The WRANGLER Horse and Rodeo News is an equine and rodeo publication with circulation in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, Utah and Idaho.
Issue link: http://thewrangler.uberflip.com/i/1525241
The Art The Art Whether you're buying or seLLing, there is no argument that a ProPerLy saLe fit horse WiLL aLWays stand out in a grouP. A lthough it seems simple to put our best foot forward and focus on eye appeal, there is much that goes into the age old art of sale prepping yearlings. Mastered by many industries over the years, there are trade secrets and for Maddie Fantaskey, there is the power of simplicity. Fantaskey is no stranger to the business of selling high end horses. The owner of multiple high sellers over the past few years at the Black Hills Stock Show, she's also been working behind the scenes perfecting her own process of sale prepping yearlings. Simple and consistent are the hallmarks of Fantaskey's program. "Over the years, I have tried to overcomplicate it. I realized that if you fulfill their basic nutritional needs and have them on really good hay and mineral, they get everything they need," Fantaskey explained. She prefers a mineral tub for horses on pasture and changes to a loose mineral when she brings horses into her barn for sale prep. Fantaskey prefers to keep forage the main focus of her feeding program, "We are blessed with really good hay content up here (in Wyoming). I've never felt like they could look any better with good hay and mineral. In the last 30 days, I add a really high fat, high protein grain slowly to help finish them. If you're really consistent with good hay and mineral and exercise, it seems to be the best bet." Exercise is key for any horse to look their best, but obviously different tactics are needed for younger horses, "I keep the exercise pretty simple too. I have found that walking really consistently and adding time gradually is often the best. They get turnout time to get their playfulness out. It's based on the individual, so if I feel one needs to lose a little more belly, I will add more trotting. But it seems like the walking and getting the muscle gained slowly works pretty well." That solid basis of nutrition and consistency are also key to the aesthetics of Fantaskey's process. "I rinse them off pretty much every day after they've been turned out. Warm water keeps that coat really nice. They have a really nice, healthy look when you've been keeping them groomed daily. Fulfilling their basic nutritional needs, the coat grows well on its own. The warm water keeps the hair laid down. I love Ultra Cruz products and I keep their manes detangled and brushed. Keeping them dewormed really well, parasite free and very healthy, they'll have a very nice coat. A lot of it comes from the internal and then grooming regularly." Fantaskey has established the needs of her customer base and also takes these into consideration. She wants the colts to remain very impressionable for their future owners. "I get them halter broke enough to lead when they're baby babies, but I don't like to mess with them a lot until they're yearlings. For the purpose of what I'm selling them to, I like to have their basics done, leading really well and loading in the trailer. I'm handling them every day in the stalls, so they get pretty broke on the ground. I don't over handle them and by no means want them dull in any way. I want people to be able to get them as a blank slate and put all of their own training and all of their own feel on them." Obviously for Fantaskey, who does her own marketing, she knows the importance of quality photos and videos. The yearlings may not be ridden for their sale videos, but the significance remains for buyers who want to see how the horse naturally moves, "Just a good balanced conformation photo that shows the horse to what they are is super crucial. Really nice professional photos of them By Teal Stoll of of Sale Prep Sale Prep Maddie Fantasky, Photo Credit: Carly Butler Photography