Yearling Sale Value

The Use of SUCCEED as a Tool to Add Value During Yearling Sale Preparations

by Scott Carter, PhD and Franklin L. Pellegrini, DVM

Overview

SUCCEED Digestive Conditioning Program is a nutritional supplement containing ingredients designed to support a healthy and functioning digestive tract. A digestive system compromised by damage or dysfunction will not work
efficiently resulting in impairment of feed digestion, nutrient uptake, and overall nutritional status. When
feed digestion and nutrient uptake are impaired, a variety of effects can occur including lack of muscle
tone and development, poor hair coat and quality, and reduced immunity.

Proper preparation of a horse for sale should rely on both good physical conditioning and good digestive
conditioning, as a horse not in prime physical shape will presumably bring less at auction. Because
digestive dysfunction can limit physical development, improving digestive tract health and function should
enable one to positively affect the value of a horse at auction. The purpose of this experiment is to determine if SUCCEED Digestive Conditioning Program when fed for 60 days prior to sale can have a positive impact on the value of horses.

Methods

46 total Standardbred yearlings in 4 categories (12 trotting fillies, 8 trotting colts, 12 pacing colts, and 14 pacing fillies) on one breeding farm in Maryland were appraised by an independent professional 75 days prior to sale. Appraised values were based on both sight inspection and a thorough examination of pedigree of each horse. Appraised values were used to rank horses by value within each category and then to equally distribute horses between two groups based on their appraised value. This resulted in two treatments: SUCCEED (S) and
negative control (C), each consisting of 4 evenly divided categories (6 trotting fillies, 4 trotting colts, 6
pacing colts, 7 pacing fillies) per treatment.

At 60 days prior to sale, the SUCCEED treatment were given 1 tube of SUCCEED paste once per day with the morning meal, per SUCCEED label feeding instructions. Control animals were not supplemented. All animals were on the same farm in two equivalent barns and were otherwise given the same feeding programs.

At day 0 all horses were auctioned at the same farm during the annual yearling sale.

Results

At onset of the trial, the control group horses were appraised for an average of $8,812, and the SUCCEED group horses were appraised for an average of $8,264 – a 6% difference in value. This indicates that our two treatment groups were assigned correctly with nearly the same starting values. At sale, the control group brought an average of $7,664 andthe SUCCEED group brought an average of $8,600, a difference of $936 per horse in the sale. A 60-day supply of SUCCEED Digestive Conditioning Program is valued at approximately $200 for one horse, resulting in a net overall gain of $736 per horse or an extra $17,000 for the entire group.

Discussion

Previous results of SUCCEED Digestive Conditioning Program suggest that SUCCEED can support good immunity in mares and foals (Carter, Pellegrini), can aid in overall improved digestive health and function (Bedding, Pellegrini), and can improve body conditioning and appearance (Carter, Warczak). Based on these results, it was believed that
SUCCEED could be an important part of the preparation of horses for sale.

Preparation for sale can often be a stressful and difficult time for horses, usually involving drastic changes in feeding and activity, and in stress associated with increased handling and stabling (Jackson). These factors can lead to a cumulative failure of proper digestion and digestive health, thus affecting overall animal performance. It is believed that using SUCCEED during this period will better condition the digestive system, resulting in a more
healthy and efficient digestive process by improving nutrient digestion and uptake. This would have numerous benefits, including increased availability of nutrients for building muscle, skeleton, and hair coat, producing an overall healthier and more valuable animal.

The results of this study support this theory, with the end result indicating an approximate 12% higher value for SUCCEED horses vs. control horse, an 8:1 return on investment for SUCCEED. However, when looking at the results in detail, a few interesting facts emerge. In this sale, the control group fell short of their average appraised value by approximately $1,100, while the SUCCEED group exceeded their average appraised value by $335. The results of the control group could indicate a “bad sale” with horses consistently selling for under their appraised value. If
this were true, we may also expect the same of the SUCCEED group. However, this group exceeded their appraised value by approximately 4%, indicating that the SUCCEED group, if also “under-sold”, could have a much larger return on investment than indicated by this study.

As SUCCEED was fed only for the 60 days prior to sale prep, this is a very targeted and specific approach. Based on the objective information from the auction results, it appears that SUCCEED can improve the condition and perceived value of horses at sale. This could be important for any situation that horses need to be in the best possible condition and appearance, including such situations as sales, events, and shows.

References

• Carter, S.D., Pellegrini, F.L. Effect of Adding SUCCEED™ to the Diet of Pregnant Mares 90 Days Pre-Foaling. Unpublished Communication. October 2006.
• Carter, S.D., Warczak, P. The Use of Performance Journals to Measure the Efficacy of the SUCCEED™ Digestive Conditioning Program™. Unpublished Communication. November 2006.
• Bedding, P., Pellegrini, F.L. Effect of Using a Nutritive Supplement on Equine Gastric and Colonic Ulcer Incidence and Severity. Unpublished Communication. November 2006.
• Jackson, S. Feeding and Fitting Halter and Sale Horses. ADM Technical Bulletin.