> Were the horses you speak of not successful > because > of
their maturity (mentally/physically) at the time of > training/racing ?
the> distance they ran ? the trainer ? the expertise of the exercise
> rider ? the> jockey that rode them ? > You have to be fairly
astute to know which of the factor/factors > came into play. That's
the problem. If you're not an insider at the track...who knows? By
studying the Daily Racing Form much of what you want to know is there if you
know how to assimilate the information. The horses Conformation can usually tell
you the rest of the story.
“but if you’re going to purchase one (Racehorse from the track) I would
spend > $500-600 to have the joints ex-rayed and the tendons ultra sounded.
Preferably > this work be done by a Track Vet in a Clinic set up for
racehorses”. Do you feel an outsider would get a fair shake when the
seller might be a regular customer and the buyer just someone from "out
there"?
Once you hire the clinic to examine a horse they are responsible to “you”
the buyer. I know of no clinic/Veterinarian who would risk their credibility by
not treating a potential buyer ethically.
I checked into
the ad for the Darley Stud that was in endurance news. They have lots of 4 year
olds for sale.
The horses are at two different Arabian Race farms … as always “Caveat
emptor” applies …… if they have been in training and or raced. I would
have X-Rays/ Ultra-sounds done before finalizing your purchase, unless you're
going to use them as breeding stock "only". They have babies available (two and
under) who have excellent conformation and these I would purchase “without” any
extensive exams .
There was no mention of race
records,
Some may have been sidelined by injuries and others can’t run. That would
be my guess ! Be sure to do the exams on horses in training or those who
have raced if you're going to use them for Endurance.
What age
do they start racing Arabs?
Here in the U.S. they “can” start at Three…. In my opinion, many Arabians
are not mentally ready to train/race at that age.... JMHO.... They raced
in Russia at the age of two but it was a very short season on a relatively hard
track (avoiding soft tissue injuries i.e.; tendons, ligaments ect.) and
(this is the most important factor) they raced against their own bloodlines
(maturity level was about the same). Racing was not to earn purse money but
rather it was part of the testing program (funded by the Government they could
afford to do it that way). Here in the U.S. we have bloodlines that mature very
early and other lines that won’t reach that same level of maturation for two
years or more.
Each individual is different you can’t give an exact
time frame for when a horse should begin a serious training schedule. They can
all start the process at any given age but they must be "backed off or layed
off" at the first sign of heat i.e.; you have proceeded to the point that a
rider is trotting the horse out on a daily basis and you begin to notice heat at
some point on his tendons (knees ect.) . You need to give this horse a few days
off and once cold begin again on an every other day basis. If the heat returns
this youngster is not ready for training and needs to be allowed to mature in
the field for a few more months.
I always check to see that the
knees are closed before I put a rider up but that’s me. I don’t want to
tell you how to train your horses but that is how to keep your horses sound.
Nothing makes me unhappier than to see an excellent individual ruined merely
because they weren’t mature enough to handle the training
program.
Also it’s important that before you put a bit in a young
horses mouth have the Wolf Teeth removed. It really hurts when the rider pulls
the bit into contact with these teeth (nubs). The horse then throw it’s head in
the air to get away from the pain. At which point I watch riders start hitting
the horse with a whip and now ….. the fight is on. I have found it’s
always easier to train a horse who is “pain” free ….. now doesn’t that sound
easy ….. believe me I have seen a lot of ignorant people trying to train very
intelligent horses.
