Rewarding or hair-raising? 6 expert tips for preparing mares and foals to be a breeder’s shop window in the show ring
Two of Britain’s most respected breeders outline the most important steps to prepare your mare and foal for success in the show ring. They cover all you need to know from whether your mare and foal are suitable, to how to train the youngster for what lies ahead, as part of our exclusive series for H&H subscribers on training different types of show horse
Preparing mares and foals for the show ring can be one of the most rewarding experiences for a breeder.
The judging process typically involves the mare and foal being judged separately, but the pairing of dam and youngster is also taken into consideration by the judges.
To show a mare and foal, both animals should have been trained correctly to walk, trot and stand in the ring on the go-round, in the line-up and in front of the judge. Alongside this, both horses will need to cope with the busy atmosphere of a show, and be confident to load, travel and stand on the horsebox.
There’s a lot to consider when showing a mare and foal, but if the right preparation is done the rewards can be plentiful. These top tips from two of the circuit’s most established breeders are sure to help you if you’re considering prepping your own combination for the ring this term.
Who are our experts?
Jerome Harforth is one of the showing world’s most respected and knowledgeable producers. He also founded the renowned Stanley Grange Stud. Jerome has produced countless Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) and Royal International (RIHS) winners under saddle, and he is also a highly regarded in-hand producer.
He has won the HOYS in-hand supreme final multiple times, with broodmares such as Pumphill Belladonna, Whalton Heavens Above, Rotherwood Take A Peep, Catwalk, and Crafton Blithe Spirit. In 2024, Jerome secured the title again, handling Evelyn Tate’s riding pony filly, Kirkwood Tabitha Twitchit.
Kitty Bodily and her mother, Jill Williams, have been breeding Welsh ponies and cobs for more than 40 years under the Glebedale prefix. The Glebedale Stud has produced several champions with impressive CVs, including 2018 HOYS M&M Pony of the Year Glebedale Mumbo Jumbo, 2016 HOYS M&M first ridden winner Glebedale Jubilee, and 2012 HOYS In-Hand Supreme Pony of the Year Glebedale Ding Dong.
Their stock has triumphed at major fixtures across the country, from the Royal Welsh to the BSPS and NPS championships. Other stars include in-hand show mare Glebedale Savannah, dual in-hand and ridden stallion Glebedale Jumanji, and mini contender Glebedale Sancerre.
Should I show my mare and foal?
During a class, both mare and foal will be judged and placed individually, although when weighing up whether a pair is suitable to show, the quality, condition and temperament of the mare are usually the priority for breeders.
“The mare needs to be of show standard, but a healthy-looking foal is very complementary to a mare,” says Jerome. “While the mare is the focus, the foal needs to have certain traits; it needs to look well, and the limbs need to be correct.
“You don’t want to travel and show a foal if it’s over at the knee or down on its pasterns. Wait until they are strong enough and see how he develops.”
Kitty adds: “When picking a prospect show mare, she’s got to have good conformation, movement, and limbs, and also a good amount of depth — all aspects any in-hand pony should have.
“Then, our decision about who to show comes down to the judges who will be judging throughout the year, and what types they prefer.”
Kitty says that the broodmare’s temperament is an important consideration.
“Some mares don’t like the job, and others love it,” she says. “Some of my best breeding mares aren’t always my best show mares, and often, a champion show mare isn’t the pony that breeds you the next champion! You can have the most tremendous mare, but she might not produce one as good as herself.
“It’s often about luck and the experience of knowing which mare to pair with which stallion. I often find that the older a mare is, the better she produces.
“What we all like as individuals, though, is very much down to preference — and breeders all have their own idea of the perfect pony that we’re striving to breed.”
6 expert tips for preparing mares and foals for the show ring
1. Preparing your mare
While foals usually don’t hit the ground until spring time, the Glebedale team begins planning their upcoming show season the winter before. If they like the look of an in-foal mare, they’ll keep her in from November through the colder months with the hope of showing her the following summer.
“We’d feed her so she can maintain her condition — but not excessively, as ponies should never be overdone with a foal,” says Kitty. “We preferably like our mares to foal outside, as it’s more natural for them.
“This year, we don’t have any senior mares to show, but that doesn’t mean we won’t pull one out of the field in July if she’s looking particularly well after a few months of grass.”
Some of your preparation will depend on the level you’re aiming for.
Jerome explains: “If you just want to take your mare and foal to a local agricultural show for a run out, you could likely just pull them out of the field, tidy them up, and go. But if you want to compete on the county circuit, the process requires a lot more attention to detail.”
Jerome agrees that the planning for preparing mares and foals for the show ring begins before the foal has even been born, around Christmas time: “Your mare needs to be stabled in the evening and likely fed two hard feeds per day well before foaling. Once she’s foaled, you won’t be able to ‘furnish and top’ her for the ring, but you can maintain her condition.
“I would never rug her before she foals, aside from putting her out on cold days with a turnout rug. I’d then rug her once the foal is two weeks old, being very careful with rugs that have leg straps and fillet strings, for safety reasons.”
If your mare has been shown under saddle in previous years, she may have an advantage over an unshown or unbroken mare.
“She’ll likely sit up in the bridle more if she’s been ridden,” Jerome says. “A good job for September or October could be working your mare in some tack — a bridle and roller — encouraging her to work in an outline and accept the contact.
“Long-reining and lunging can be very beneficial in helping her learn how to sit into the bridle while moving forwards.”
2. Preparing your foal
When a foal is born, Kitty allows time for it to bond naturally with its dam before introducing any handling.
“We’ll spend time getting them used to humans in the stable, and after a couple of weeks, we’ll pop a foal halter on them,” she says. “Once they’re happy with this, we gradually start walking them out beside the mare until they get used to it.
“I don’t feed my foals until they’re about a month old, as they get everything they need from the mare.”
“Prior to a show, we’ll trim the head — and we’re ready to go. We keep everything basic.”
Jerome follows a similar routine. Within a few days of birth, he begins leading the foal to and from the paddock.
“I’d put a stable rubber around the lower part of the foal’s neck,” Jerome says. “Then I’d place my left hand on the rubber and my right on the foal’s rump and walk alongside the mare.
“I always lead the foal from the off-side of the mare initially. If you lead from the near side, the foal tends to lean into the mare and can trip you up or stand on your feet. From the off-side, the foal stays more upright and closer to the mare.”
Once the foal is confident walking beside the mare, it’s time to begin short periods of leading it independently.
Jerome says: “It’s what will happen at a show, so do practise this at home. Around the same time, I’d begin picking the foal’s feet up. Get someone to gently hold or caress the foal while another person lifts the feet.
“If needed, you can also put them in a lightweight, secure rug. At about a month old, I’ll start letting the foal nibble on some foal creep feed.”
Jerome is not a fan of standard foal slips and instead prefers miniature horse headcollars.
“These smaller headcollars, made for miniature horses, are much more secure and substantial on a foal’s head, so I always prefer to use one when training and showing,” he says.
3. Travelling to shows
Preparing mares and foals for the show ring inevitably involves travelling. It’s important to give the pair plenty of room in the lorry or trailer with enough bedding on the floor.
“We’d only ever take the mare and foal, and perhaps one youngster, so there is plenty of space for them in the box,” Kitty says. “Our foals travel loose and when they get to the show the foal needs room to lie down and suckle.
“I’d always take a feed for them in the middle of the day, and I’d ensure that everything is kept as a calm and comfortable as possible.”
Kitty adds: “Showing a foal can stand them in good stead. It gets them used to travelling and standing on the lorry and gets them into the routine of going to a show.
“We never do many shows – perhaps four max per year – with our mares and foals. Some can get stale to it, while others can get cheeky and overly confident. Plus, doing too much puts strain on the mare.”
4. Tips for the ring
Your performance in the ring is directly correlated to the work you put in at home, like with any type or breed of show animal.
“Your foal is going to be more stressed at a show, naturally, so do ensure you’ve done enough leading practice,” Jerome advises.
“Turnout wise, I present plaited horse and pony foals differently. I don’t usually plait a pony foal’s mane until the coat he’s born with has completely grown out. Traditionally, you don’t plait a horse foal’s mare. I like to see foal’s tails plaited but never pulled.”
5. The foal handler
Not every handler is the right person to show a foal and only an experienced show person should be tasked with handling duties.
“It’s definitely not the easiest job and the foal handler is the person most likely to get kicked,” Kitty said. “I’d usually ask family or a very good friend to take my foal, and I’d ensure we’d done enough work at home beforehand.
“Showing a mare and foal is a team effort and the foal handler really needs to know what they’re doing, putting themselves in the right position and being quick on their feet – especially when showing a Welsh breed!”
6. A shop window
Why might you choose to prepare mares and foals for the show ring? Aside from giving foals valuable early-life experience, Kitty explains her deeper motivation.
“It’s hugely rewarding — seeing your homebreds out there is a feeling I struggle to put into words,” she says. “We love showing as a family; it’s our hobby and the shows are a shop window for us to promote our stock.
“But breeding is our main passion — we’re obsessed. Foaling season is the most joyful and stressful time of the year, and when you see a foal that has that something extra, even after all these years, it’s so exciting. All foals are special, but sometimes you get that extra-special one who you know is going to be a star.
“Glebedale Jubilee is an example — as soon as she dropped onto the floor, I knew she was going to be incredible. But even if a foal isn’t destined to be a show ring superstar, they all have a job to do.”
Jerome equally enjoys showing mares and foals in the ring.
“A mare and foal is a complete package, and in an overall championship, they’re often a very strong contender — irrespective of type, size, or breed,” he concludes.
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Born and raised in the Lake District, Alex has grown up on the showing scene. She has qualified and competed ponies at the Royal International, Horse of the Year Show and Olympia and has first-hand knowledge of the current issues in the showing world as well as the horses, ponies and riders who compete in the sport. Alex joined H&H in January 2018 as showing editor, cementing its place as the leading equestrian publication for both showing reports and current showing news in the UK. She moved on in October 2024 to pursue other opportunities, but continues to write for us on a freelance basis.