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www.thefarturn.net/news.htm

The Big Debut

Tonight I am watching the two fillies I have spoken about earlier run their first race. It's about 4 minutes to post and the good thing is they are both acting very professional. They're both in the same race too, a maiden allowance dash- a bit above their class. But it will be a good experience for them. Oh, here goes...

I'll take some of the credit for them both leaving the gate quickly. But neither was able to keep up. The older one hung in a little tougher, which doesn't surprise me, but she looked almost amazed when the fitter and classier horses pulled away, as if she couldn't imagine a faster horse then herself.

But it won't diminish her spirit. She will very likely take a serious lesson from it and come back ready to take on all comers, win or lose. The other one was out of the picture so fast I can't even comment. I'm just glad that I schooled them well enough that they were in the race when the gate opened.

So much for the $1.50 program and the time spent on the internet races. Time for bed. Tomorrow comes early.

Back to work after weather-enforced holidays

Yesterday was the first day since Sunday that I did any work worth speaking of. Saturday and Sunday mornings were slow; I sauntered in late, got one horse out and left. Hey, I’m not lazy! I’m forty-nine years old! I got dropped last summer and four pins were threaded through my bones to put my wrist back together!

Actually I’m excited about work because I’m finally reaching a fitness level that both enables me to react more quickly and also to keep myself from getting busted up if I fall. Yesterday I took another tumble and- although I heard a little ‘crack” sound I’m as fine this morning as if it never happened. But right now, as I returned so late in the year from the wrist, it’s been slow going. I’ve had to navigate carefully to avoid several potential accident variables. For those on the outside, the variables are as follows; green horses; lying owners such as my friend Jerry Norwood (who probably believes himself so it’s not a lie) who put me on green or bad horses without telling me, deadbeat payers, jerks who don’t think their tack is dangerous even though it is; outfits that are another rider’s bread and butter, and unsound horses that the trainer wants breezed.

The thing about it is that you are new to a place, or, as I have, just returned from an injury you generally have to work your way back into your good outfits- you can’t just get them back from the rider who took your place. In my case, two of my outfits had left and I had nothing strong to get started on that I could expect to care for my physical welfare until I got strong again. Plus I really didn’t feel like working just as the weather was getting cold. It sucks to have to come back in the cold. If you’re gonna get hurt you need to get hurt in November and be out until March or April, because there’s not much work to do anyway and besides, it’s painful weather, the cold, especially when it is wet.

Needless to say I haven’t wanted to work, and I haven’t been sorry that I haven’t had much to do. But to circle back to the original intent of my post here, I had no serious obligations for Saturday and Sunday (after a BIG day Friday) and Monday and Tuesday the track didn’t even open. Then of course Wednesday is dark and the track is never open, so it was Thursday before I got to doing anything. I enjoyed the days off, and I had a great day yesterday except for the green horse. The fact that I am letting myself get dropped so much is disturbing. I have had periods of two years wherein I’m sure I have not been dropped (or had to bail off one that is flipping over backwards) and not even gotten a jammed finger for that matter. But I’ve noticed that I’m experimenting with staying relaxed and I think I better tighten up a bit.

But anyway, yesterday I was completely absorbed in the work and everything went super. All the ones that missed racing last weekend on account of cancellations will get to run this weekend (looks like) and they got out – even a couple of breezers – without doing so much as to take off the edge. I’ll take credit for that.

Plus one of the ship-ins paid me $30 instead of $20, just because it was 15 degrees Fahrenheit and I didn’t fink out on him- I showed up at 8 o’clock and got him done so he could go to the farm and finish the rest of the horses. Then I got three for another guy because the regular rider didn’t show and he paid me in cash, and the others I got were solid accounts that will pay. The last one of the morning was cash and even though we got dumped, the horse was very kind- he even waited for me to catch him instead of hightailing it home. I only had to get one horse that has shitty tack and I got that one around- the girl paid me $20 the owner owed me. So I made enough to put gas in the truck!

Hey it’s time to go out and conquer another day. I don’t mean to post boring stuff but if you think about it, a kid who likes horse racing and is interested in getting into it should find this kind of thing very informative, so I may be doing someone a great service by telling them what winter is like for northern racing. I’ll check this out and edit it next time I hit the page - it could probably be said better, but I’m spewing out stream of consciousness because I’m in a hurry to go to work.
Later!

That Was Another Good Saturday

My horse got her OK to start! The best part about it is that she has not become a nervous wreck. Each visit to the starting gate, she has learned something and she has had enough physical rest to greet her gallop days with enthusiasm. She isn't overly talented, but she'll win at least one race this year and probably ore as long as she stays sound and happy. I don't think she will win her first out, but it shouldn't take long.

My other filly , the angry one I was talking about yesterday, is OK. I missed watching her breeze, but the trainer said she went around the turn without bearing out. That means to me that she is doing sound underneath, her equipment is not bothering her and she is not too sour on her program. I couldn;t be hapier about that because although she is small for a four-year-0ld she is quick and, most important, has it all upstairs. I hope when I get on her again we can smooth things out. I need to take her out when there is no-one else out there, so in case she heads for the outside fence I can let her go without touching her mouth. She will hopefully get back in balance with me and we can keep working together.

That's all for now. I've noticed that these posts need editing badly. Bt the moment I don't have time.

Saturday Again!!

Schooling race day again!

My little filly is going to get in the gate in a full field and hopefully get her OK. After that, she is considered ready to run and her next trip to the gate will probably be in a real race.

Personally, I like to take them back to the gate just to stand, but they aren;t mine. If I were to do that got left behind in their first race it could be blamed on me. But if the horse were mine and I could take my time, that horse would stand a couple of times, then break again, either with or without other horses. Just to teach them that they cannot be positive what is going to happen, but that they need not be nervous; just prepared.

Every horse is different, though. Some are quite nervous and will take so long to settle down that it makes financial sense to run them before they act as though they are ready, simply because their ability is sufficient to cover for their defects at the start. So even the ordinarily meticulous trainer might gloss over the difficult part.
I have another filly that is unfortunately going the wrong way on me. This has happened on at least three occasions for the same reason and in the same fashion, which I am going to quickly describe (it's almost 7 a.m. and I have to go to work):

The horse arrives at the track as a two year old or three year old. We begin training- galloping, breezing a couple of times, and going up to the gate. After a couple of months the horse is catching on. Mentally they are prepared to move forward. At this point comes a setback; the horse has an abcess in the foot, or a crack, or epiphysit is in the shins (having to do with the growth plates on the bone surface- an inflammation that feels like shin splints or metatarsal stress fractures in humans). So the horse gets some time off.

After a week, the horse is feeling too good to keep in the barn, because it has attained a level of fitness that demands some attention. Anyone who runs can tell that it's difficult to just stop for an ankle sprain when your lungs feel like you they want to run a hole in the wind. But for you, you know why you are not; you see the big picture. The horse has no understanding of the relationship between healing and someday winning a horse race. They just know they need exercise that they are not getting.

What happens from here is that the injury continues to interrup the horse's training regimen, i.e. every time the horse goes back to work it's OK until it breezes, then suddenly needs another week off. Then the horse begins to resent the program. All it knows is pointless gallping around until it has pain, then stopping and never seeing the outside of the barn. This is especially detrimental to a young horse's temper.

At this point with my filly, she has become very angry. The trainer has been lucky in that she has a farm to send the filly to, which has helped. But thte horse happens to be talented and aggressive, which has made the setbacks no less difficult. Now she is beginning to resent being held back and even a strong hold on the reins can cause her to rear up and drop me, which is what she did the other day when just going the wrong way for a mile in prep for a breeze. She is also evading the bit by bearing out, which can become a very bad habit. The trainer has decided to just let her gallop, which is some help, but for me I actually feel that I need ot be out of the equation for a bit, because she associates me with the stuff she dislikes. I think she'd go to the track happier right now if she didn;t have me on her back.

We also had a discussion about her equipment, which the trainer felt was properly adjusted but which I felt nonetheless was pinching her mouth. We've settled on a figure 8 noseband as a solution to the problem. She is supposed to work today with the jockey, and I hope everything works out. She'd a talented horse that needs her chance to move on right now.

Well, I'm overtime. Gotta go!! I'm not editing, either.