The four measurements worth taking monthly
A useful youngster record starts with four numbers taken the same way each month. Height at the withers, measured with a stick on level ground while the foal stands square, shows whether growth is proceeding in the small, even increments you want. A weight tape around the girth gives a rough weight trend — not exact, but consistent enough to reveal a stall or a surge. Body condition comes third: note whether ribs are felt easily, felt with pressure, or not felt at all. Finally, record how much feed and forage he is actually getting, because the growth numbers only make sense read against what went in.
Legs, hooves and teeth get a look, not just a glance
Straightness matters while bones are still growing, so note how the foal's legs look from the front and side: knees and fetlocks aligned, no new swelling, no toe turning in or out that was not there last month. Write down hoof trim dates and anything the farrier mentions, since young hooves grow fast and small imbalances correct best when they are caught early. Teeth earn a line too — note each new tooth erupting and any dropping of feed or head-tilting at the bucket, because a foal's mouth changes constantly in the first years. One dated photograph taken from the same angle each month quietly captures conformation changes your eye adapts to and misses.
Health events that explain the growth curve
Between the numbers, a simple record should catch the events that bend a growth curve: worming dates, vaccinations, any day the foal was off its feed, loose droppings, a cough, a knock in the field, or a change of pasture or hay. None of this needs essays — a dated line each is enough. When a month's growth looks odd, these notes are usually where the explanation sits, and they turn a vague worry at the vet's into a clear timeline the vet can actually use. Note weaning, the first farrier visit and first loading practice too; the handling milestones are part of a youngster's development record, not decoration.
Keep it brief, dated and in one place
The record only works if it stays simple enough to keep up: one page or one profile entry per month, the same headings in the same order, filled in on the same day you measure. Resist the urge to record everything — a log abandoned by the third month helps nobody, while four measurements, three visual checks and a handful of event lines, kept faithfully, build into a genuinely useful history. Measure on the same morning routine, before turnout, for the most consistent comparisons. Review the run of entries every few months rather than obsessing over a single one, and share the whole record whenever the foal changes hands, goes to a trainer or is seen by a new vet.
Paper notebooks scatter, but a foal's Pet Passport in KinsLe keeps his measurements, health events and records together in one packet that is ready for the vet, the farrier or a future owner.