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It's usually not much worth showing foals, unless you want to get a really close estimate of their degree of inconsistency. Because each show's score is a random selection from all the possibilities based on the base score and the limits of the degree of consistency, a few shows may not give a perfectly accurate estimate. Since they don't train, their base score remains the same until they turn 2, so you have plenty of time to show them and evaluate the results.

Having an exact or pretty exact estimate of a horse's degree of consistency was more important before Ammit created the Showing Bonus, and you could lose a lot of money if your horse didn't place in the top half of its class, especially in the higher levels and grades. With the showing bonus, which rewards the owner if the stable's horses place anywhere but last, it has become less critical, although for smaller or newer stables, it can still make a difference to total income.

If the Consistency Test gives a result of "Consistent," the horse's consistency can be a range of 0 points, +/- 1, or +/- 2. The first means that the show score will always be exactly the same both times a horse is shown in a week. We call that being "Perfectly Consistent." Perfect Foundations, Exceptionally Perfect Foundations, and Perfectly Consistent Foundations will fall in this range. Other horses may also be there, but you can't be certain without showing them a fair number of times.

If a horse has a consistency of +/-1, there can be a swing of up to three points. For example, if the base score is 15, the horse may score 14, 15, or 16. If you show a foal about 6 times (twice a week for 3 weeks) and the scores fall with 3 points of each other, you can be pretty sure that this is their degree of consistency, although eventually they might show a greater variability.

If a horse has a consistency of +/- 2, it's score can range over 5 points in a given week. So, if the base score is 15, the possible scores for the horse may be 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. With the potential for 5 different scores on a random basis, it can take some time to figure out the base score from the show scores.

Of course, if you show a foal and it scores -1, and you show it again and it scores 3, you can be sure that its consistency is at least +/- 2. *G*

Horses that test Inconsistent will have greater degrees of inconsistency. At least +/- 3, which gives a possible range of 7 points. I don't know the top range for this ranking, but it is, as you will probably guess, increasingly difficult to estimate a base score when the range is so wide.

It's been years since I was keeping weekly showing records for my horses, so I don't remember the largest swing I have ever seen. It was over 5 points difference in a given week, I'm fairly sure. I eventually got so many horses that I didn't have time to keep paper records on all of them with their level/grades, score for every show, and potential base score for the coming week. So I decided to purchase a Level 5 account (now renamed Premium Upgrade), so that the Auto-Shower could worry about it for me, :))

I show my intact foals until they go into pastures at 3 if they are fillies. Colts that I keep for breeding stay in the barns and are shown until they leave my stable due to a sale or age. Every point I get matters.

What great information! Thank you so much!!! :) it really helps!!