The Flat Season is Upon Us
What a special time of year the spring is for flat racing owners.
Stable visits are underway to see horses blooming just like the daffodils dotted around the gallops on which they strut their stuff, and dreams for the months ahead are equally as bright.
There’s been nothing better than to witness during pre-turf-season events hosted by Opulence Thoroughbreds in Newmarket, Lambourn and at Kingsclere the enthusiastic reaction to how horse A has progressed through the winter from its juvenile days, or how yearling B is looking now that he or she has turned two, and how encouraged the trainer is about them, especially when the possibility of one being a Royal Ascot contender is not entirely ruled out.
DEVOIR'S CHOICE being paraded for owners at Ed Walker Racing this month.
Watching the horses parade it’s perhaps easy to forget how much time, effort and expertise has gone into the journey already, particularly of the two-year-olds which only a few months earlier were being shown off to Opulence and to other potential buyers at the series of European yearling sales running from as early as August in France nearly until Christmas.
Prepping the yearlings for the sales is an art in itself, making sure that these still very young animals are given every chance to show themselves off to purchasers crowding around the stable yards and in the auction ring.
That means being good with people even when surrounded by hustle and bustle; being able to demonstrate the kind of natural, athletic walk that everyone will want to see; and having the ability to lunge left and right for the wind (breathing) test.
FLAVOUR MAKER leaving the ring at Tattersalls October Yearling Sale (Book 2).
After such a full-on experience so early in their lives some need the equivalent of a lie-down, a short break, just to get over their sales exertions though others are more than happy to get on with the next stage of their development at a pre-training yard.
Whatever happens next, a close eye is kept as there are generally ten days to raise concerns about unwelcome behavioural traits including box-walking and (literally) crib-biting, which can lead to mental and/or physical issues, or breathing noises that have not been picked up by the testing; sometimes these result in the horse being returned or reductions in price agreed.
Although timings vary, it very often takes around the six-week mark from arriving to having learnt the basics, like having a rider on board and being a good, well-behaved ride, also trotting and then cantering steadily, the so-called breaking in process.
The key is that things are done slowly and steadily, with a calm and reassuring voice providing encouragement, all the time keeping in mind that these youngsters are constantly growing and need to develop all-important muscle correctly particularly around the neck, back and powerhouse rear-end. Once bad habits creep in it is difficult to eliminate them.
To begin with a roller simulating a saddle and girth will be put on for exercise, sometimes briefly sparking off sights more often seen in a bucking broncho arena, before they get used to it; then reins are added gradually as horses learn skills including using themselves properly and steering.
The "breaking" process, where the horse becomes familiar with having a rider on their back.
Week two and three will see the introduction of a real saddle and girths and a rider first bouncing alongside, then gradually leaning further and further across the horse, familiarising it with their weight, before finally swinging a leg carefully across and getting on, all of this while the animal’s head is being held and further confidence boosters whispered.
Then slowly but surely, with a rider on its back, the horse will start light trotting and cantering, eventually with other horses around until everyone is happy that a ‘bombproof’ state has been reached. Pre-trainers I know are never completely satisfied until every member of staff can get on and off without incident but all have their own methods.
Those same friends say they are struck by how many arrivals have been so well-prepared for the sales that they have great minds already and don’t take long at all to soak up the instruction; after generally showing that willingness to be broken in, it’s soon apparent that they simply love being ridden. Then it’s over to ‘big school’ with the trainers to learn the love of winning.
FOREVER NOAH off to "big school" at Carlburg Stables after learning the ropes in pretraining (the rider's stirrup's are notably long!)