Arctic Winter Conditions - how to train racehorses in the snow | Trainer Magazine | European Trainer Article Index

Feb 5

Feb 5 Arctic Winter Conditions - how to train racehorses in the snow

HILE some horsemen and women hardly let their horses out of the stables as soon as the temperature dips under ten or fifteen degrees below zero, wild horses in Northern China are known to survive extremely cold spells with temperatures creeping as low as 40 below Celsius (-40 Fahrenheit), and horses in the Southern Hemisphere get by during lengthy heat waves of 40 plus (104 F). What exactly is ‘too tough,’ or what are unacceptable conditions for horses? Can Thoroughbreds cope with training and racing under wintry conditions? In Scandinavia, horseracing is disrupted by the winter, but not brought to an absolute halt. Tæby Galopp outside Stockholm races virtually year round, and experiences made in the Nordic climate tell us that Thoroughbreds can cope very well in cold weather, far colder than what one is used to in leading racing nations such as England, France, Ireland and the U.S. Comparing Thoroughbred racehorses with various types of horses living in the wild may not seem to make all that much sense, but even if Thoroughbreds lie ‘somewhere in between’ wild horses and human beings, they are very hardy indeed. Research has shown that horses living in the wild are about 20 times less sensitive to extreme temperatures than human beings. In 1879, a group of unknown wild horses were discovered living under incredibly extreme weather conditions in Northern China. These horses inhabit the endless plains embracing the border between Mongolia and China. The terrain is flat, bare and offers next to no vegetation. At first glance, a thought that springs to mind is that it would be easier to survive on the moon. On these uninviting plains, with no trees, the winters are long and typically reach temperatures of 30 to 40 C (-22 to -40 F) below freezing. With such open landscapes, strong winds are also part of the daily menu, adding a biting wind chill factor making it impossible to believe that any animals could survive. But these wild horses do, and they have been doing so for years – probably several generations – without any help from man. The area gets little snow during these cold winters, which can be both a blessing and a curse, a blessing because no more than about one and a half feet of snow means that the horses are able to ‘dig through’ the white carpet and find at least something to call food, and a curse because if they experience spells of no snow at all, they will often become dehydrated. These horses rely on snow, eating it to replace their need for water. What made the discovery of these horses even more interesting was that the area they roam lies some way east of what is commonly known as Eurasia, where it is believed the modern horse had his ancestors. This suggests that the wild horses, discovered just over 100 years ago, actually do go back a long, long time in history. Sized about as big as large ponies, they live in herds, with one stallion and one leading mare. The leading mare shows the way when the herd moves along in search of food, and they have been observed to move at a rate of more than 12 miles per day over long periods, sometimes considerably faster – out of necessity, as they simply have to move swiftly in search of food and water or snow. Being constantly on the move also helps them cope with the cold climate. Naturally, the weaker individuals lose in this fight for survival, and many foals never grow up, sometimes simply as a result of their mother dying. As a group however, these horses have survived for many years, and their existence alone undoubtedly tells us that horses are hardy animals. Nowadays, these horses do get some help from local Mongolians, driving out into the wild with food and vitamin-rich water during the toughest periods, but it is nevertheless somewhat ironic that several breeds of horses in this world have become ‘soft’ as a result of how human beings have been treating them and changed their lives. The Thoroughbred is probably the best example, though he too is quite tough and hardy. More so than most of us would believe when observing them dancing around in the paddock on sunny summer days. Thoroughbreds racing in 5 below freezing Racehorses are subject to quite different conditions in Sweden than they are in places like Newmarket or New York during the winter months. Racing takes place at Tæby Galopp on a weekly basis during the months of December, January and February, when one would think it’s impossible to race Thoroughbreds in Scandinavia. Races have been staged in temperatures as low as 15 C (5 F) below freezing. The show must go on, not least in order to compete with harness racing, WINTER CONDITIONS ISSUE 15 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com 59 which is a sport easily staged year round. One good reason to race in the winter is to offer more prize money opportunities to trainers, jockeys and owners. Another is the fact that a winter break is damaging to turnover, as many punters turn their attention to the harness circuit. Little or no form studies of harness racing can be adapted to form studies of Thoroughbred racing. To be an expert in both codes is almost unheard of. Not all racehorses in Sweden are subjected to racing during the winter months. This circuit can be compared to the New York circuit, with mainly run-ofthe-mill performers filling the programs, but like with the New York circuit, winter racing is attracting better class runners these days. To see a classic winner that began its campaign in January is no longer uncommon. In fact, it happened as long ago as 1984, when the gelding Honey Boy landed the Swedish 2,000 Guineas in June, after having won on a straw-covered dirt track in early February. Still, the absolute stars are normally not seen at the races in mid-winter, but they, like any other horse, must get their training, and horsemen and women in the three Scandinavian countries have learned to cope with – or take advantage of – long and biting winter periods, sometimes with masses of snow. Harrowing and salting Tæby Galopp outside Stockholm is the only course in Scandinavia operating racing year-round, and the track's head groundsman Anders Ekberg explains how they keep the sport going. “Firstly,” he says, “I can tell you that there are limits, even up here. If the temperature dips below 15 minus (5 F), racing is normally cancelled. The horses can cope with such temperatures but not the riders. Sitting on a horse moving along at up to 60km/h in 15 minus, creates a wind chill factor giving the feeling of 60 to 70 degrees below (-76 to -94 F). Trotting and cantering is fine, so some form of training can continue, but not racing.” Winter racing takes place on a conventional dirt track, which is harrowed 60 TRAINERMAGAZINE.com ISSUE 15 TRAINING 24/7 during the coldest winter months. “This is necessary to avoid a frozen track,” Ekberg explains, “and the task is a considerable expense, as the constant harrowing of the track costs us around 800,000 kronor ($120,000) through the winter. We stage around 20 days of racing during these weeks.” As the dirt track is also being used for training, this endless harrowing process needs to take some breaks, but often the tractor keeps plugging away for 14 hours non-stop through the night, and Ekberg explains that “we harrow the track at least once per hour at any given time, and we also harrow between races.” Putting salt on the track is another way of beating the frost, but it’s not without its negative side effects. “Salting helps a lot, though salt left behind tends to clog in springtime and block the drainage,” Ekberg says. “Also, the turf course is right next to the dirt, and salt moving across can damage the lawn.” Special types of salt are being used, including a Mediterreanean salt that “is kind to horses’ legs.” During the first week of October, Tæby Galopp opened a newly-installed training strip of Cushion Track. The Stockholm venue is very much ‘American style,’ with a ten-furlong dirt track embracing the turf course, and the Cushion Track sitting to the Täby Galopp head groundsman Anders Ekberg and Philip Bond, head of Cushion Track, watch the newly installed synthetic surface being used for the first time inside of the turf. “The Cushion Track is only 4.5 meters (about 15 feet) wide and purely for training,” Ekberg explains. “It will be interesting to see how this artificial surface copes with our winter.” Weight issues and proper clothing the keys Around 300 horses are permanently stabled at Tæby Galopp, with an additional number of just over 100 based at stables and farms nearby, meaning that roughly 400 horses train regularly at the track. Former jockey Yvonne Durant, the world’s second female champion rider (Norway, 1990), trains a string of 30 horses at Tæby. A native of Norway, Durant has had her base here since 2006. “Winter racing was never a problem for me as a jockey,” she recalls. “The key is not to have any weight issues. If you can ride close to your natural weight, the cold should not be too much of a negative factor, and I have often ridden out in the mornings in 20 to 22 minus (-4 to -8 F). Many horses thrive on it and they are happy, so long as you keep them on the move. Horses in full training here are clipped of course. Interestingly colts and full horses keep warmer and they often look much better during the winter months too, with a real shine to their coats.” Durant, daughter of former jump-jockeyturned-trainer Ray Durant, says she feels it is a great advantage to be permanently based at the actual venue when campaigning horses in the winter. “If I had to send my horses to other tracks, I would much prefer to arrive in the morning of the race and stay over the night after the race,” she says, “as transporting tired horses in the cold after winter racing can be asking a bit too much of the animals.” She continues: “Sure, Scandiavian winters are cold, but we have a dry climate, which is much easier to cope with than the typical European winters dominated by damp and humidity. It is the same with skiing in the cold. Just wear proper clothing and stay dry, and you will be fine. We have a saying up here in the north: ‘There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.’” Riding weights are put up by 1kg (2lb) during winter racing in Sweden. “That's not much, but it helps,” Durant smiles. She retired from race riding earlier this year, “with no idea” how many winners she partnered. When Durant became champion jockey for the first time, Hayley Turner was seven or eight years old. Horses with breathing problems often cope better with training and racing during the darker months, in Durant’s opinion. “They get better breathing when the temperatures drop and the fresh air is dry and clean,” she argues, “and during the winter we keep the temperature in the stable somewhere between 10 and 15 degrees (50 to 59 F). The difference between outdoor temperatures and indoor temperatures must never be too big.” ‘Prepare a training strip wherever you like’ Jacob Hveding Fretheim, training a team of 20 from his farm outside the river city of Drammen, which is just over 40km from Øvrevoll racecourse in Norway, probably has more experience than anyone when it comes to exercising horses on snow. “I would not mind snow year-round,” he says. “That would be a dream scenario, to have one track of snow right next to a turf course.” Fretheim explains how snow gives you flexibility. “ You can prepare a training strip wherever you like out on the fields,” he says, “and training on packed snow is excellent for the Thoroughbred. Trotting and cantering in snow of about 10 to 20 cm is very good also, as the white stuff keeps the legs nice and cold and I am sure we avoid many injuries by conditioning our horses this way.” As opposed to Miss Durant, who has to train over the dirt track (and now also Cushion Track) prepared by the track management at Tæby, Fretheim is his own landlord and groundsman. He does not race his horse in the winter, however, which have to work that little bit harder. We never work fast of course. Winter training up here is all about conditioning, trotting and slow canters. The horses normally go out for about one hour six days a week. Sometimes we take our horses up to the forest, where we can use a timber-workers’ road to canter a mile steadily uphill. The climb is about 50 meters (164 feet). Training my horses like this, with about four months of conditioning from January to May, helps me get sound, strong and solid runners through the season.” “This may all sound nice and easy but it is hard work, and the phase when winter lets go and spring is approaching poses some serious problems,” Fretheim continues. “Conditions are hopeless when we go through spells of 10 minus (14 F) at night and up to 15 plus (59 F) during the daytime. That is when there is only one thing for it: go steady, steady and wait until springtime.” To ‘wait until springtime’, as John Faune so famously wrote two years before World War II broke out, requires patience. When springtime finally comes, trainers like Durant and Fretheim have the hardest and most time-consuming work done. As do their horses, who are tough, hardy and versatile. And they are happy. ■ makes a difference. In Norway, racing closes down from mid-December to mid-April. During these months, the equipments change. “We shoe our horses with heavier shoes holding six spikes,” Fretheim explains, “and one set of shoes can last through the winter for the horse. That the shoe itself weighs more also gives an extra effect, as the horses

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