From Good to GREAT - the pain of losing a good horse to another trainer

Losing an under-achieving horse is a reality trainers live with daily. But how do you lose a horse who performs spectacularly in his debut? How do you lose a horse you’ve waited your whole lifetime to train?

Bill Heller
 (14 October 2008 - Issue Number: 10)

First time on turf - how to prepare a horse

By Bill Heller

Preparing a horse for his first start on turf is trickier than most people realize. Most tracks ban maidens from their grass courses, and many allow only grass stakes-nominated horses who have not made their last start against maidens or claimers to work on the turf course.

On Saturday, June 14th, 14 first-time turfers were entered at Belmont Park; one at Monmouth Park; one at Churchill Downs; nine at Delaware, eight at Philadelphia and three at Hollywood Park. On Colonial Downs' all-turf card, 35 starters were making their grass debuts. Of the 71 first-time turfers across America, only two had a workout on grass.
 

"I don't think it's very important," said California based Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella "If they like it, they like it right away. If they don't, they don't."
When asked if he's ever trained any grass stars who hadn't even galloped on turf before racing on it, Mandella said, "The Tin Man. His first start ever was on grass."


Mandella paused a second. "But he had about a year and a half in Kentucky in a big paddock," Mandella laughed. "I said that as a joke, but it's something they grow up doing. It's pretty natural for them.

"

It sure was for The Tin Man, whose sire, Affirmed, had never raced on turf. After overcoming two bowed tendons which required surgery when he was two years old, The Tin Man became one of America's outstanding grass horses, capturing the Clement L. Hirsch Memorial and the American Handicap twice, the San Louis Obispo Handicap, the Arlington Million, the San Marcos, and, at the age of nine, the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile. He finished his career with 13 victories, seven seconds and two thirds from 30 starts and earnings of more than $3.6 million.



New York trainer Rick Violette, Jr., also trained a Grade 1 grass stakes winner who had never worked on it before winning a race, Man From Wicklow. "He was very disappointing on dirt," Violette said June 7th. "And, actually, he was disappointing on the grass the first few times as well. We finally put blinkers on him and he sprouted wings.

" 
In his first two starts on dirt in 1999, Man From Wicklow, finished fifth in an allowance race and 11th against maidens. Switched to grass, he was seventh, eleventh and eleventh (which could be thought of as a work on grass). When Violette added blinkers, the horse still didn't win, checking in fifth in a maiden race at The Meadowlands. But in his seventh lifetime start, a maiden race at Belmont Park, he finally clicked, winning by three-quarters of a length.



In the winter of 2002-2003, Man From Wicklow won the Grade 2 W.L. McKnight Handicap at Calder and the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Breeders' Cup Handicap by 4 ¾ lengths, easily the best performance of his life. Not bad for a horse who finished 11th three times before breaking his maiden.

"It can happen," Violette said. "Marquette, who got beat 40 lengths on the dirt, I ran him as a maiden against winners at Gulfstream and he broke his maiden.It can be a dramatic reversal of form."



Both ways. Cigar was an ordinary horse on grass and an extraordinary champion on dirt.Most trainers never get to train such stars, but all trainers have maidens and young horses. Some of them are better on grass; others on dirt. Finding out which they prefer may not happen until later in their career. In the beginning, it's easy to see how inexperienced horses perform on dirt or on a synthetic track simply by working them on it. That's an option not available to maiden grass runners unless they're stabled at training centers with turf courses.
 


Barclay Tagg, who is having a phenomenal spring/summer meet at Belmont Park, says most of his maiden grass winners never worked on turf first. "Absolutely, mostly all of them I had for the last 30 years I trained," he said. "Because I didn't have anywhere to work them on the grass. They don't usually let you have a grass work unless you're down at Palm Meadows Training Center (in South Florida) for the winter. Nowadays, I try to get them all a grass work down there. I don't really think you need a grass work for them, but if you can do it, fine. But at most racetracks you can't do it. They won't let you on it with a maiden.

"

Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey wasn't sure whether his first-time starter Tourism would handle grass or not when she made her debut in the sixth race at Belmont Park, June 6th. The three-year-old filly is by Seeking the Gold out of the Pleasant Colony mare Resort, and she had never even galloped on grass. "This filly here, we couldn't have her on the turf at Belmont; maidens can't go on grass," he said. "So she had never been on it before. But there was a race going seven-eighths the other day, and I had another filly I wanted to run there. So I knew this race was coming up. So I said, `Well, let's go on and give it a try'. Being by Seeking the Gold, she probably should like it."



Just like all of McGaughey's young horses, Tourism had been thoroughly prepared for her debut. She showed workouts in the Daily Racing Form from mid-February through late March at Payson Park in Florida, then seven workouts at Belmont Park. McGaughey rarely works first-time starters quickly, but Tourism's final work was a sharp one, four furlongs breezing in :48 3/5, the 19th fastest of 50 horses working that morning at that distance on Belmont's main track.



Tourism loved the turf. Breaking from the rail and benefiting from an excellent ride by new Hall of Famer Edgar Prado, Tourism got through on the inside and won her debut narrowly.



If Tourism had made her debut at Saratoga, she might have had a grass work first. In New York, maidens are barred from working on grass at Belmont Park, but that's not true at Saratoga Race Course, thanks to the Oklahoma Training Track turf course. "Saratoga is a little different because of the training track," Race Secretary P.J. Campo said. "Maidens can work on it any time. On the main course, maidens are not allowed during the meet. We don't want 100 horses to go over there every week. We work Monday, Wednesday and Friday."



During the six-week Saratoga meet from July 23rd through September 1st, McGaughey will work his first-time turf maidens on grass. "At Saratoga, I will, just to see," he said. "Sometimes, a change in atmosphere helps them."



The day after Tourism scored for McGaughey, George Weaver and Keith O'Brien sent out first-time turfers in a $57,000 New York-bred maiden grass race at a mile and an eighth at Belmont. Weaver's Beyond Challenge had been beaten badly in three dirt starts. O'Brien's Imperial Way had a pair of thirds, a sixth and a fifth in four dirt starts.


Because Beyond Challenge was stabled at the Oklahoma Training Track, Weaver was able to give him a grass work, and he went four furlongs around dogs (pylons) in :50 1/5, 11th best of 16 at that distance on the grass course that morning. Imperial Way had not worked since finishing fifth in his last start.
Neither excelled on grass. Beyond Challenge finished eighth and Imperial Way 10th.



Like Weaver, trainer Tom Bush is more inclined to work first-time turfers on grass at Saratoga. "Every trainer at Saratoga utilizes that option," he said. "Some horses, you like to see them on the turf before you run them."



He wanted that look at Belmont for A Zero Trap, a three-year-old New York-bred colt by Quiet American out of Gold 'n Sugar by Java Gold, who had won his debut by a neck, then finished third and fourth in three dirt starts.
 


Bush gave A Zero Trap a grass work at Belmont before he made his grass debut in a $49,000 non-winners of two allowance race for New York-breds at Belmont Park, June 12th. A Zero Trap breezed four furlongs around dogs in :50 4/5 on a good Belmont turf course, 15th best of 20 that day. Then Bush breezed him on dirt, and A Zero Trap went four furlongs in :49 4/5, 14th fastest of 21.



"I had nominated him to a turf stakes, probably one I won't run in, so I could work him on grass," Bush said the morning of the race. "He hits the ground pretty hard, this horse. He's kind of big and chunky, a heavy, thick kind of horse. My hope is that he can stay sounder on turf if he likes it."
He didn't. The grass work didn't help. A Zero Trap finished 10th.



Regardless, Bush said, "I've actually had a few surprises recently, horses that did well on turf. Sweet Madness, who is by Freud, she fit the profile. She's kind of long and has big feet, too."



Gary Contessa, New York's leading trainer and the country's sixth leading trainer in earnings halfway through 2008, is less enthusiastic about turf works for first-time turfers. "If the turn is open on the day that I was planning to breeze them at Saratoga, I will," he said. "But I don't have to. It's not a prerequisite. The ones that I think are going to run well on the turf generally do anyway. I think horses are either naturals on it or not."



Violette voiced a similar opinion: "Sometimes, it can give you a little bit better educated opinion on whether they're going to adapt to turf or not, but it's not necessary to work them out there. I don't really know that it's an edge. I think, a lot of times, pedigree and the way they look and their running style is more important than works on the grass, because I really do think they either like it or they don't. I really think it goes to, a lot of times, just the female family. If they have some turf there, you might have a good shot they'll like it."



Racing principally in Florida and New York, Violette's horses work mostly on dirt, even those about to make their grass debut. How first-time turfers who have been racing on a synthetic course will fare in their grass debuts is still conjecture. Will they do better than first-time turfers who have raced on dirt? "Well, it seems like more grass horses like the synthetic; I'm not sure about the reverse," Violette said. "You would think it would be true."

There's only one way to find out.

The importance of warm-up and cool-down in the racehorse

Human athletes pay great attention to detail when warming up and cooling down for competition. Research studies have shown that warming up prior to competition is an important factor in preparation to enhance performance and potentially reduce injury risk. Both the physiological and psychological benefits have been investigated, although human physiologists are divided in their opinions as to the benefits of warming up.

When it comes to cooling down the research is more unified, showing that active cooling down is more beneficial than passive cooling down. There is limited research available into the benefits of the warm-up and the cool-down in horses and racing, and it is certainly an area that warrants further investigation.

The importance of a warm-up period before racing How a warm-up programme is developed depends on the sport. The main considerations in warming up prior to racing are how long before the race to start warming up, how long to warm-up for and the intensity of exercise. The two main reasons for warming up are to improve performance, and to reduce the risk of injury. A period of warm-up will have both physiological and psychological effects; with direct effects on the respiratory system, the cardiovascular system and the neuromuscular system. Warm-up consists of an activity or series of exercises that raise the total body temperature, preparing the body for vigorous activity. As well as raising temperature, muscle blood flow and oxygenation are also increased. This enhances the ability of the muscles to work aerobically and to reduce lactic acid build up. Therefore a good warm-up should delay the onset of fatigue due to lactic acid accumulation. However, there may also be some negative physiological effects that can be attributed to excessive warm-up, so too long spent on it can be just as detrimental as too little. Increasing muscle temperature over its working optimum can result in dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, as well as lactic acid production and therefore the onset of fatigue before the race. Warm-up can also increase the horse’s range of motion by lengthening the stride and improving gait coordination, resulting in a decreased likelihood of tears, sprains and strains. Warm-up should be adjusted depending on the environmental temperature. In cold weather it may take longer for muscles to reach their optimum working temperature than in hot weather.

Active warm-up prior to racing An active warm-up programme will begin with aerobic exercise such as walking and trotting, to raise heart rate (but to remain under 170 beats per minute) which will increase the muscle temperature. Most racehorses will routinely have an adequate period of aerobic warm-up prior to racing consisting of walking in the pre-parade and parade ring. This is followed by cantering down to the start which equates to the sports specific warm-up, and has the effect of preparing the muscles for the exercise ahead. Passive warm-up and products available Active warm-up is more beneficial than passive warm-up as it increases the heart rate. However, in some circumstances it may also be beneficial to use passive warm-up prior to active warm-up. Massage will increase the muscle temperature and will change the muscle tone. It will also have a relaxing effect, so it is important to get the timing right, and not to massage immediately prior to racing, although it does provide an opportunity to check that there is no muscle soreness that could have occurred during travel to the racecourse.

Massage is used extensively in human professional sports as part of warm-up, but there is very little research available into the effects of massage on injury prevention in the horse. However, there is some evidence from small studies that massage increases stride length and range of motion, and therefore potentially has a positive effect on performance. Stretching can be performed after massage (when the muscles are warm), but this is an area where research is available to show that although there are benefits from stretching, there are also some negative effects. New technology has recently been developed which uses the body’s own heat to enhanced physical performance and provide effective prevention and treatment of injuries.

For example, the Mirotec and Back On Track rugs can be used as a warm-up aid prior to exercise (and can also be used post-exercise to ease any muscle soreness), but are not a substitute for active warm-up. These rugs contain a heat reflective layer of metallic material, which can maintain body temperature and boost circulation. This is a relatively easy and cost effective way to warm up the muscles prior to any exercise, and may therefore a useful aid to warm-up, especially in colder climates. The aims of a cool-down period Active cooling down has been shown to be more beneficial than passive cooling down, therefore maintaining a slow trot or canter for a few minutes or so will have greater benefit than walking or standing still.

The aim of a cool-down period is a progressive reduction in exercise intensity allowing a gradual redistribution of blood flow, enhanced lactic acid removal from the muscles, and a reduction of body heat through convection and evaporation. If a horse is inadequately cooled after competing, any residual lactate in the system will affect performance if the horse is required to compete again within a short space of time. The application of cold water will result in heat loss by conduction from the skin to the water, thus reducing body temperature. The active cool-down will also result in an effective return to normal breathing and heart rate.

Actual post-race cool-down regimes These routinely consist of a slow canter back around the course to the exit, followed by a period of walking to where the saddle is removed. After this a horse will be washed with cold water and continually walked until heart rate and breathing return to normal. Shower systems are increasingly being used to aid quick and effective wash down. In hotter climate conditions the cool-down may include the application of iced water and iced blankets to ensure a return to normal body temperature in the shortest possible time. Products such as Equi-N-ice, cooling rugs and bandages are available to speed up cool-down. They use a combination of coolants and specialist fabrics to cool the skin and evaporate moisture more effectively. It is important that the horse is kept walking during the cool down period. When the horse is sufficiently cool many trainers will apply a cooling product to the legs before travelling home. The Zamar system is a portable system which provides thermostatically controlled cold therapy (or heat therapy) via insulated pipes to specially designed leg and body wraps. This particular product consists of a specially adapted refrigeration system that circulates a glycol liquid to produce the required temperature.

It maintains a pre-set consistent cold temperature for the required treatment time. The system also provides cyclical compression to the area treated. The application of Game Ready wraps after racing or a strenuous workout will minimise the inflammatory reaction and subsequent tissue damage that can result from strenuous activity. The technology behind this portable system is the continuous rapid circulation of ice water through circumferential wraps, thus providing ice treatment and compression. Post-race practical applications of these cold systems may be most effective when used on the tendons. The core temperature of tendons after racing is known to be over 40°C which can have a detrimental effect on the physiological function associated with the maintenance and repair of the tendons.

The immediate application of cold treatment can quickly and effectively cool the tendon core, returning the temperature to normal. The above mentioned cooling systems also have many other uses in the treatment of various injuries, and can provide more consistent colder temperatures than the application of ice or a cold hose, although these practices are still very popular and widespread within the racing industry. The combination of ice and compression causes capillary vasoconstriction and pressure on the connective tissue to restrict blood and fluid leakage from damaged tissue. The first 48 hours after injury are critical in the restriction of development of oedema or swelling. A simple but efficient way of applying immediate cold and compressive therapy post-race is to soak polo wraps in iced water before applying them.

The application of immediate cold and compression will minimise post-race inflammation and swelling. Cold water hosing is a cheap and effective way of applying cold treatment to the horse’s body and legs, but although this method will provide cooling of the skin surface, the temperature may not be low enough to affect deeper structures. There are also many other ice gel packs and ice boots available for cold therapy, which often provide a cost effective and simple way to provide cold treatment to the tendons and other structures. The application of ice is a well researched and excellent treatment modality in the prevention of swelling and inflammation after exercise.

Massage to aid recovery after racing Muscle soreness often develops 24 to 48 hours after racing or strenuous exercise, and is thought to be largely due to microtrauma. Until this pain disappears, the muscle is in a weakened condition, predisposing it to injury. Massage and stretching can be used to release muscle tension and reduce soreness. It may be beneficial to treat the horse with massage immediately post-race (when sufficiently cooled and with heart and breathing rate returned to normal). This can then be followed up with further regular massage treatments to restore suppleness and range of motion. The next issue of European Trainer will feature more detailed analysis of how the application of ice and cold therapy affects the horse both pre and post-race, including its benefits and physiological effects.

Resistance Training - can it be applied to racehorses?

By Caton Bredar

The termalone, "resistance training," invites at the very least skepticism, and in some cases, even a trace of joviality. As Hall of Fame conditioner Dick Mandella remarked when asked about it, "I'm very familiar with resistance training. For many years, I've had owners who resisted my training. I've had a few horses who resisted, too."

As he is known to do, Mandella was joking.  But as he, and most in the Thoroughbred industry would attest, finding safer ways to train and develop racehorses is no joking matter.

While lacking in research and data, at a basic level resistance training is a tool some equine conditioners - including Mandella - are incorporating at least on a small scale into their training systems.  At a very sophisticated level, a few horsemen are taking the idea of resistance training very seriously. 
It's a type of exercise not without misunderstandings.  Even in the training of human athletes, where resistance training arguably originated, there's some confusion.

Wikipedia defines resistance training as having "two different, sometimes confused meanings." 
The broadest definition, according to the on-line encyclopedia, is any technique that "uses a resistance to the force of muscular contraction (better termed strength training)".  In this sense, weight lifting is a basic form of resistance training with the weights offering resistance in direct opposition to the contraction of the muscle or muscles.

The second, more specific, definition refers to elastic or hydraulic resistance, or any type of training in which external devices -- such as resistance bands or exercise machines, are used to create the opposing force.  In the case of horses, think underwater treadmill.

The American Sports Medicine Institute elaborates on the goal of resistance training, again in human terms, as:  "gradually and progressively overload(ing) the muscular-skeletal system so it gets stronger."
A stronger muscle and skeletal system may well be the goal for any type of athlete.  But when the athlete is four-legged, and already loading hundreds of pounds of pressure on a relatively smaller and decidedly more fragile bone structure, the problem gets increasingly complex.  Take sports injuries in human athletes and multiply them four-fold.

That type of paradox - developing bigger, stronger, more durable racehorses while not breaking them down in the process - has already led some of the biggest names in harness racing to resistance training.
 
Joe Geiser, CEO of a company called Racehorse Conditioning Systems, is a proponent of resistance training and specifically, resistance carts.  According to Geiser, resistance carts have been used for decades in Europe, with "thousands" of the carts in use there today.  Perhaps even more noteworthy, in the United States, more than a third of the winners over the past 20 years of the Hambletonian and Hambletonian Oaks - harness racing's version of the Kentucky Derby and Oaks - have been trained using a particular type of resistance cart that Geiser markets and sells.
 
The theory is admittedly complex.  On his website, Geiser points to several types of muscle fibers, including slow twitch, or aerobic muscle fibers, and fast twitch, or anaerobic fibers.  The aerobic fibers are fueled by oxygen, the anaerobic fibers by glycogen.  Anything needing a short burst of explosive energy, Geiser writes, requires fast twitch, or anaerobic muscle fiber.  Resistance training works to target the anaerobic muscle fiber, but when combined with variations in speed and resistance, can also serve to impact the aerobic muscle fiber.  When done properly, so that the glycogen supplies are depleted and then built back up again, the muscle learns how to produce and store more, which ultimately builds endurance.

Essentially, using a resistance cart is "basically like training a horse on a hill," says Geiser, "and you determine the length and steepness of the hill."

Geiser describes the resistance carts as slightly heavier jog carts equipped with two hydraulic pumps, one on each wheel of the cart, that in theory allow a trainer to increase the horse's workload and/or heart rate, while decreasing the amount of speed involved.  When the trainer depresses a pedal, pressure on the wheel is released, so the horse has to pull - or work - more, even if he's actually slowing down or traveling at a walk.
"The horse doesn't feel the heavier cart, because it's balanced," Geiser says.  "You control the amount of resistance and for how long you apply the resistance.  The resistance itself is against the wheels," rather than directly against a horse's joints.  Muscle groups, in essence, get a workout, without any unnecessary or added wear and tear on the skeletal system.

The majority if not all of the work on resistance carts is done at a walk, also reducing the potential for injury, according to Geiser.  It's done in conjunction with a heart monitor, a key component of the entire program. "The key to the warehouse is the heart monitor."

A Pennsylvania resident, Geiser has trained andowned Standardbred horses on and off for the past six years.  He advocates a system of training that also includes a very specific feeding program, ample recovery time between workouts, meticulous record-keeping, and a knowledge of the horse's maximum heart rate.  He also stresses the importance of a positive attitude, and claims for the horses he has worked directly with, resistance training has almost always led to a healthier horse with a more willing spirit during workouts.

That positive attitude extends to Allentown, a 6-year-old gelded pacer Geiser has been working with, primarily using a resistance cart. 
 
"Allentown has bad knees.  Conventional wisdom told me to get rid of the horse," he offers.  "I laid him up for five months, did a lot of walking with him.  He went out every four days."
With ample recovery time in between resistance cart sessions and a minimum of traditional training - never at an all-out or extreme speed, Allentown returned to the races to record a fifth, a third, two seconds and two wins in six starts, including a win in January of this year.
 
"Fundamentally, the system is pretty easy to use," he adds.  "But it's also easy to over-use and a trainer has to have a lot of patience."

Besides developing a better racehorse over-all, Geiser believes "this is about taking the cheaper horse and getting him to be productive," a principle he thinks could well be adapted to the Thoroughbred racing world.
"I know it's sacrilegious to consider a Thoroughbred pulling a cart," he says.  "But there is some value holistically to teaching a horse to pull a cart."

The famed Thoroughbred conditioner Preston Burch might agree.  First published in 1953, his "Training Thoroughbred Horses" is still considered among horsemen a reliable overview of the fundamentals of training.  Burch writes, "Some trainers have their yearlings broken to harness before they are broken to ride.  This is an excellent idea because it accustoms the yearling to bridle and teaches him to handle himself before weight is put on his back."

In principle, Leonie Seesing, owner and founder of the company Equi-Gym, also agrees.  Now based in Kentucky, Seesing may be one of the first licensed Thoroughbred trainers in America, by Geiser's estimate, to purchase a resistance cart.  A member of the Association of Equine Sports Medicine, Seesing started in Wyoming working as a jockey, owner and trainer before devoting herself to developing an alternative method of training.

"I saw these wonderful, beautiful horses going by the wayside," she claims.  "I believed there had to be a better way."
With very little research to turn to, Seesing looked to human conditioning for inspiration, and says she also was influenced by progressive training "guru" Tom Ivers.

"Thinking out of the box, I tried to stop thinking about what we know about racehorses," and turned to what she could learn about humans, who, according to Seesing, adapt and respond to exercise in much the same way equines do.

"When I started looking at humans," she says, "I started becoming much more innovative, and I found it worked.  The end result was that they race a whole lot better."

Since 1983, Seesing has been a practitioner of progressive training, a form of training she describes as a combination of interval and resistance training, with the goal of increasing heart-rate while lowering impact.
"By going into the anaerobic system and progressively loading your exercise program," she says, "you build the body stronger."

"There's a benefit" to resistance training alone, she says, "but it's not as great.  And for the amount of effort involved, it's kind of foolish…you're missing the most powerful part of training.  With interval training, [the horses] become tough."

Similar to Geiser, Seesing believes in the need to "get inside a horse's head," along with thorough record-keeping, heart-rate monitoring, and a greater understanding of equine physiology.

"Resistance training can be a pretty good-sized tool, used throughout and done with high intensity at the end of a training program.  It teaches the anaerobic system to become more fuel efficient."
 
Seesing finds uphill treadmills and resistance carts to be the most effective means of anaerobic, or resistance, conditioning, and, also similarly to Geiser, believes the greatest benefit may be for the lesser horses.
"Junk horses," she says in describing the majority of the horses she has owned or trained, but points as well to her success rate at getting horses to the races over a five year period - 94 percent, according to her calculations, well above the national average and an indicator that her program is working.

"The majority of trainers have horses like mine," she concludes.  "When you use unconventional methods, you make more money, and you do better."
"Learning good physiology skills…how to manipulate the body.  It takes work to learn," she adds.  "There is so much more to it.  It is overwhelming.  But there are a lot of people who are tired of trashing their horses."
Noted Veterinary Surgeon and Director of Orthopedic Research at Colorado State University, Dr. Wayne McIlwraith stops short of endorsing interval training or putting a cart behind a Thoroughbred, but he does see some potential in resistance training.

"How a horse lands in his stride is innate.  It can't be changed much.  But a lot could be mitigated potentially, with resistance training."

McIlwraith agrees about the importance of muscle fiber.  "Muscle tone is certainly critical," he continues.  "The more fit they are, the more stable the joint, the less disease.  It does come back to muscle."
"There's a lot of logic to it," he concludes, while admitting the research is limited.   "If you can stimulate muscle without wear and tear…if you could train slowly and without impact on the joints…it would absolutely be safer. There's always potential, but I haven't seen any data."

McIlwraith is credited on the website of a relatively new equine resistance training concept called "Cyclone Theory."  Patterned after a new human training concept called "parachute technique" - in which wind resistance is created by a parachute attached to an athlete's waist as he or she sprints - the theory as described on their website  is that wind resistance is transferred to the legs and applied to all the muscles directly involved in moving the body forward, so higher power at high speeds is ultimately achieved.  In the case of Thoroughbreds, the resistance is created by a band stretched consistently and horizontally from the horse, and controlled by the pace with which the horse travels.

"The two things that hurt horses," says McIlwraith, "are weight and speed."  Anything that reduces those two factors, he says, is worth exploring.

Which brings us back to Mandella.  Known, in particular, for his success with older horses like top turf performer Sandpit or, more recently, The Tin Man, Mandella says over the years he's used an underwater treadmill for horses returning from injuries and/or long lay-offs, as an intermediate step prior to returning to the racetrack.
That time period, the time between walking and jogging or galloping, according to McIlwraith, is critical.
"Resuming training is a big transition," he says.  "It's always a difficult transition going from walking to galloping, when rehabbing from an injury.  Anything that can make it not as big a shock is beneficial."
  
About a year ago, with the advice of his veterinarians, Mandella added a device called the Astride to his program, as a way of transitioning some horses between minor injuries and their return to the racetrack.

"We've been kind of experimenting," he says of the device, which allows varying amounts of weight to be deposited in saddlebags on either side of the horse.  The weights are secured to a surcingle or belt girthed around the horse's barrel, then attached via reins to a headstall and bit.

"We use it for horses you can't really train - maybe they've grabbed a quarter," Mandella elaborates.  "You vary or increase the weight.  It keeps you from going backwards."

Mandella uses the device on horses standing in the stall or walking around the barn and cautions that it's not a replacement for regular training, but rather an effective stop-gap measure. "We're finding it just works better with weight," he concludes, something other trainers, by McIlwraith's estimation, are discovering as well.
"Anything that's putting on increased muscle…without increasing risk.  Bottom line, there are a number of ways to try and accomplish that. It's a tradition-laden sport," McIlwraith admits, "and there's going to be a certain amount of skepticism about many things.  But things are changing.  We surely have to find a better way than we do it now."

"People are looking at different ways," McIlwraith proclaims.  "Of course that doesn't mean there are better ways.  But people are trying to find a better way."

And as to whether resistance training is that better way, "there are many subjective feelings…now we have to work on proving them."

Breaking In - laying the groundwork with the racehorses of the future

By Frances Karon

While the Thoroughbred racehorse has evolved through methods of breeding, raising, feeding, vaccinating and training, one thing that has remained fairly constant is that they must be broken in with great care and patience if they stand any chance of doing what they were born to do."

We can breed for speed or distance, to race or sell commercially, or to zero in on superior ancestors, but whatever the sire’s covering fee is, it’s like that down-to-earth reminder that our shoes, be they Armani or knockoffs – go on the same way. All horses must be taught to carry a rider on their back and to respond to a bit in their mouth. Someone figured out a long time ago that Thoroughbreds do not react positively to the American cowboy way of “breaking” a horse – literally, breaking its spirit – leading the way for a gentler, more personalized breaking in process. There are subtle differences in the approach but the desired ending is to produce a horse who accepts a rider with the confidence that only good early experiences will give it.

 
In Camden, South Carolina, Mickey Preger Jr. has been breaking young racehorses-to-be for 15 years, though his education began long before. The son of the trainer of 1983 Eclipse Award-winning older mare Ambassador of Luck, Preger grew up on the backstretch of Belmont Park, where his father shared a barn with Northern Dancer’s trainer Horatio Luro for 20 years. Preger later spent years working for Ruffian and Forego’s trainer Frank Whiteley Jr. During Preger’s tenure, Whiteley broke Rhythm, Seeking the Gold and Preach.
 
Preger is based at the Camden Training Center, which used to be the place of choice for many trainers to winter their racehorses. Now, it caters more towards young horses learning the ropes but it has what Preger calls a “racetrack atmosphere in the country. There are enough horses here that they’re acclimated to everything when they leave here – the traffic of the track, horses jogging the wrong way.”
 
Preger circles October 1 on his calendar every year as his target date to begin the breaking in his new stock. The process itself is rudimentary and painstaking. He says, “I would say the way we break them is still very old school.” It is a matter of tackling one idea at a time and giving them three or four days to acclimate to it. Slowly, in this way his horses get used to a bit, lunging, lunging with a surcingle, with a saddle and with stirrups, each as an individual step. At this point they are well into their lessons and Preger will line drive them “until we put a good mouth on them, probably around four or five days. We take our time, and if a horse needs a couple more days we just give them a couple more days of whatever they need.”
 
The horses have already been introduced to a rider jumping on and off both sides, first in the stalls before graduating to the shedrow, jogging figure eights in small paddocks and learning directional changes in larger paddocks. Preger drills the same thing into their heads repetitively, stepping it up a level every few days as they become mentally prepared. In this fashion, the horses reach the stage where they begin jogging over a gallop in the woods before cantering on a polo field to try out lead changes.
 
The babies move on to gallop over a half-mile track, where they will generally remain until just after January 1, after which it is on to the more serious business conducted on the mile training track. When the horses ship out to racetracks around the country, most will be advanced enough to where their new trainers can breeze them three-eighths out of the gate at the end of their first week.
 
The majority of Preger’s clientele sends him homebred horses they intend to race, such as Grade 1 winner Mossflower and multiple graded winner Distorted Humor, but he does occasionally prep one that is earmarked for a late two-year-olds in training sale. His attitude toward the end use of both types is the same. “We don’t really do learning stages any differently, though we might have to speed up the process over the open gallops. You just probably have to kick on a little earlier to make the sales.” The season at the training center ends in mid-May, so the average horse in his care receives seven months of pre-track schooling.
 
An expansive ocean away, near Marlborough, England, ex-jockey Malcolm Bastard performs the same basic service as Preger with some slight distinctions. Bastard deals in a greater number of sales horses than his American counterpart, but also has plenty of horses going directly to trainers. Many of his influx have come out of yearling sales and he begins work as each comes into him and sends them out when they are properly broken, meaning he deals in cycles and can handle a greater volume than Preger’s 20.
 
“They’re pretty easy to break these days, especially if they’re sales prepped, then they’re half done.” Half done perhaps, but far from ready for the racecourse. In the case of a homebred, who will not have been handled to the same extent as a sales horse, Bastard commences at square one. “It goes in the horsewalker and we get it used to that for a few days, and then we put a rug on it.” These stages take a few days each, and once the horse is compliant with the rug Bastard introduces it to breaking tack, consisting of a bit, side reins, a bib martingale and a saddle, in one session. “We are looking after two things. The side rein stops them getting their head too far down and makes them carry it in the right place, and the martingale stops them getting their head up too far.” The ultimate goal, he says, is for the horses “to carry themselves in a nice position.”
 
Fully tacked, the yearlings spend 25 minutes on the horsewalker followed by a short spell of four or five minutes being lunged, with an additional 10 to 15 minutes of line driving in the indoor school adjacent to the lunge area. The duration of this phase “depends on the character of the horse.” This is the key to any good horsebreaker’s program, the point which Bastard is continually stressing, that no step is complete until the horse is fully accepting of what he is being asked to do. “As long as you know what you are doing with them, you gain their confidence while being firm but kind. They’ve got to trust you and you’ve got to trust them, and if you get a good relationship then they come a lot quicker.” Two current three-year-olds Bastard broke in for George Strawbridge as yearlings that attest to Bastard’s ability to establish that trust between man and animal are Group 1 winners Lucarno (by Dynaformer) and Mrs Lindsay (Theatrical), each by sires whose progeny are known to be difficult. Yet Bastard modestly brushes off his skills as “just very straightforward, basic common horse sense. I think everybody finds it straightforward, just hard work.”
 
Their “hard work” sees Bastard and his crew go from line-driving to riding their horses in the pen for 10 or so days, with a second person stationed at the horse’s head for its comfort and the safety of everyone involved. Having already proven themselves agreeable to someone jumping on and off them in the stable, once emotionally stable over a matter of days the horses move out to the indoor arena. As with Preger, regardless of where the horses are supposed to go after they leave Bastard’s stables, “they all get treated the same. With the breeze-up horses we don’t do anything different with them but start to sharpen them up a little bit more.”
 
Bastard retired from race riding in 1990, having ridden primarily for his boss of 14 years, Fred Winter, and began to pinhook his own horses, which eventually spiraled into breaking in other people’s horses. As a young boy, Bastard worked for showjumper Ted Williams, who Bastard credits as “an absolute genius of a horseman” from whom he learned to do things what he calls “the uncomplicated way. A lot of people try to make things complicated but that’s not the way we do it.” The main focus for Bastard is to “try to make things very simple, and the horses get into a routine and they enjoy that routine.”
 
One man who has been innovative in dealing with unbroken or even wild animals is Buck Wheeler. He uses his patented Stableizer to facilitate the breaking process. On a beautiful morning in Kentucky, Wheeler demonstrates on an unbroken yearling at Ramsey Farm. Wheeler joins the colt in the round pen with his gear, consisting in part of a long whip with a plastic bag fastened to the tip and a lasso that elicits a raised brow from the observer, not to mention the nervous colt eyeing him apprehensively. Wheeler secures the Stableizer under the colt’s lip and tightens it above his ears, hitting acupressure points that quickly begin to relax the horse. Wheeler inserts a chifney bit in the mouth because with a chifney, as opposed to a more traditional bit, “it all falls into place, all right in line” where the horse turns with his entire body as one instead of turning with his head with the rest to follow. He begins to lunge the yearling.
 
With every step, the colt is allowed to sniff the new equipment, and Wheeler reassures him with a rub on the forehead and by blowing in his nose that everything is okay. The two become fast friends, the colt recognizing Wheeler as the alpha leader, and whenever the colt is turned loose he trails as Wheeler zigzags around the pen with his back to the animal.
 
Wheeler, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation through his mother, was raised on 8,000 acres of Indian territory, with some 80 horses at his disposal. “I learned from the Indians – they weren’t called trainers then, they were just horsemen.” His father put him on a horse and said, “You’re going to learn to ride like the Indians before I buy you a saddle.” Wheeler laughs and fills in his adult interpretation of his father’s philosophy: “I think he was just too tight to buy the saddle. But one thing I realized later on in life was that he was absolutely correct because it learns you to be part of that animal. You are literally part of the horse. You can feel things that happen before they ever happen. You learn to watch their eyes, you learn to watch their ears, because those are their telegraphs.”
 
Perhaps most spectacular is what Wheeler does to close out the training period. To show how relaxed and desensitized the yearling is, Wheeler stands in the middle of the pen with the horse turned loose against the fence, and he twirls the lasso over his head and ropes the colt around his neck. The colt shies backward at first and Wheeler flicks it around his neck a second, third and fourth time. After the second, the colt stops flinching and simply watches with interest as Wheeler reverses the steps and untangles the rope from some 15 feet away.
 
“Because of the euphoria that’s induced by the endorphins he’s remembering this as a pleasurable experience instead of something that he’s being forced into, or having a bad attitude.”
 
The premise is elementary. The endorphins released by the pressure points on which the Stableizer rests enable Wheeler to handle the horse from all sides, getting him comfortable with having a rope tangled around his back legs or the plastic bag on the whip blowing in his face and over his body. When it is time for the saddle, Wheeler encourages the gray colt to satisfy his curiosity before he puts it on his back and cinches the girth by himself and with little effort. The stirrups dangle well below the horses belly; Wheeler threads his lines through them and drives the horse around in a circle. The yearling is frightened by the strange sensations and noises for the first two or three turns around the pen before he puts his head down and trots calmly and with a straight head as Wheeler steers him from behind with his fingertips.
 
The Stableizer is a shortcut to dealing with horses of all ages and in any capacity but is best described as an aid to promote good experiences for the animals. “You don’t have to go out there and jerk and holler and scream and fuss around. It’s the physiological aspect of what it does” with the endorphins. “If you hurt a horse in their training process – and it doesn’t matter if they’re little or big – they remember that, and sometimes it’s ten times tougher to go back in and try to break that fear.”
 
Trainers of the caliber of Clive Brittain and Carl Nafzger have observed Wheeler in action and are proponents of his Stableizer. Street Sense is Wheeler’s current poster boy, though Nafzger’s Unbridled and Lady Joanne and Wayne Lukas’ classic winners Grindstone and Editor’s Note have modeled the Stableizer as well. This is a successful tool that honors Wheeler’s Native American teachers by inventing a new way to emulate their old approach. His method is not necessarily different than the ways in which other people break horses, but assisted by the Stableizer he is able to accomplish the successful introduction of a rider within an hour of working with an unschooled horse. Or mule, zebra, llama – all of which on whom Wheeler has used the Stableizer.
 
Preger sums up his opinion of the breaker’s role in the racehorse’s career: “If a horse is going to perform well he’s got to be happy and healthy, right? I like to give credit to the people that train horses at the track. We work as a team, put it that way. It all has to work together.”
 
Although there are variants among people who break horses on global and even local levels, the certainty on which all will agree is that the horse’s emotional wellbeing during the learning stages is tantamount to its ability to perform to the best of its capacity.

Oiling the Wheels - using oil as a supplement in the diet of racehorses

Historically, oil has not featured highly in the diets of horses in training, or indeed those of other horses. The natural oil content of pasture and other forages is quite low at between 2-3% on a dry matter basis, yet despite this, horses digest oil extremely well. Oil added to the racehorses’ diet is tolerated well, with no major palatability problems having been reported. There are many advantages to feeding an oil supplemented diet to horses in training. For feed manufacturers, the addition of increasing amounts of oil in a feed formulation allows the addition of energy or ‘calories,’ without any contribution towards the starch and protein content of the feed.

This means that lower starch feeds can be produced, whilst maintaining the total energy content of the feed. This type of diet can help prevent the digestive system from being overwhelmed by the presence of starch in the diet. Additionally, beneficial effects of this type of diet on behaviour have also been reported and horses that are prone to tying up may also gain. Oil supplementation can also potentially bring other beneficial effects e.g. on coat condition and on respiratory health or mobility and performance. However these additional desirable effects are likely to depend not only on the quantity of oil within the daily ration, but also on the nature of the oil included.

OIL - MORE ENERGY THAN MOST INGREDIENTS IN FEED

The energy or calorie content of oil is higher than any other ingredient commonly used in the manufacture of racing feeds, as seen from the Table 1 below. In a direct comparison with oats, vegetable oil such as corn oil provides about 70% more energy for a given weight. From a trainer’s perspective, top dressing oil onto an existing ration allows an increase in the energy density of the feed i.e. more calories for the same volume of feed. This is particularly useful for fussy feeders helping to keep their meal sizes relatively small. Ingredient Energy (MJ/kg) Corn Oil 38 Oats 12.5 Racing Mix 13 Hay 7.5

Table 1 - Estimated energy content of different components of a racing diet. Oil is usually added into the diet in oz or ml rather than in kilograms. So for a more practical comparison, a coffee mug of oil, which is equivalent to about 250ml (225g), would provide about 9 MJ of energy, which is equivalent to about ¾ of a flat scoop of oats (750g). There are many types of oil besides corn and soya that have been fed to horses over the years. Vegetable oils derived from rapeseed or canola, sunflower, safflower, coconut and even peanut have been previously fed. Fish oils such as tuna oil, salmon oil and cod liver oil have also been used. Cod liver oil should, however, be used sparingly due to the high fat soluble vitamin content.

Other high oil containing ingredients that are commonly used in racing feeds, or in some cases to top-dress racing diets, include rice bran, linseed meal, full fat soya and naked oats (see Table 2). Whilst the oil content of all of these ingredients is relatively high, the starch content varies quite significantly. In terms of oil delivery and starch content, linseed meal would clearly be a good choice for oil supplementation where a low starch containing diet was desired. Ingredient % Oil Content % Starch Content Ricebran 16-20 15-27 Linseed Meal 37 5.5 Full Fat Soya 20 4.5 Naked Oats 10 53 Table 2 - Percentage oil and starch content of typical components of a racing ration * Information taken either from actual analysis or from Premier Atlas Ingredients Matrix

EFFECTS ON BEHAVIOUR

There has been some suggestion in the scientific literature in recent years that feeding a ration that is high in oil and fibre and low in starch can have a beneficial effect on behaviour, in terms of reducing excitability. Studies on Thoroughbreds with recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis (RER) reported decreased excitability and nervousness, as well as lower resting heart rates, when they were fed a low starch high oil containing diet, compared with an isocaloric diet that was low in oil and high in starch. This effect, however, is likely to have been mostly due to the reduction in starch intake from cereal, rather than the oil content per se. The use of increased amounts of oil in the diet does, however, facilitate the reduction in starch content without leaving an ‘energy gap.’

BENEFICIAL PROPERTIES FOR TYING UP

More recently, stress has been implicated as a trigger for RER in susceptible horses and so the potentially beneficial effects of oil supplemented diets that are also low in starch and high in fibre have been extolled. Accordingly, lower plasma concentrations of creatine kinase (CK) following a standard exercise test have been reported in response to such diets, in comparison to traditional racing type diets that are high in starch and low in fibre and oil. Specialists on RER have successfully advocated the use of such diets for horses in training that are at risk from RER. In addition, there is a strong argument for the use of such diets during pre-training and the early part of actual training. Significant oil supplementation during full training, if the starch content of the diet is also drastically reduced, is more controversial due to the metabolic effects that can be induced and so the potential effect on subsequent exercise performance.

METABOLIC EFFECTS OF OIL SUPPLEMENTATION

Putting this section into context, the metabolic adaptations to oil supplementation have been reported to occur when relatively large quantities of oil are fed, typically where near to 20% of the total dietary energy intake is provided by oil. For a cube or a mix fed at, for example 6kg per day, this would require a 10% declaration of oil for that feed. For comparison most racing feeds would contain oil at the level of inclusion of 5 - 8.5%.

A high level of oil supplementation has been reported latterly to decrease resting muscle glycogen concentration and improve the use of fat as a fuel source during low and moderate intensity exercise (trotting through to slow cantering) through metabolic adaptation at the muscle level. This offers the possibility of sparing muscle glycogen stores during low intensity exercise training, but equally may impede muscle glycogen replenishment following hard work or racing, which may disadvantage (see European Trainer Issue 19 Racing Power - Supporting Muscular Effort through Nutrition). The effect of oil supplementation on high intensity exercise performance such as racing is very controversial. Some studies show little or no effect, whilst others have shown a beneficial effect. As a result the scientific community are divided and so the jury is still very much out in this respect.

OTHER HEALTH BENEFITS OF OIL SUPPLEMENTATION

Dietary oil also provides a source of what are termed essential fatty acids, namely linoleic acid, which belongs to the omega 6 family of fatty acids and α-linolenic acid, which belongs to the rival family the omega 3’s. Most ingredients found in a racehorses’ diet are rich in the omega 6 type of fatty acid with much less omega 3 fatty acid present. The role for dietary omega-3 fatty acids which has been proposed in maintaining joint and skin health, and in supporting immune function, fertility and respiratory health, makes them an attractive nutraceutical ingredient for racehorses. The use of linseed meal has recently increased in proprietary horse feed and supplements. However, although α-linolenic acid is a precursor of the longer chain more bioactive omega 3’s, eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA), the efficiency of conversion is quite low.

Therefore nutraceutical ingredients that provide a more concentrated source of either or both EPA and DHA are becoming more widely used. Ingredients such as micro-encapsulated and deodorised fish oils e.g. tuna oil, as well as green lipped mussel, and more recently plant sources of DHA in the form of algae are now more commonly seen in equine products, primarily supplements. Few studies into the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids have, however, been published in horses. In a preliminary study using ponies with sweet itch, a beneficial effect of linseed on inflammatory skin conditions was proposed. Encouraging results have also been reported for the effect of supplementation with a combination of EPA and DHA on arthritic horses. In humans there is some evidence to support a protective role for omega-3 fatty acids in human asthma, a condition that is not unlike recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) in horses, but the results are not indisputable. A recent supplementation study with omega 3 fatty acids in horses, however, did not significantly alter clinical indicators of pulmonary function, although the leukocyte counts in epithelial lung lining fluid were reduced in the omega-3 supplemented horses. This may suggest an effect of supplementation on pulmonary inflammation.

HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH AND CAN THERE BE TOO MUCH?

The answer to this question is not straightforward as if you are intending to top dress oil onto feeds, the quantity required will largely depend on how much is present in the basal diet already. Certainly, where the oil is being used to increase the energy density of the diet and reduce the inclusion of starch rich ingredients, a level of 250-300ml per day to replace a kilo of oats or other racing feed would not be inappropriate, where the basal diet contained a low level of oil. For horses that struggle to maintain condition, addition of 100-150mls of oil daily into the existing ration is likely to help. One should always remember, however, that oil does not provide any protein or vitamins and minerals and so must be fed in conjunction with a balanced diet, particularly with respect to antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin E. Oil should always be introduced to the diet slowly and the daily amount spread over several meals. In addition, any adverse affect on dropping consistency may be a warning that the level of oil in the total diet is too high and the level should be reduced. As far as the neutraceutical omega 3 fatty acids are concerned, we know much less about the quantities required, but hopefully research will continue in this area to investigate their potentially beneficial effects.

Should Horsewalkers be Round or Oval?

By David Marlin

Horsewalkers (electro-mechanical devices that allow multiple horses to be exercised simultaneously in a controlled fashion) are used extensively in the management and training of horses. They permit controlled exercise of horses at walk and trot. They are less labour intensive than most other forms of controlled exercise, such as walking in-hand, lunging, riding, swimming or running horses on treadmills.

The exception might be ride and lead, but this is not a widely used technique, except perhaps in polo. Horsewalkers may be used for a variety of reasons including warming-up or cooling down prior to or following ridden exercise, as a way to relieve boredom in stabled horses, for controlled exercise as part of a rehabilitation programme and to supplement ridden exercise. Horsewalkers are often also used where ridden exercise is not desirable or possible, such as in preparation of young animals for sale or in animals that may have injury to the back and therefore cannot be ridden. The majority of horses can be trained to accept being exercised on a horsewalker within a short period of time. Any form of exercise carries a risk of injury and whilst there does not appear to be any objective information on the safety of this form of exercise, it would generally be considered that the horsewalker is a very safe form of exercise.


Until recently, horsewalkers have been exclusively of a round design in which the horse is constantly turning on a circular track. The radius (tightness) of the turn is determined by the diameter of the walker - the larger the walker, the more gradual the turn. At present commercial round horsewalkers vary from around 10 to 30 metres in diameter (i.e. 5-15 metres in radius). The conventional design is of a centre post from which radiate arms that support the moving dividers that separate the horses but also encourage them to walk as the centre post rotates, in turn moving the dividers. Other designs do not incorporate dividers but horses are hitched to arms radiating from the centre post. Whilst the majority of walkers can operate in either a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction, on the walker the horse is still turning constantly. 


Exercising at walk or trot on a circle for prolonged periods of time must be considered to a large extent unnatural for a horse. Horses at pasture, whether grazing or exercising, move in all directions and never in one continuous direction. The same is true of ridden exercise. No rider would work his or her horse continuously for 30 minutes on a circle, even when working in a confined area. For example, a Dressage test incorporates many changes in rein and exercise in straight lines as well as on turns.

Lunging is another mode of controlled, unridden exercise that is commonly used by horse owners or trainers. Lunging may be used in place of ridden exercise or to train riders or as a warm-up for the horse prior to it being mounted and ridden. Lunging may also be used in situations where a horse requires to be exercised but where fitting a rider and saddle is not desirable, for example, in the case of a sore back. However, prolonged lunging is not advisable and in addition, as with circular walkers, changing the rein frequently is common practice.

Continual turning may be deleterious to the musculoskeletal system  (muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments and joints). For example, it is widely recognised that signs of lameness are exacerbated in horses exercised on a circle. This is commonly used by veterinary surgeons in lameness investigations. It is also suspected that sharp turns may contribute to injury of distal limb structures (i.e. those structures furthest from the body such as the foot). This implies that turning exercise changes the
weight distribution through the limbs. The surface on which a horse is lunged may also determine whether lameness is apparent or not; a horse may not exhibit lameness when lunged on a soft surface but may do so when lunged on the same size circle on a firmer or uneven surface. 
Most research into how horses move has been concentrated in horses walking and trotting in straight lines, or on treadmills, and there are only a limited number of studies relating to horses turning on a circle.

Only one kinematic (movement) study has evaluated the effects of turning a corner on the distal joint motions. Horses turning in a sharp (1.5m diameter) left circle showed a shorter stride length, but stance duration (the amount of time the foot is on the ground) was longer. This work also showed that the lower leg and foot rotate as the weight of the horse moves over the limb. 
Research from Australia showed that the outside edge of the cannon bone is not loaded significantly during exercise in a straight line on a flat surface. The same group of researchers also showed in a separate study that surface strains on the cannon bone vary between inside and outside forelimbs during turning. On the inner surface of the cannon bone, compression of the bone is greatest in the outside limb, and stretching of the bone is greatest on the inside limb. On the outer surface of the cannon bone, both compressive and tensile peaks are largest on the inside limb, which also showed the largest recorded strains in compression. On the dorsal (front) surface of the bone (where bucked shins occur in young horses), compressive strains were largest on the outside limb, and were greater on larger circles. They concluded that turning exercise is required to maintain normal bone, in that low-speed exercise in a straight line only loads the outer edge of the cannon bone. 
In 2006 workers from the USA studied the effect of trotting in a circle on the centre of mass of the horse. The centre of mass is a point within or on the body at which the mass of the body is considered to act. The centre of mass may vary according to gait, speed and direction of travel. The location of the centre of mass affects the distribution and size of the loads on the limbs. These researchers showed that in horses trotting on the lunge on a 6m diameter circle at a speed of ~2 metres/second, all horses leaned inwards at an angle of ~15°. The speeds attained by these horses at trot on a circle are lower than those typically seen for horses on a straight line. As the speed was slower, the implication is that stance proportion was increased (i.e. the weight bearing phase of the stride was longer on a circle than would be expected in a straight line). Furthermore, the researchers pointed out that “horses may behave differently when turning clockwise versus counter-clockwise due to asymmetries in strength, suppleness and neural programming…”. Thus, whilst it is often assumed that an equal amount of exercise on each rein on a circular horsewalker should be applied, this may not be the case for many horses and may actually be counter-productive.

The potential negative impact of circular exercise has also been highlighted with respect to the muscular system: “Especially in the initial stages of a return to work avoid lunging, horse walkers, or work in tight circles, as well as hill work”; a quote from veterinary surgeon and muscle specialist Dr Pat Harris from the Equine Studies Group at the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition, UK.

Exercising on a circle also requires more effort than exercising in a straight line (Harris, Marlin, Davidson, Rodgerson, Gregory and Harrison (2007) Equine and Comparative Exercise Physiology, in press). For example, being lunged on a 10 metre diameter circle was around 25% more work than being ridden on a large oval track in an indoor school. In addition, being lunged on a 5m circle was around 12% more work than being lunged on a 14 metre diameter circle. Even accounting for the weight of the rider, lunging is harder work than ridden exercise, which is most likely due to the continual effort required by the horse to balance itself on a continual turn.

Oval walkers are a new concept. The premise of using oval walkers is that continual exercise on a small circle is unnatural for horses and could even lead to injury and that a walker incorporating both straight line and turning exercise would represent a more appropriate form of controlled exercise. As so little information exists on turning in horses, a study was designed by us [Dr David Marlin (Physiologist) and Paul Farrington (Veterinary surgeon)] to investigate turning stress in horses in more detail. The work was undertaken in collaboration with Dr Bob Colborne (a specialist in Biomechanics) at Bristol University, UK.

A SUMMARY OF THE RECENT RESEARCH ON TURNING


The purpose of this study was to record the forces acting on the lower limb as horses walked in a straight line, on a 14 metre diameter circle, and on a 10 metre diameter circle to provide insight into the horizontal forces transmitted up the limb during locomotion in a straight line and whilst turning.

Three fit, sound Thoroughbred horses, ages 3, 5 and 12 years of age were used in the study. Horses were walked across a force-plate (a metal plate placed on the ground that measures the force with which the horses’ foot is placed on the ground) both in a straight line and on a 10 and 14 metre diameter turn. For the turns the horse was always walking on a left-turn.

The results showed that the coffin joint had the greatest degree of abduction (movement of the limb away from the body), adduction (movement of the limb towards the body) and axial rotation (twisting movement) and that these movements were greatest at the time of impact and break-over. The first point of contact with the ground has a significant influence on the line of stress through the foot and up the limb, as does the position of the body at the same moment. On a turn the horse abducts the inside forelimb away from the body towards the line of the circle with rotation of the foot in the direction of the turn. The stride length is dictated by the tightness of the turn, as is the stance time (when the foot is on the ground). As the horse then moves forward the horse’s body moves towards the inside limb increasing the loading on the limb. The results showed that on average the forelimbs tended to behave asymmetrically (i.e. the two front legs did not behave the same) on a circle so that the forces and 
movements differ to produce different torque effects (twisting forces). The hind limbs tended to behave more symmetrically except  when the size of the circle was reduced from 14 to 10 metres in diameter.

IMPORTANCE OF HORSEWALKER SURFACES


The walking surface will likely have an effect on the stresses experienced by a limb. If the surface allows reasonably free twisting of the hoof when weight bearing, the stresses between the hoof and ground will be small. However, any ground surface that holds the hoof and impedes this horizontal rotation will probably impart higher loads to the joints of the lower limb. Large turning forces should be avoided when the limb is vertically loaded (i.e. when the weight of the horse’s body is over the limb and the limb is on the ground). It is also important that the walking surface is level to avoid tilting of the hoof during weight-bearing. A walking track that is worn in the middle and that causes rotation of the joints in the foot is likely to cause larger and uneven forces to the lower limb joints and associated tendons and ligaments.

IMPLICATIONS FOR OVAL VERSUS ROUND HORSEWALKERS


Our recent research and a review of other scientific studies show that turning is not equivalent to exercise in a straight line. Turning exercise is harder than exercise in a straight line and loads the bones in a different way. Furthermore, on small turns the inner and outer limbs may not behave in the same way as on larger circles. This may have implications for horses with pre-existing musculoskeletal injuries. The potential advantages of an oval walker is that it combines straight line and turning exercise that more closely mimics the exercise that a horse will do when being ridden or when free at pasture. 
The results of our small study have shown that the hind limb patterns were quite different on the tighter radius turns, indicating a different strategy for turning, and supporting the notion that both straight line and turning exercise should be recommended for overall loading patterns that are healthy for maintaining bone that can withstand loading forces in a variety of directions. 
The results also make clear that small diameter round walkers (~10 metre diameter or less) are less desirable than round walkers of 14 metre diameter or greater. Small diameter round walkers increase the loading and asymmetry and increase the work compared with larger diameter walkers. 
In conclusion, there appear to be significant advantages to using a walker of an oval design as opposed to a round design, as exercise on an oval loads the limbs with a combination of straight and turning movements, as would be experienced during riding or in free movement.

Long Layoffs - training a horse to win after months of not running

By Bill Heller

With Thoroughbreds racing fresher and less frequently these days, traininga horse to win off a month layoff is commonplace. But when a trainerstretches his Thoroughbred’s layoff to six months or longer, and he winsthat first start back, that’s special. Doing it consistently stamps a trainer as one of the best in the business.

Different trainers take different approaches with workouts trying to reachthe same destination: the winner’s circle, even if the return race is a prepfor an upcoming stakes.

 “The training theories are a lot different now,” Hall of Famer Allen Jerkens said. “The horses are not quite as strong as they used to be. They’re bred a lot more for speed. It’s a different game now.”

It’s a game Jerkens, at the age of 78, continues to win. In the space of 10days at the end of May at Belmont Park, Jerkens won the Grade 2 ShuveeHandicap with Teammate and the Grade 3 Jaipur Stakes with 24-to-1 longshot Ecclesiastic and finished second with longshot Political Force in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap. All three horses are home-breds owned by Joseph Allen.

 First up was Teammate, the four-year-old gray filly who was coming off afine three-year-old season, one win and four second in 10 starts in 2006 and earnings of $350,890. She won the Grade 2 Bonnie Miss by six lengths; finished second in back-to-back Grade 1 stakes, the Alabama and the Gazelle, both to Pine Island - Shug McGaughey’s outstanding filly who suffered a fatal breakdown during last year’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff - and concluded her three-year-old season last November 4th, finishing a front-running fourth at 2-5 in the Grade 3 Turnback the Alarm Handicap. “She was running against the best,” Jerkens said. “She looked like she was home in the Alabama.”

Teammate’s first goal this year would be the Grade 2 Shuvee Handicap at one mile at Belmont May 19th. To get her there, Jerkens penciled in herfour-year-old debut in an allowance/optional $75,000 claimer at sevenfurlongs at Belmont, May 3rd.

Teammate’s first published work was April 10th at Belmont Park, when she breezed five furlongs on the Belmont Park training track in a leisurely1:04, only the 21st fastest of 27 working that day at that distance (21/27).Four days later, she worked a bullet five furlongs on the training track in1:00, best of 59 at that distance (1/59). On April 24th, she worked sevenfurlongs in 1:24 3/5, a brilliant move which wasn’t ranked because no other horse worked that distance that morning. Teammate’s final prep came on April 30th when she returned to the training track and again recorded a bullet, covering four furlongs in :46 4/5, best of 28 that day (1/28).
 
Asked about bringing her back, Jerkens said, “You jog a little bit, gallopand start breezing slow. Some horses get more out of their gallops. Shedoesn’t like to gallop too slow. She’ll gallop along in the morning. Thisyear, she’s been easier to train than last year. She seems to be morewilling. I have a good man get on her.”
 
The blazing works, especially the seven furlong move, may have been a tad faster than Jerkens preferred, but it didn’t faze him. “Some real goodhorses will work as fast as you want them to,” he said. “When you’re running with good horses, it’s a whole lot different. If you’re running $20,000 claimers, they won’t do it, and they can’t do it. I was looking for 1:26. If she had been racing every three weeks, you wouldn’t want to her to work that fast. Everything is relative to how close the race is. You don’t want to go too fast on top of a race.
 
“Years ago, I remember watching Eddie Neloy when I was younger. He would take his stakes horses and work them five furlongs in :59 three days out, then walk the next day, then gallop a mile and a half, and then do it again on the morning of the race. I watched him a lot. Ben Jones had a filly named Bewitch. She was a big fat mare. He worked her five-eighths in :59 or in a minute the day before the race.
 
“I remember Beau Purple (who upset Kelso four times). He worked 1:48 3/5 for a mile and an eighth a week before the (1962) Hawthorne Gold Cup. He was a little fat horse. He shipped to Chicago, then, three days before the race, he went three-quarters in 1:11 3/5. And it was muddy. He beat good horses.”
 
Surprisingly, in a field of just five in her 2007 debut, Teammate faced good horses, too: Todd Pletcher-trained Yachats, making her return off an even longer layoff, and Her Royal Nibs and Endless Virtue, who’d each wonmore than $150,000 in the last year and a half. Longshot Solarana completed the field.
 
Yachats, a four-year-old filly owned by Aaron and Marie Jones, hadcompleted her three-year-old season last August 19th, when she finished atiring fifth in the Ms. Woodford Stakes at Monmouth Park, April 19th. For2006, she had two wins and a second from six starts and earnings over $61,000.
Pletcher, who has won the last three Eclipse Awards for trainer and againleads all trainers in earnings this year, wanted to bring Yachats, named fora town in Oregon, sooner. “It was basically frustration,” Pletcher said. “Wehad entered the horse several times at Gulfstream Park. The races didn’tfill. So we entered her here, and we look up and see Teammate was in there.”
 
Yachats showed six works before her return, all at Palm Meadows, thetraining center in south Florida:
 
      March 4th - five furlongs in 1:01 1/5 handily, third fastest of 19 (3/19)
      March 12th - five furlongs in 1:01 3/5 handily (6/21)
      March 18th - five furlongs in 1:02 3/5 breezing (16/26)
      March 24th - five furlongs in 1:02 3/5 breezing (13/29)
      April 8th - a bullet five furlongs in 1:00 handily (1/12)
      April 15th - five furlongs in 1:01 4/5 handily (8/9).
Both Teammate and Yachats raced well in their 2007 debuts, Teammate beating Yachats by a neck. In her next start, Teammate won the Shuvee by half a length over heavily favored Sugar Shake. “We were flattered when Teammate came back (and won the Shuvee),” Pletcher said. “Sometimes, you run well and you just get outrun.”
Sometimes you don’t. Eugene Melnyk Racing Stables’ Harlington had suggested greatness early in his career for Pletcher. A son of Unbridled out of the 1992 Eclipse Champion Three-Year-Old Filly Serena’s Song, Harlington made it to the races late in his two-year-old season, winning a one-mile maiden race on a sloppy track at Aqueduct by a neck, November 28th, 2004.
Freshened over the winter by Pletcher, he returned at Gulfstream Park onJanuary 15th, 2005. Racing again on a sloppy track, he won a bottom-levelallowance race by three lengths. Harlington finally caught a fast track inhis third start, the Grade 3 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds. Sent off the6-5 favorite in a field of 11, he raced extremely wide from the 10 post andchecked in sixth, three lengths behind the winner, Scipion.
 
“We were disappointed right after the race,” Pletcher said. “But he cameout of the race with a filling in his left front ankle.”
 
Given ample time to heal and recover, Harlington returned to the track,December 4th, 2005, at Aqueduct, and he won an allowance race by fivelengths. Pletcher again freshened him and Harlington moved up the allowance ladder, winning a non-winners of three-other-than by a length andthree-quarters over a future star, Premium Tap, at odds of 3-5, February8th, 2006.
Pletcher upped the ante, and Harlington responded by capturing the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Breeders’ Cup Handicap by a neck, March 4th, 2006.
 
Harlington moved up to Grade 1 company in the Pimlico Special, May 19th, where he finished a dull sixth to a horse making his first North American start: Invasor. Who knew? Invasor, last year’s Horse of the Year, hasn’t lost a race since.
Again, Harlington came out of the Pimlico Special with a filling in thatsame ankle. “We sent him to Eugene’s farm,” Pletcher said. “They gave him time off. Phil Hronec is there and runs the farm. He knows what level we want. Had several half-mile breezes before he came back to us.”
 
Pletcher began shopping for a spot for Harlington’s five-year-old debut,eventually selecting a mile-and-a-sixteenth allowance/optional $100,000claimer at Belmont Park, May 24th, a year and five days after his last race.

 “A horse like that is going to have to run at least a mile,” Pletcher said.“You have to have a starting point. We were thumbing through the condition book. We circled this race at Belmont. There was a back-up plan for an allowance race at Churchill Downs a couple days later. We were happy the race filled at Belmont.”
Pletcher’s workout pattern is one he has honed. “There’s really not a wholelot of variation you can do,” he said. “I’m not a breeze-him-back in fivedays. I’m a six or seven-day guy. Generally, we’re on a six or seven-dayschedule.”

Harlington had six workouts leading up to his race, the first three on theBelmont Park training track and the next three on the main track:
 
      April 8th - five furlongs breezing in 1:03 3/5 (7/12)
      April 22nd - five furlongs breezing in 1:02 (7/20)
      April 29th - five furlongs breezing in 1:02 2/5 (10/15)
      May 6th - a bullet five furlongs handily in 1:00 3/5 (1/12)
      May 14th - five furlongs breezing in 1:00 (6/46)
      May 21st - five furlongs breezing in 1:01 4/5 (41/54)
 
The gap from April 8th to the 22nd was because of a lot of rain on LongIsland. And Harlington’s final work was supposed to be on May 20th, fourdays before his race. “We got rained out again, so I had to make his workout three days back,” Pletcher said. “Because he is a large horse and carries a lot of weight, I wasn’t worried about it. We pulled him up fairly quickly after the wire. Usually, we let them go on for a quarter or three-eighths.”
 
Harlington won his return easily by 3 ¼ lengths. “I was very pleased,”Pletcher said. “I thought he raced very well. He’s a horse we’ve always feltvery good about. He put us in a position to move into a stakes. He is aGrade 1 stakes horse, and we have to prove it.”
 
Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito’s Commentator has already proven himself at the highest level of competition. His neck victory over subsequent Horse of the Year Saint Liam in the 2005 Grade 1 Whitney Handicap was one of the greatest victories in Zito’s career. He had successfully stretched out Tracy Farmer’s New York-bred speed machine to a mile-and-an-eighth. That victory was Commentator’s seventh in eight career starts as he battled an assortment of physical problems.
 
In his next start, the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes, then at Belmont Park,Commentator was cooked by two rabbits entered by Saint Liam’s trainer, Rick Dutrow, and faded to be a distant third to Saint Liam.
 
Commentator made just two starts in 2006, winning the Mugatea Stakes for New York-breds easily at 1-9 and then having terrible luck in the Grade 1 Forego, September 2nd, 2006, at Saratoga. Sent off the .90-to-1 favorite in a deeply talented field of 11, Commentator leapt up at the start, gettingaway dead last. He was rushed into contention by Eibar Coa, then faded to10th.
 
Given ample time to recover, Commentator was pointed to a new campaign this year by Zito. “We’re always talking about having a good bottom,” Zito said.
“A horse needs to have a good bottom before you can even breeze him. I’ve been doing this for a good time. Every single day, you have people come to the barn and say the horse worked great. But they don’t know how much went into it before they work. We had to gallop him for two months because he needed it. We didn’t like the way he came back from the farm.”
Zito takes pride in his ability to win with long layoff horses. “We’ve donepretty well with layoffs,” he said. “The more talented the horse, the betteryou look.”
Wanderin Boy made Zito look like a genius when he overcame a six-monthlayoff to take the Grade 3 Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 4th by 4 ¼ lengths.
Could Commentator do the same? Zito chose a softer spot for his return, the Richmond Runner Stakes for New York-breds at 6 ½ furlongs at Belmont Park on May 28th. Only four other horses were entered, all of them considerably overmatched.
 
Commentator showed six different works before his return, the first at Palm Meadows, the next four at Churchill Downs and the final one on the deep Oklahoma Training Track at Saratoga:
       March 31st - three furlongs handily in :36 2/5 (1/3)
      April 10th - four furlongs breezing in :48 (9/49)
      April 19th - four furlongs breezing in :48 2/5 (11/34)
      April 27th - four furlongs breezing in :47 4/5 (2/22)
      May 7th - a bullet five furlongs breezing in :58 4/5 (1/27)
      May 22nd - a bullet four furlongs breezing in :47 3/5 (1/43)
Commentator ran true to his works, springing out of the starting gate as ifhe’d been shot out of a cannon, then dusting his rivals wire-to-wire by 11 ¼lengths in a sparkling 1:15 3/5 under Corey Nakatani, who barely moved his hands during the race. Commentator was back and ready for harder battles.

Getting back to the winner’s circle in his return could do nothing but help.

The benefits of long reining - enhancing a horse's physical and emotional well-being

By Bolette Petersen

Lunging and long reining may seem like old fashioned, basic disciplines for working horses. However by the end of this article, I hope to remind you that these disciplines, when incorporated into your horse’s work routine, can really enhance their physical and emotional state. 

After twenty years of working on the ground with yearlings and racehorses, I have seen how these simple methods have produced many successful racehorses. 

Used on a regular basis, these disciplines will strengthen your horse’s body so that he will go from being a front wheel drive machine to a four wheel drive machine with extra power behind. As well as becoming stronger, he will be more confident and willing in his work. You will notice how he will respond better to his handler, due to them spending more time together as a team whilst being lunged and long reined.

 I find that it is safer and easier to lunge a horse in a closed round pen. When lunged correctly, your horse will become more balanced in his work, his muscles will become stronger and have a more rounded feel to his body shape. Always put on over reach boots and brushing boots to protect the front legs. Some horses will need brushing boots behind too. I find the key bit a wonderful device for horses of all ages because it teaches them to accept the bit, as well as helping to soften their mouth, which eventually gives them a suppleness through their neck, resulting in an overall improved movement throughout their body. Even when they are older and still in training.  

Many horses will initially rush into the round pen and immediately start cantering until they settle. It is very important to teach horses to walk around the pen first, allowing them to relax and warm up their muscles. Horses are more prone to injuries at a canter, so it is imperative that you teach your horse to trot at a collected pace, making sure his hind feet fall into the foot prints of his front feet. You will see that this is the natural rhythm for your horse, allowing his muscles to work properly, and keeping injuries to a minimum. At this pace he will put less pressure on his fetlocks, tendons and knees, as well as less concussion going through his shoulders and withers. Trotting a horse at this pace can also strengthen weaknesses through the legs. I have noticed on many occasions, improvements in horses that are back at the knee because the shoulder and chest area strengthen, tightening everything up.  

Your horse should trot the same amount of time each side, and for most horses, trotting each way five to ten minutes every other day will produce significant results in his overall fitness. The day in between can be used for relaxation, long reining, walking or riding out, depending on what routine you are in.  

Incorporating side reins after a week or two will help the horse learn to use his hind quarters and hamstrings to a greater degree, they will also strengthen his back muscles, in particular his longissimus dorsi, and neck muscles: the rhomboid muscle along the top of his neck, the complexus muscle, the longissimus, capitus and atlantis muscles. These muscles will take on a much more pronounced, rounder shape to them.  Your horse‘s body will work almost like a concertina effect, this creates deeper strength throughout his body, strengthening his buttocks, and hamstrings which really power him forward towards his shoulders and neck. He will then start to drop his head into the bit, rounding his neck, working deeper. His muscles along his backbone (longissimuss dorsi) will start becoming even stronger, providing a better platform for the saddle and rider, thus helping to protect the back bone.

 Some horses will never have had side reins on before, so it is important to start with the reins quite long and then gradually shorten them over time. The ideal length allows the horse unforced give in his mouth and neck so that he attains a natural curve to his head (as seen in photo). Again after a couple of weeks you will notice his muscles changing shape, becoming more curved, in particular the rhomboid, longissimus capitis and atlantis muscles. Over time you can shorten the side reins to build the muscles up even more. Never have them too tight though as this may cause your horse to have a sore mouth and he may start to go against the lunging.

Incorporating long reining into your horse’s weekly routine is also beneficial for general fitness and well being. It is a difficult discipline, and should only be attempted by the more experienced horseman. I really enjoy taking my horses up the road, out of the farm and into the woods, but I always make sure that I do this route a few times in advance, leading in hand first, so that they are familiar with their surroundings. By leading them in the roller and side reins, they learn to abide by your voice and get to see different objects like rubbish bins, cars, tractors and barking dogs. It is good for them to come into contact with these different objects, because they will be so much calmer when in training. The side reins make it easier to control them too, so you don’t have to use a chiffney all the time.

It is easier to get the horse used to the long reins whilst lunging in the round pen. Lunge your horse in two lunge reins, attached to each side of the bit, through the middle holes of the roller, on each side for a couple of days until he gets used to them against his sides and flapping around his legs. Then, at the walk bring yourself around behind your horse, making sure you are not too close because he may kick out. Be prepared for your horse to take off which can happen sometimes if he is a little nervous. Help to avoid this by keeping your hands down by your knees so that your horse drops his head, rounding his back, and get him to walk on around using a calm reassuring voice to keep him calm and controlled. The side reining will have prepared him for this contact to his mouth, so he should be more receptive. If you can get someone to walk at your horse’s head for the first week, it will make it easier and safer.

 After a few days of practicing circles with the long reins, in the round pen, you can then try walking your horse out onto the road. The aim of this discipline is to get your horse out into the woods walking around the trees. This is particularly good for breaking in yearlings because not only will they become braver and more independent, you will notice how their mouths and neck will be much more pliable and their body more balanced. Keeping your hands down by your sides will help coax your horse to bring his head down, making him work forward with more strength from his hindquarters. Please make sure you wear leather gloves at all times, to give your hands greater protection in case your horse pulls hard.  

Long reining is also extremely beneficial for horses in training and resting racehorses. The older horses really enjoy learning new things. You may find that they sometimes lose interest in their work because they have become bored with the same routine. Therefore, I find that by incorporating lunging in side reins and long reining you will notice that they immediately change their attitude to their normal work, becoming more positive towards everything they do. 

I have worked with many horses that just need a change to freshen them up and just turning them out doesn’t seem enough. That’s why horses come here, to my farm for ‘working holidays’, not only to relax, but to do different things, and learn new disciplines.

 One such horse is Zorn, and he really is my inspiration for all the work that I now do with horses that come here for a rest during their training career. We bred him so he had been through all the basic education with me before he went into training. Unfortunately after four unsuccessful years in training and a few injuries, we took him home. I began schooling him with a view to having him as a dressage horse. Lunging in side reins came easy to him because he remembered what he had been taught as a youngster, as was long reining, and it didn’t take him long to become more balanced, rounded and stronger behind.

 He did this work for eight months with quite a lot of dressage thrown in. He became so fit, that we decided to send him back into training. A couple of month’s later he won his first race! He had become a stronger horse for all the work he had done at home and it had paid off.  Seeing him win on several occasions after that has been extremely rewarding for everyone involved.  

He has been home every summer for his ‘working holidays’, and always returns to a winter all weather campaign, winning a few races every year.

It is not just Zorn who has been successful after his ’back to basics’ schooling. Horses like Captain Rio, Torrid Kentavr, Distant Prospect and Shatin Venture, amongst others, have all been educated here in the same way, they have all been through these basic disciplines as youngsters and have since done extremely well on the racecourse

 Lunging and long reining may seem like old fashioned, basic disciplines for working horses. However by the end of this article, I hope to remind you that these disciplines, when incorporated into your horse’s work routine, can really enhance their physical and emotional state. 

Weighing Racehorses - how regular monitoring can provide vital information

 As racing has slowly embraced the technological era, so horsemen's lore has been reinforced or refuted by scientific advance. One area of increased awareness is the importance of monitoring the weight of the racehorse. From stud to stable, weighing machines have augmented, and even supplanted, the empirical judgment of the eye. Applications range from gauging the development of the weanling to assimilating the optimal fighting-weight of the performance horse to monitoring the effects of transportation.

Eliciting the comments of a diverse cast of trainers from the Flat and National Hunt communities on the use of weighing machines precipitates several common themes. There are two main areas where the use of weighing machines have proved illuminating: in establishing the weight that a thoroughbred is at its most athletically efficient, and in monitoring the systemic stress of competition and its attendant recovery rate. On the first topic, it is clear that a good deal of experience is required in interpreting the data which weighing the thoroughbred over a significant period yields. It is accepted that the thoroughbred develops physically until the age of five, yet there is no corresponding linear relationship with its mean weight. Fatty tissue is gradually replaced by muscle, so the racehorse gets bigger but leaner. This results in its weight varying considerably with factors such as pedigree, training, feeding and environment. Judging optimal performance weight is, therefore, far from being an exact science. "A lot of my horses weigh the most at the age of two.

Russian Valour, for instance, is the heaviest successful horse of any age I have trained," Mark Johnston said before the smart juvenile won last year's Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot. Dermot Weld, another qualified vet, is said to believe that the weight of his top Flat horses varies little between two and three years old, again perhaps due to the alliance between training technique and the variance in tissue type. The brilliant Irish trainer is therefore in a strong position to formulate a relationship between weight and performance. Eric Alston has been weighing racehorses for 15 years and is a strong advocate of the practice as a training aid. "The key is appreciating that horses are individuals and building up a pattern of how their weight varies with age and time," he says. "The eye is still very important, but weighing gives you that extra bit of confidence in your judgment of when a horse is right." Some equine giants range up to 570kg, but the majority fit within the range 470-515kg. When you consider that some can lose more than 25kg (roughly 5% of their bodyweight) through a single race, it is clear that monitoring recovery rate is vital to continued wellbeing and performance level. A thoroughbred at peak fitness should put back the lost weight within three to four days if all remains well with them, though individual rates vary and some even make a full recovery within 24 hours.

Leading National Hunt trainer Henry Daly believes that weighing horses has an important role to play in the analysis of post-race recovery. "I find that horses lose between 7.5kg and 25kg post-race," he says. "Travelling is a major factor. In my experience, the distance a horse races from its home base is roughly proportional to its weight loss, all other factors being equal." "This is especially true of the young horse, first time out. A novice can appear to win without having a stressful time, for instance, but when you get it back home it has experienced a significant weight-loss and your training must be adjusted accordingly."

William Bedell, whose company The Horse Weigh is a market leader in manufacturing weighing equipment, reports that the demand for weighing machines has mushroomed across the thoroughbred industry. "Our weighing units are constantly under development and the feedback from training yards - which constitute 40-50% of our business - is vital in development," he says. "The new-age trainer is soon on the phone if he believes he is missing an important aid to maintaining or improving his position." One of Bedell's most valued clients is the Shadwell Stud in Norfolk, whose manager Johnny Peter-Hoblyn is effusive about the importance of the equipment to one of the world's leading thoroughbred nurseries. "Weighing is an essential part of Shadwell's monitoring techniques, " he says. "Aberrant weights enable us to pick up potential problems before they are apparent to the naked eye, and before they become more serious. Weight loss can be the sign of the onset of viral problems, but just as important to us is controlling weight gain. "If a foal picks up more than 1.5kg a day, the extra burden on its young joints can lead to developmental problems. Having quality tools at our disposal, such as the weighing machines we have here, is crucial to the stud's success."

Weighing machines are also in use by racehorse transporters whose customers are sensitive to monitoring the physical stress of getting their horses to the racecourse. James Paltridge of International Racehorse Transport (IRT) has vast experience of travelling horses round the world, notably to events such as the Breeders' Cup and Melbourne Cup. "Obtaining reliable readouts can be difficult, as weighing machines seem to be calibrated differently. For this reason we have our own at either end of the journey when we fly horses to Australia," he says. "A horse can lose up to 30kg on a long-haul flight, mainly as a result of dehydration. Getting a horse to drink in a rarefied atmosphere is difficult, particularly if it is travelling from a winter climate to warm weather." "IRT uses weighing machines in order to provide the customer with information about weight loss. This is also of great benefit to the company liability-wise." Now comes the thorny issue. If knowledge of a horse's weight is so useful within the various enclaves of the thoroughbred industry, should it not be placed in the public domain on race days?

After all, the image of the sport is dependent to a significant extent on transparency, particularly in the aftermath of the blow to its integrity delivered by the Panorama and Kenyon Confronts programmes two years ago. Rupert Arnold, chief executive of the National Trainers' Federation, sums up the position of his members towards trackside weighing. "We discussed the topic at most of our regional meetings last autumn," he says. "So long as weighing was carried out at a convenient position and with minimum disruption - and we believe that it can - that is not a significant concern. "The main issue in the trainer's mind is the misinterpretation of the information in sensitive cases. Weights can vary significantly through natural variation, and isolating it as a central factor in the performance of a horse is far from straightforward. "Integrity is an important issue to trainers, but it is not very clear that weighing racehorses would improve matters. We are all for expanding information sources, but even the more sophisticated punter is more likely to be misled than enlightened by racehorse weights."

British horseracing already has a model available if it is considering publishing weights. With integrity issues always to the forefront of its considerations, the Hong Kong Jockey Club introduced the practice three years ago. According to one professional punter, however, the information has been subject to various degrees of interest. It is far from evident that winner finding nor performance interpretation has been made easier as a result. Newmarket trainer Luca Cumani experienced mandatory weighing when sending Falbrav over to win the Hong Kong Cup last December "I had no problem whatsoever with having Falbrav weighed before the race. Anything which is helpful, useful or interesting to the racing public is a service which should be offered. There is little disruption to the horse." Cumani has no qualms about the practicalities of weighing but does doubt its efficacy in providing novel information. "I used to weigh horses in training but gave it up because it was adding nothing to my judgment. After a couple of years of recording and analysing the data, I came to the conclusion that I could judge a horse's weight within 5kg on the vast majority of occasions. "Of course, this is a personal opinion, but every experienced trainer should be able to do the same, if he lives with his horses every day."

It is far more important for those clamouring for technological improvements to focus their attentions on sectional times rather than weights, for British horseracing is screaming out for better time information in order to market itself better to the rest of the world. Racehorse weights are of considerable use to the professional horseman who has all the facts at his disposal with which to interpret the information correctly, but it is doubtful they would be anymore than interesting to the public. As far as integrity issues are concerned, it is possible that a mature horse reappearing after an absence could be checked to ensure it is not carrying more than a reasonable amount of excess weight. However, establishing what constitutes a reasonable variation, and dealing fairly with cases which are judged to be outside normal parameters, makes for extremely difficult policing.