BACKYARD RACEHORSE
HANDS ON TRAINING

by Janet Del Castillo

WHY TRAIN ON THE FARM? We have covered a few of the early questions related to getting a foot in the door at the track so now I'd like to touch on the basic premise of training off the farm.

The logistics of training a horse at the racetrack work against both the trainer and the horse. Generally, the track closes at 10 AM. Any significant work must be done by that time. The daily cost and maintenance at the track forces trainers to come up quickly with answers for impatient owners. Trainers are trying to develop athletes and this is not done overnight- a great deal of patience and guidance are necessary. The farm takes alot of economic pressure off the owner and aggressive training pressure off of the trainer and the young horse.

SOLUTIONS FOR OWNERS WHO WANT TO STAY IN THE BUSINESS

The following suggestions may not be for everyone but could be solutions for some of you owners and trainers who are trying to do a good job with limited funds and time restraints.

Hands on training allows the competitive horse owner (who owns horses from other disciplines, i.e. jumpers, three day eventers, rodeo riders and endurance competitors) to consider training their own race horse up to a certain point.

Race horses can be trained in other than racetrack circumstances until the horse is close to speed works (usually around 28 to 32 months of age). Track trainers should be happy to receive horses with a sound backyard training foundation as they will be fairly fit and ready to go into speed works at the race track.

WHAT'S INVOLVED?

Being turned out daily is an important part of the young horse's training. "Benevolent neglect" is essential; I advise saddling and riding a young horse no more frequently than every 3 days. This allows the hands on owner / trainer to be aware of any stress or overwork done in the early training. One must learn the difference between stocking up-caused by standing in the stall- from fillings related to stresses on joints and tendons. Think of the training process as a stress rebound process.

When a person who works in an office starts to do heavy outside work, his body is not used to it. The first time he starts shoveling dirt to prepare his garden, he gets blisters. The blisters start to hurt him and he stops working...if he continues, his skin will break down and he could injure his hands. If he stops and allows the blisters to heal, then calluses form and he can do more work more effectively as his body responds to the stress of the shoveling.

EXERCISE / REST STRESS / REBOUND

You must think of your horse's early training as the process of "toughening" the bones, tendons and joints of the his structure. That's why, in my book, I encourage you to ride the horse a minimum of three miles, once he is broken, and improve on those miles incrementally over a period of time.

The turn out days in between allow the horse to walk out of any minor fillings. Given proper rest between "stresses" is what allows the horse to build a system that can withstand its' own high speed.

Any filling the day after exercise can be monitored and observed. A "filling or congestion" around the ankles is common the day after galloping in a young horse. Think of this as being the same as blisters on the palm of your hand. Turn the horse out and usually by the second or third day he has walked himself out of the congestion. The turnout, as opposed to stalling, allows him to move -this natural circulation is what encourages healing.

Pure speed work is not done until the horse is closer to racing and is done at the track-- usually when the horse is around thirty to thirty two months of age.(Knees are closed by this time.)Up to the point of speed, the backyard trainers' goal should be having a horse with a good foundation - achieved by slow, steady incremental training. Ideally , a two to five mile route over hill and dale is the best way to establish this.The horses must complete certain goals within the route , before I allow them to go on to more work and / or more speed.

Riding the horse every third day allows the rebuild time for any slight pulls or strains the trainer might not be aware of. Having the horse turned loose a good portion of the day allows it to walk out naturally from any stiffness and lets the trainer observe the animal's movement. If swelling or filling is a result of a real strain, it will persist.

At the track it is easy to be fooled about the status of legs and joints. Common practices of poulticing and wrapping legs may hide many potential problems on young horses. This is not a criticism of track trainers; some horses will stock up--even sound ones--if stalled. The trainers are just trying to keep their horses comfortable--but the wrapping and poulticing may hide heat and /or strains and stresses. If the horse is not obviously lame, then it goes to the track again and perhaps becomes more severely injured. A two year old horse should not need to be wrapped during it's normal training regime. If a young horse has filling or strains, it should be turned out until the legs are normal (usually only a day or two will do it). When the legs are normal (no filling) the training may continue. It is fairly common to give Bute every night to horses in training. Since Bute inhibits inflammation, and inflammation (just like the blisters) may be a part of the body's process of adaptation to the work, it can interfere with the rebuilding process.

Trainers at the track usually don't have a turn out paddock . They also worry about horses injuring themselves when turned out. This is a legitimate risk but most horses, if turned out frequently, will settle down .

LET THE OWNER PARTICIPATE

The younger the horse, the more immature the bone. It is better, while the horse is young, to do the preliminary work at home.

If owners have been competitive in showing, rodeo, and / or eventing--and have been successful in those fields-- they might consider buying a yearling (Thoroughbred, Arabian, Appaloosa, Paint, or other racing breed) and doing the early training themselves.

By doing most of the work at home, these owners will initially save thousands of dollars in training fees and when their horse goes to a track trainer, it will be a little older than most and will have been well handled and accustomed to a great many more circumstances than the typical track trained animal. Most trainers will be happy to get a 32 month old animal that hopefully has already been through the flues and colds suffered during its' first two years of life and, after a few days of getting adapted to the racetrack routine, is ready to breeze. Within about two months at the track, (barring bucked shins or other minor set backs) the trainer should have an idea of whether or not there is talent to pursue in the animal. If no gift of speed is apparent, the horse may go back to be a hunter jumper or whatever else the owner had in mind.

If, however, the horse shows racing ability (remember, many horses start racing, only a small percentage win and/or pay their way) ,then it will start bringing in checks that will help defray its' costs. The track trainers should be happy to have sound horses to hone into speed. With rational development, the horses should be able to hold up. No one really likes to "hold a horse together" for one more race.

TRAIN THE HORSES TO HOLD UP TO THEIR SPEED

A good trainer is one who manages to allow the horse to develop into its' natural ability without breaking the horse down in the process. Many horses are capable of pulling themselves apart long before they are sound enough to run. That's why a good trainer is tuned into how much stress a horse is enduring. The trainer should allow the horse to evolve comfortably and naturally into its speed.

It is important for the trainer to know whether any medications he is using are really helping the horse to heal or just masking pain-which can be a warning that the training is too aggressive. As an informed owner, make sure you question any medical bills...a healthy horse should not have large vet bills in order to run. When its body and mind grow into having the fitness and concentration necessary to run full out six furlongs to a mile and a half, and the horse likes what it is doing, then you have a runner.

Defining a horses' personal best at that point is important so that it is not put in competition that is over its head. Keep the horse happy and run it at a level where it is capable of winning.

Racing is a challenging, difficult business. The hands on training methods I suggest will allow some owners a more active role with their horses, cost them less money, and give the horses a better chance of making it to the races. Racing can utilize the energies and economic clout of pleasure horse owners to give a boost to the industry, and we all win!

An educated active owner is a real asset to the racing industry!