A racehorse up to one-year-old is known as a foal.
Not many horse racing syndicates purchase foals because they carry a lot of risk in the first year of birth.
A foal is a young horse that can be either male or female.
But are foal horses good value for money to buy or are you better investing in the horses in training sales or purchasing a yearling horse?
In this guide, we will explain everything you need to know about foal horses.
Do Foals Compete in Horse Races?
Foals do not compete in horse racing events because they are too young and are not fully mature physically.
The earliest racehorses can compete in horse races is two years old.
A foal can walk almost from birth but as a foal, they are still underdeveloped to race.
Foal Horse Genders
There are three types of foal horse genders:
- A female is known as a “Foal Filly”
- A male is known as a “Foal Colt”
- A castrated horse is known as a “Foal Gelding”
How much does a thoroughbred foal cost?
A foal thoroughbred horse costs on average £17,000.
The cost of foal thoroughbreds varies depending on the breeding.
In the horse racing world, they say “apples do not fall far from the tree” and breeding of the racehorses is very important.
Popular Questions
When Do Foals Become a Yearling?
All foals become yearling on the 1st of January.
The horse racing ageing system doesn’t work like humans where you get a year older on your birthday.
In horse racing ages all horses are seen to be born on January 1st.
This is important because all horses born in the same year are listed as the same age. This means that foals born in the early months of the year tend to be better developed than their counterparts born in October, November and December.
How much do foal horses weigh?
Foal horses weigh around 500 pounds on average.
A foal will be weaned from its mother at around six months old and will of grown to 80% of its full adult weight.
The best way to find a foals weight is to use scales as it is hard to use tape on racehorses under one year old.
The 500lbs average weight is dependent on the breeding and height of the horse.
How much does a foal weigh at birth?
Foal horses weigh approximately 10% of their mother’s weight at birth.
So a 900-pound thoroughbred mare gives birth to a 90-pound foal.
What is average height of foal horse?
Foal horses mature height is 11 hands on average.
A foal horse is supposed to be approx 80% of its final height.
Depending on the breeding foals generally are normally between 10 and 12 hands tall.
At what age can a foal leave its mother?
A foal horse can leave its mother after 4 months as the foal’s nutritional requirements exceed that provided by the mare’s milk.
Weaning is usually after four to seven months of age depending on the size and weight of the baby horse.
Most foals after four months are eating grain and forage on their own.
Summary
Foals are the babies in the equine family.
The development of the foals is just the start and racehorses do not reach peak condition until approx 5 years old.
The progression from a foal to winning the biggest races in the world like the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe or the Grand National can seem a far cry.
Horse racing trainers must take their time to develop the thoroughbreds and jockeys have got to give them time to mature and develop.
