May 10th update
Well, we have been training for 12 days without incident. No sore feet on anyone. Hopefully all Chance’s foot problems are behind him.
For what it’s worth, Chance has stopped making faces when I go to do up his girth. He just maintains his normal sweet expression. I really never thought much about it, it’s very common at the track for horses to make faces or bite when the girth is tightened. But now I have to wonder if it had anything to do with his feet. Have his feet been bothering him even when he was not noticeably off? Was something else bothering him? I suppose I’ll never know, but it’s one more thing to consider.
Zola has been good. She now walks around the track with minimal steering issues. However, she is still a stubborn and opinionated girl! On Sunday we had gone around 2 times, I then turned her around and walked back up the track the wrong way, toward the point where I normally dismount. She stopped before we got there. I clucked and she stood there. I tapped her on the shoulder with my crop and she raised her head, put her ears back, turned her head to the right, looked at me, lifted her nose and gave me a dirty look. The message was clear!
I have never been a rider who gets in fights with horses. I have no desire to engage in a rodeo. I was not going to push Zola by giving her a whack with the crop. But neither was I going to let her decide what we were going to do and where and when we were going to do it. Huey has taught me that waiting a horse out can be very effective. More effective than resorting to force. So I replied to Zola by just sitting there. Every once in a while I’d cluck or tap her on the shoulder. She ignored the clucks and repeated her “comments” when tapped with the crop. Fine, I told her, I can sit here for hours.
In the end, she gave in. And it only took 10 minutes. Score one for me. We’ll see what she does today.
The 2012 Triple Crown
I haven’t said this since Barbaro – I did think he had what it took – I think we could have a Triple Crown winner this year.
I think I’ll Have Another has what it takes to win all three races. I am looking forward to the Preakness!
Southern Sweet Tea is here!
Yesterday, along with Sweet Tea’s owner, Angie, I drove up to northern Kentucky to pick up Sweet Tea. She was ready to go – it was clear she knew she was leaving. But it was hard for her. Her pasture mate, Cocoa, called out as she left and Sweet Tea was a little reluctant to lead. But she did. She loaded in the trailer easily and began the journey to her new home.
She is quite a peanut! It’s amazing to me that she’s raced 51 times and was in the money 31% of the time.
Introducing her to the herd was a non-event. I held her outside the enclosure for a few minutes so everyone could see her and they could all “talk”. Then I put her in with the herd and turned her loose. There was no running, chasing, squealing, or other drama. Roxanna did tell her to stay out of her space – not sure if she even understood – she didn’t move fast enough and did get a kick in the ribs. Aside from that, even Shadow left her alone. Zola was curious, as were Maura and Chance. It wasn’t long before the horses headed to the barn and shade, pretty much unconcerned with Sweet Tea.
For her part, Sweet Tea appeared calm and relaxed. She explored at her leisure. She wasn’t intimidated in the least by the herd.
She has clearly not had the easiest life. She has a dent on the right side of her face between her eye and the center of her face. Of course, there’s no way of knowing what happened, but it certainly doesn’t seem to be a problem. If you click to enlarge the photo of Sweet Tea with Zola and Maura, you can see the shaved area on her right front leg, where she had surgery to remove the chip.
Aside from that her coat is quite-sunburned and she is still shedding. She is barefoot, and her feet do not look bad. I haven’t examined them yet, will trim her before the week is out, and take photos. She is resistant to leading, and doesn’t lead like a racehorse – which is surprising. She makes Lena look like a pro. I find it very unusual, as one thing horses off the track usually do is lead up, not hang back, and not balk.
Mentally and emotionally I would say she is in a shell. She is good natured, calm, and relaxed, but neither for nor against people. I sense a neutrality. She is clearly a survivor. She doesn’t expect much from people aside from food. Hopefully this will change as she becomes part of the herd, and discovers a life very different from what she’s experienced in the past.
It’s interesting that the most recent additions to the herd, Beauty, Maura, and Lena have been the first to befriend her. Last evening Lena even shared her hay with Sweet Tea.
You can see from the bottom photo how tiny she is. (She looks a little funny because she shook her head just then to get rid of flies, but I kept this shot because it is a great photo of Zola – the kind I never manage to get – and it shows the difference in build and size. Behind Zola is Maura. My first thought was I hope it’s a photo of 3 winners. Sweet Tea has won, Maura has won, and hopefully Zola will also win.
The goal with Sweet Tea is to completely rehab her and to race her under the Racehorse Experiment silks, with Angie and myself as partners.
Sweet Tea shortly after her arrival on May 6, 2012
Sweet Tea being followed by Zola and Maura May 6, 2012
A new look at racing
In the April issue of Equus magazine, there was an article on Kerry Thomas, who’s using herd behavior/psychology to bring out the best in performance horses. I found the article intriguing and put Mr. Thomas’s book on my wishlist.
Coincidentally, a friend emailed me the following link: http://kentuckyconfidential.com/2012/04/30/introduction-thomas-analyzes-the-2012-kentucky-derby-field/ I was surprised to find Mr. Thomas again. After reading this new article I went to his website: The Thomas Herding Technique to check it out. There is a lot of great information there – thought provoking. And it would be absolutely fantastic if Thoroughbred trainers would adopt his method. Certainly the horses would have a better life and be happier!
I have also put a link to his site under the Links section of the blog.
A new horse is joining the Experiment
A month ago, a woman contacted me – via FTH (For The Horse Equine Rescue) – looking to find a home for her Thoroughbred mare. Thinking the mare might be suitable to breed (I have a friend who would like a baby) I asked for more info, and a photo. I didn’t feel the mare was what my friend was looking for, but as I listened to her story, I thought she would be perfect for the Experiment.
The horse’s name is Southern Sweet Tea and her information is available at Equibase. To summarize she is a Louisiana bred mare foaled in 2006. She has speed. The chart below, where she was in the lead from the start, shows a first quarter in :22 flat. That is blazing. The half went in 44:80 and five furlongs in :58 flat, with the final time for the six furlong being 1:11:80. She won the race by 9 lengths.
Southern Sweet Tea's Chart
In addition she won her first start. This, to me, says “here is a horse with potential.” Sadly, that is not how trainers of “cheap” horses think. This is a perfect example of human psychology at work. This horse was running for $5,000 claiming and yet running faster times than many higher level races run. She was actually entered in the occasional starter allowance, and even though she did well, she went right back to claiming. Why? Because trainers do not want to “waste” a race. It appears that when she was running well and was entered into an allowance race she did well, when she was running badly and was entered in an allowance race (why?) she ran poorly. Duh.
Her most recent good finish was July 20th, 2011 when she ran second. This race was for less money and at a shorter distance. This is the curse of the poor horses who have real speed. They are not given a chance to move on to longer distances so they can use their speed strategically. They are sent to the front and when they cannot win they are moved to shorter races, and again sent to the front. So the poor horse is “balls to the wall” the entire race.
The most amazing part of this story is that Sweet Tea returned lame from her races, and her leg (I forget which one) would blow up. Not after gallops and not after works, only after a race. So this was evidently ignored. It turns out, after several more races, she was scratched in the pre-race check and was taken to Hagyard for radiographs. The x-rays revealed that the poor horse had a chip in her ankle AND a fractured sesamoid. As if that was not bad enough, in the July race where she placed second she also lost a shoe and hit her front heel bulb with her hind foot, cutting herself. Yet she finished second!
This is a horse with speed and heart. She has since had surgery to remove the chip and she needs 6 months to heal the sesamoid.
To make a long story short. I am picking her up Sunday and bringing her to the farm, where she will finish her rehab, and hopefully race next year. Her current owner will remain part owner and she will live the life here that all horses should live.
What a difference a day makes!
Yesterday I rode Chance – though our ride was interrupted by a thunder storm – and according to my new plan, today was my day to ride Zola.
I had made up my mind I was going to carry my crop and we were going all the way around the track – no excuses. I tacked Zola up and put her on the lunge. This is only to gauge her mood, and I seldom ask for more than 4 or 5 circles. I just want to see how she walks, how she goes into a trot, and most importantly, how she moves into a canter when I ask. She knows the words walk, trot, canter, and whoa, and I do not have or use a lunge whip. When I said “canter”, just like the other day, she moved smoothly into a nice relaxed hand gallop without making faces or any other “comments”.
As soon as I see how she is I ask her to go back into a trot and then whoa. I take off the halter, which is over the bridle, as I do not believe in lungeing with a bit. And then I lead her to the mounting block and get on. And so I did today. Whether it was coincidence or not, Zola headed right to where we entered the track on Sunday, walking with energy and purpose. So right from the start today was different.
When we entered the mowed area we turned left and walked along the “rail” – not too close, as both she and Chance are aware it’s the same as the hot tape that gives shocks. This went beautifully! I was happy and let Zola know it. As we came to the end of the rail we still had a ways to go to the posts that mark the turn – maybe 100 feet, I’ve never measured it. Zola thought about going left as we came to the open area, but I quickly turned her back to the mowed path and gave her a tap on the shoulder. She wasn’t thrilled to be going out there – confirming my opinion that having a fenced area for early training is a huge bonus - but I was firm and she went. Once we got around the far turn and headed down the stretch – where there is another section of rail – she really seemed to get it.
For those who don’t ride, you can really tell a lot about what a horse is thinking when you’re on their back. Anyway, the rail on the homestretch is shorter than the backstretch (not enough poles and tape) and it runs out further from the turn on that side. But Zola was a champ! She was easy to keep on the mowed area with just a few minor adjustments, and I could tell she was getting the idea of following the “path”. We went around the turn, partway down the backstretch, then I stopped her, turned her around, and we rode back up the track the wrong way – as racehorses normally do. Then stopped again and ended our ride.
I was so pleased! I praised Zola as we went along and I feel we made huge progress today. I couldn’t be happier. This is a big step forward.
I do credit the Pee Wee bit for some of this progress. She clearly doesn’t mind it, and it has made steering a lot easier.
The Racehorse Experiment eases a woman’s heart
A few days ago I got an email from a woman who had googled her old horse’s name, in an attempt to find him if he was alive.
The google search returned a link to TRE! The horse’s name, Top Khat, showed up because he was listed as a member of the herd in Paris.
I was happy to tell the previous owner – daughter of Toppy’s breeders – that he was alive and well and still living in Paris. I also gave her the phone number of his current owner. They have since connected, much to the woman’s relief. What a great thing, to know that your horse is okay – at age 32. We all know it could have been a far different story.
So score one for TRE!
Training Update . . . Zola and Chance
Chance hasn’t been ridden since April 14th, and Zola hasn’t done anything since I lunged her on April 1st. Basically we are starting over from scratch.
The good news is that the ground has dried out and rain doesn’t really affect it anymore – no more 4″ deep hoofprints! Chance has recovered from his abscess, sting, and cut. Zola is sound on most surfaces except for the road, where she is still a little ouchy. Her hoof cracks are growing out – the worst is more than half gone.
I rode Chance yesterday (Friday April 28th) and I have to say that he walked the best he’s ever walked. With energy and a good stride. So who is to say that something wasn’t bothering him? Most likely those abscesses have been brewing for years. Before I even got him. His feet were so long (forward toes) when I got him, that they look like they are half the size – that excess material had to go somewhere. (Check out the photos below. Click to view large images.)
Chance's left front hoof day one
Chance's left front 4/16/12
Hopefully all his issues are behind him!
I lunged Zola before riding her. Partly because this was her first time with the Pee Wee bit (metal, as opposed to the leather Meroth), and partly because it’s been 28 days since I did anything with her as far as training. She seemed nice and relaxed on the lunge and didn’t seem to to mind the Pee Wee at all. In fact I would say she liked it more than the Meroth, as does Chance. I would guess this is because of its small diameter and the fact that it doesn’t really lie on the tongue.
After a few minutes on the lunge line – walk, trot, and a brief canter (no bucking!!) I got on. Steering definitely improved with the Pee Wee, and Zola walk along the “track” nicely. The “rails” made a huge difference, as evidenced by the fact that when we came to the end of them, she became somewhat fussy. Still we walked all the way down the “backstretch” and halfway around the far turn, before turning around and walking back. I have stopped carrying my crop and will make sure I have it from now on.
I’ve decided that I will – for the time being – alternate horses. One day I’ll work Chance, the next Zola, etc.
More reflections on young horses . . . Lena
I worked with Lena yesterday. I have hand-grazed her a couple times since last posting, but not done anything else.
Yesterday I tied her at the trailer and she was a perfect angel. I groomed her, then sprayed her with bug spray. There is some kind of big fly here that seems to only go for the groin area of all the horses. Without any hesitation I sprayed Lena’s chest, then moved to her stomach, and directed the spray way back underneath to her teats. She never batted an eye. Those who have horses know that even older, experienced horses are not necessarily thrilled to have that done, so I was very impressed.
I always like to do something new with young horses just before rewarding them – in Lena’s case this is a small amount of grain, followed by hand-grazing in the field. I got brave and picked up one of Lena’s hind feet. This is always a little nerve wracking as horses can kick faster than the human eye can follow. There’s no seeing it coming if they really let one fly. But again, she didn’t bat an eye.
Really, nothing I’ve done since tying her has phased her. And this is the beauty of young horses. If they have never had a reason to fear people, once they learn to trust you, they are not defensive.
I’m going to try my English saddle on Lena the next time I work with her. Since she now ties, I’ll be able to get a decent picture!
Reflections on growing horses . . . Zola
When I went to look at Zola, in late October 2009, she was small for her age – very small – and it was easy to see why no one had been interested when she went through the January Keeneland sale. She must have been tiny! I almost passed on her, but her conformation was just what I like to see. I love a good shoulder and a well laid back wither, and she had both. Her hocks were well let down, not much higher than her knees, another plus, and she had some attitude toward other horses.
Click on images to enlarge.
Zola at 17 months
Six months later (below) she had grown and matured, but still was a baby in my mind. Her butt had come up, higher than her withers, making her hocks higher. Her front end had yet to really develop. There is an old saying that to judge a young horse you should look at them at 3 days, 3 months, and three years. According to this theory if the horse appears proportionate at those times it will most likely end up proportionate. I don’t know if that’s true, but I can say that horses can change a lot and even horses with superb conformation can go through gawky stages.
Zola April 21, 2010
I took a photo of Zola in the field on April 16th of this year. Two years after the above photo. To me it’s clear that waiting for Zola to grow past babyhood was a wise move. The promise of her laid back wither has been fulfilled. Look at where the arc of her withers ends. And look at the depth of chest she has developed. Something I really love to see, as it bodes well for a good set of lungs, and plenty of room for the heart. She is a much more mature horse than she was as an early two-year old, and even as a three year old. This spring I noticed that her neck is longer. This I notice because I like to have a lot of horse in front of me. I feel safer when there’s some neck out there!
To me, Zola is beautiful horse – pleasing to the eye, and built to be an athlete. I haven’t measured her, but she is every bit as tall as Chance. (To see how small she was at 17 months, click here for a surprise. I am holding her and I am probably just about 5’7″ in my boots.)
I have to wonder – would she have grown as well and developed that deep chest living in a stall?
Zola April 16, 2012
- View from the driveway January 25, 2012
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