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Making Strides
Whether the Thoroughbred is less sound today than in decades past has become a perennial topic of debate. For those on the "yes" side of the debate, a livelier discussion follows: if the breed today is less able to withstand the rigors of racing, then what is the cause? In taking the debate a step further, some have asked what can be done, from a managerial perspective, to address the soundness issue. Some horsemen believe to improve your chances for a sound racehorse, Thoroughbred yearlings need to be exercised carrying supplemental weight before it is time to put a rider on their back. Supplemental weight, beginning at less than what a rider weighs and increasing incrementally as the yearling can handle it, helps develop the bone density and muscle strength a horse needs to sustain itself throughout a long and productive racing career. It's a philosophy that, at first glance, goes against conventional wisdom. Weight, remember, is the nemesis of trainers who have horses of any caliber in the handicap ranks. Nobody wants to run as the topweight, especially when their horse would be conceding more than a couple of pounds to opponents over a distance of a mile or more. Generally, there are folks who protest the industry already asks too much, too soon, of horses and that it is those demands, before the horse is physically ready to handle the work, that ultimately result in the abbreviated careers. Proponents of weight-training, on the other hand, say the method was in practice long ago and is once again becoming an accepted method for getting yearlings fit. As it stands, early conditioning of yearlings without added weight is done by many top outfits. It is meant to put a foundation on future athletes, giving them muscle tone and stamina to handle the stress of a yearling sale and the introduction to a rider that typically takes place in the fall. Early conditioning without added weight usually consists of exercising horses in a free-range exerciser or a round pen, two widely-used tools in the United States today. This article considers early conditioning with added weight. Continue Reading [*PDF file, 2.52 MB download] *Adobe Reader is required to view PDF files. |
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