Yesterday brought a new addition to the Foal to Forever Class of 2025 at Horse Husband Stables.

This colt arrived at the farm after going through the Keeneland January sale without a bid. Our original reason for being at the sale was simple and practical. Thirteen needs a companion as he continues to grow. While he currently spends time with Callie and Whysper, as a colt he will eventually need to live separately from the fillies, and we want that transition to be intentional and low stress. Having a similarly aged companion lined up allows us to plan ahead rather than react later. We were interested in a few specific hip numbers, but ultimately we knew we did not have a large budget and only wanted to bring home a colt who felt like the right fit for our farm and our program.

We were not onsite when Hip 577 went through the ring, or we very likely would have placed the one thousand dollar minimum bid while he was in the sales ring since he is by the same sire as Callie. After we were outbid on several options later in the day, we went back through the earlier sale results and noticed Hip 577, a Country Grammer colt, was listed as having received no bids. That discovery sent us back into the barns to learn more before he left the sales grounds.

We spoke with the consignor, Taylor Made Sales, about the seller’s plans, and as soon as they pulled him out of his stall for us to meet him in person, the answer was clear. He is very small for his age, and his demeanor is incredibly laid back with natural curiosity. He immediately pulled at our heartstrings, and after a short walk back to the Keeneland offices to complete the paperwork, he was ours.

The next stop was the van counter to get him on the transport list with Campbell Horse Transport. Sale rules require all purchased horses to be off the grounds within twenty four hours, and it was already approaching seven in the evening. Rather than drive home to retrieve our truck and trailer or make the colt wait overnight, it made far more logistical sense to use our trusted local hauler, who has transported horses for us countless times, including during our farm move in August 2025.

Arrival at the Farm

Included with this update is video from his arrival, showing him unloading quietly from the trailer and taking in his new surroundings. We were very impressed with how calmly he traveled and how confidently he walked off the trailer in the dark with us toward the round pen. There was no hesitation and no silliness, just a well behaved little guy who seems naturally adaptable.

It is worth keeping in mind what he experienced in a short window of time. He left his home farm over the weekend, spent several days stalled in the busy Keeneland barns, took in the noise and activity of the sales pavilion with crowds and loud speakers, then loaded onto a trailer and arrived at an entirely new farm. Even with all of that, he did not spook or react when we turned him loose in the round pen.

For his first few days, he will live on his own in the round pen. This gives him room to move and settle while remaining isolated from the rest of the farm. Coming directly from a sale where more than seven hundred horses were present means potential exposure to a range of common equine illnesses, and we take biosecurity very seriously. Our veterinarian will be out later this week to evaluate him before we even consider introducing Thirteen.

His first night at the farm was uneventful in the best way possible. We had some light rain through the night, but he handled it well. He ate plenty of hay, settled in calmly, and adjusted to the change of scenery with a steady demeanor.

This morning brought his first breakfast here, and it confirmed what we hoped to see. His vitals are all normal, and he had a strong, healthy appetite. For a young horse stepping into a new environment, those small details matter.

Why We Quarantine Horses Coming Home from the Sales

Even though every horse at a public sale is required to arrive with a current Coggins test and a valid health certificate, those documents do not mean a horse is free from illness. They confirm only that the horse tested negative for specific regulated diseases at a point in time before shipping.

Large public sales are among the highest risk environments for disease transmission. Horses arrive from hundreds of different farms across multiple states. Once on the grounds, they are handled by a one to many ratio of grooms and handlers, many of whom move quickly from horse to horse throughout the day. Buyers, veterinarians, and visitors walk the barns continuously, and while most people are respectful, it is common for multiple horses to be touched by many different hands over the course of a sale.

Unlike a single farm environment, true biosecurity at a large sale is nearly impossible. Horses share air space, aisles, and exposure to new pathogens, even when everyone involved is doing their best.

That is why we quarantine horses when they come home from the sales. The goal is not to assume a horse is sick. The goal is to protect the rest of the herd while giving the new arrival time to decompress, be monitored, and receive a full veterinary evaluation. This observation period allows us to watch for subtle signs of illness that might not appear immediately and to confirm that the horse transitions safely before meeting others.

Only after our veterinarian has evaluated him and we are confident he did not bring anything home from the sale will we begin carefully introducing him to Thirteen.

How the Pieces Came Together

Here is the part that still feels a little unreal.

Earlier in the day, a friend reached out to us because she had a former client who was trying to get out of the horse business and had a colt he was hoping to find a home for. She shared the contact information, and we reached out but never heard back. By the time we made the decision to purchase this colt at the sale, we were operating under the assumption that the earlier lead was not an option.

It was not until we were leaving Keeneland that the story tied itself together.

On the drive home, we looked up this colt’s registration in the Jockey Club Interactive Registration system and noticed the breeder’s first name. It was unusually distinctive. All we had from earlier in the day was a first name as well, and the match immediately stood out.

We reached back out to our friend and said, essentially, this is kind of funny, but we ended up buying a colt after all. Is it possible this is the same person you connected us with earlier today?

Her response confirmed it. Not only was it the same person, it was the same horse. The reason he had been looking for a home was because this colt had received no bids in the sales ring.

That is when we knew we would call the breeder after the colt got settled at the farm.

We did, and it was immediately clear that he had high hopes for this little guy. Financially, he had to step away from horses, but the pride and belief in this colt came through clearly in the conversation. We were able to let him know that his colt had landed somewhere with a long term plan, real oversight, and Foal to Forever protection. That call also gave us helpful context about the colt’s start in life, and we are grateful he was willing to share those early foal photos with us for this update.

Why He Does Not Have a Name Yet

Several sponsors have already asked why this colt does not yet have a registered name, especially since he is a yearling.

Most Thoroughbred breeders who plan to sell their foals do not name them. Instead, the horses are referenced by their dam’s name and year of birth until a racing owner registers a name with the Jockey Club. That gives the future owner full control over naming.

Our homebreds are named early because we know they will remain with us throughout their racing careers. In this case, because this colt was bred with the intention of being sold, he remained unnamed, which is very typical in the commercial market.

Naming him will now become part of the Foal to Forever process.

Why He Might Have Gone Unbid

We want to address the obvious question sponsors are already anticipating. Why did a colt like this receive no bids?

First, some important context. At this sale, there were 1105 horses cataloged, roughly 700 sold, and only seven horses went through the ring without receiving a bid at all. This colt was one of them.

A no bid or RNA does not always mean a horse received zero interest. Many horses receive bids in the ring but are still listed as RNA because they did not meet the seller’s reserve price and may be sold privately afterward. In this case, however, this colt was offered without reserve. If even one person had raised a hand for the minimum bid of $1,000, which is the price we ultimately paid, this story would look very different.

There were several factors likely at play.

The first is straightforward. He is very small for his age. That will be obvious in photos, and it will be even more obvious once he is cleared by our veterinarian and introduced to Thirteen in the coming days. Standing next to Thirteen, the size difference will be hard to miss. Size matters in the sales ring, especially when young horses are evaluated through a commercial lens.

The second factor is market perception of his sire. While we genuinely like Country Grammer as a racehorse and as a potential sire, the commercial market has been more reserved. For us, he represents durability, distance ability, international success, and soundness, traits we value highly.

The market, however, tends to reward fashion. Country Grammer’s pedigree has not driven commercial demand. For context, in his first season at stud he covered 60 mares, producing 47 foals. In his second season, he covered just 26 mares. By comparison, many commercially popular young stallions cover 100 or more mares in their first season, with some books reaching 200 right out of the gate.

A third factor is that he is the first foal out of his dam, which can also give buyers pause, particularly when paired with a smaller frame.

Repository Notes and What We Will Monitor

We also want to be transparent about what the sale information showed medically, since that may have influenced buyer interest as well.

His scope was graded 1A, which is excellent. His airway is clean.

His radiographs were not alarming, but they did show a few findings that will require monitoring. Specifically, there was faint lucency in the distal tibia of the right hock, as well as very shallow, faint lucency on the medial condyle of both the left and right stifles. These were not described as significant findings, and many mild changes like these resolve with age and appropriate management.

Our plan is exactly what you would expect. A full veterinary evaluation, thoughtful nutrition, appropriate movement as he settles, and follow up imaging as needed. If intervention were ever required, it would likely be routine and manageable, but for now the approach is observation and smart development.

What Is Next for Him

After a veterinary evaluation later this week and confirmation that he did not bring any contagious illness home from the sale, we will move Thirteen into the round pen with him so the two can meet and bond for several days before transitioning to a larger paddock.

We will also need a name. We will crowdsource suggestions through social media, and Foal to Forever sponsors will have the final vote on the name we submit to the Jockey Club.

He will grow up alongside Thirteen, and when the time comes, we hope they will head to training together later this year or early next year, just as Paycasso and Caesar from the Class of 2024 are preparing to do later this month.

Maybe he becomes our most successful racehorse. Maybe he becomes a wonderful riding horse for a lucky lifetime lessee. Either way, he is part of Foal to Forever now, which means he is ours for life.

Why This Matters for Foal to Forever

This colt is small for his age, well balanced, social, and notably level headed as he settles into his new environment. He also shares a sire with Lady Calliope, Callie, making him the second foal from Country Grammer’s first crop to join the Foal to Forever program. With only 47 foals in that inaugural crop, having two of them here is a unique detail.

More importantly, his story reinforces what Foal to Forever is designed to do. Sometimes that means supporting foals from the moment they are born here. Other times, it means stepping in when a young horse needs a safe landing and a clear future, especially when the commercial market does not reflect what we see in the horse.

Thanks to this community, this colt now has both.

Sponsors will find with this update the first photos taken, video of him unloading and settling in, and early foal photos shared by his breeder.

Thank you for being part of the Class of 2025 and for making moments like this possible.