using a Chifney, father, Jackie Huckabay, M.D., did they can take. You have to know for the sales. First, you have to have weighed and measured,” Jody said. a chain over the nose, or a lip chain. not encourage that idea. whether to back up or do a little bit the right horses. Second, you have “We’ve been doing this since we’ve “The horses are introduced to all “It was probably just as well be- more; you can’t just keep doing the to condition and prep those horses, been in business. Numbers don’t lie; these at the farm so we know what cause I probably wouldn’t have gone same thing every day.” and third, you need a nutrition pro- it’s a very valuable tool. We know works best for each horse,”Michelle to college,”said Jody Huckabay,who All horses spend some time in gram that supports the first two con- how they compare to our own foals said. “We just want the horse to gave up his jockey dreams and ended the free-walker machine and no mat- cerns. As Jody points out, no matter and to the database of thousands of show himself to his best ability when up getting his master’s degree in ter what other type of exercise, all how well-bred the horse, if it is not foals over several years,and whether being inspected by potential buyers. equine nutrition from the University horses are hand-walked every day. fed properly,it will not develop well. or not we’re on target.” We pride ourselves on getting our of Kentucky, which is where he met The standard program calls for all “Nutrition is the basis of rais- horses out quickly and having the Michelle when she was earning her yearlings to start the exercise plan ing good animals,” he said. “We Prepping continues next one ready to look at, so people bachelor’s degree in animal science. in the machine for five minutes at use Hallway Feeds and feed a 14% Because a long,flowing tail is de- can come to our barn and horses Growing up in North Carolina, a walk in each direction. By the sec- protein sweet textured feed that is sirable at sale time, the Huckabays are out in a timely, professional Michelle Cochran started riding ond week of the exercise program, low starch and high fiber. I’m a rub Cribbox paste into weanlings’ manner.” hunters and jumpers at a young age. horses are introduced to a bittingbig proponent of feeding alfalfa tails in November and continue using At 16, she got a job on a Thorough- rig,which the Huckabays have found hay because of the nutritional the product through the spring. This makeup. We feed good-quality hay keeps young horses from chewing Cynthia McFarland is a freelance writer based bred farm and worked there until helps a horse learn to use its whole in Fairfield, Florida. she left for college. body properly. and introduce it slowly if the horse on tails when turned out together THOROUGHBRED TIMES June 2, 2012 27.