And They're Off!

I am standing in the paddock at Arlington Park Racecourse in Arlington Heights, Illinois watching the horses get saddled up for the fourth race. I have a $2 bet on number 6, a cute little chestnut mare in the black and yellow saddle pad. Watching her wide eyes and prancing step, I wonder if she is excited to run, or merely just petrified. She reminds me of a new horse named Robin that I have just started working with. Robin is also a chestnut mare, but she is a little bigger because she is older now and fully mature. According to the program, the chestnut in the paddock is racing a $5,000 claiming race for fillies 3 years old and younger that have never won a race. The filly circles again and the jockeys mount up, I try to imagine Robin when she had raced on this very same track a few years ago.

Number 6 as she walks past in the paddock

Robin today is a horse that has still not fully recovered from her days on the racetrack. Physically, Robin is in good shape – no tendon bows, no broken legs, no odd lumps or bumps. The only physical reminder from her days on the track is a series of scars and scuffs on her forehead that seem to be signs of problems with the starting gate (but this is only our best guess – in reality, many other things could have caused this). Mentally, however, Robin still has a ways to go. She is very responsive and actually very well mannered. When something distracts her, however, she tends to forget you are there. The first time the farrier tried to put shoes on her she had a meltdown and started panicking and striking out with her front legs. Something about the sound of metal tends to put her over the edge. The first time I worked with her, she really wanted nothing to do with me. Every time I looked at her, she would look away and disengage. Horses that are raised around friendly humans that ask what they want from their horse and listen to their horse when something is wrong are always horses that are eager to greet a human and curious as to what that new human may do. Horses that are used to being treated like machines are often disengaged and try to avoid humans so as to escape unpleasantness in being forced what to do, whether this is with cruelty or with simple thoughtlessness that a horse is no better than a machine.

 It took several groundwork sessions with Robin before she would walk up to me on her own accord and be interested enough to follow me around and trust enough to look to me for direction if we were doing something new. The first time I tacked Robin up; she displayed the previous sort of discontent with the situation. She swished her tail and danced while I put the saddle on, she would not open her mouth for the bit, and she danced around the mounting block several times before I could get on. Determined to give Robin a good experience this time around, I kept the ride very short. My idea being that her reward for listening to me and doing what I want should be that I get off – something that she wanted. What sort of reward for doing something right is more work?

Eventually, I will build up the amount of time I ride her, but for these first few rides, I want her to realize that it is not so bad every time a person gets on her back, that she can enjoy the experience as much as I can. Our first ride had us swerving around the arena helplessly, as it became pretty clear that Robin did not have that much fine tuned steering other than what it took to run around a racetrack. She displayed her dispassion in moving forward by suddenly stopping in mid stride. It was a rough first ride, but I could not help but like her. She wasn’t evil; she was just expecting the worst and trying to evade it. After a few good trot circles and when she stopped when I asked her, I got off and put her back in the pasture.

Robin is not a horse that was supposed to run. I have a feeling that she was one of those racehorses that ran simply because she was petrified, not because she liked it. In time, I believe she will make a wonderful riding horse (I’m crossing my fingers for a dressage horse!). I have been on ex-racehorses that were constantly grumpy and mean and others that settled into their new lifestyle and really found that they enjoyed it. Watching number 6, the chestnut filly, as she heads out onto the racetrack, I wonder if she will be one of my project horses one day.

Number 6 coming out of the starting gate

A close finish for #6, but no win 

I truly believe that Thoroughbreds like to run, but I believe, just like people, it takes a certain horse with a certain trainer and a certain jockey to really become a winner. Some horses have the will to run, while others just don’t. I love going to the races, I love the thrill of watching the horses go thundering past. Growing up, I learned everything I could about famous racehorses like Secretariat, Man O’ War, and Seabiscuit. Do I think that people should wait until horses are more matured at 4 years old before they race them, rather than starting at 2 years old? Of course. Waiting until their bones and joints are fully developed before subjecting them to the stress of race training would save a lot of heartache and breakdowns. Paying attention to breeding for strength rather than just speed, speed, speed may also help to lessen the amount of broken limbs. Everyone knows the right way to do it; the problem with racing however, is how to do this while still making money? When I am walking around the grandstand at the track, I tend to forget that most people here – the bettors and the owners are more interested in making money.

This horse looked pretty nervous walking around the paddock - he placed second to last

On the other hand, this confident horse is galloping home easily for the win

This is not everyone – every horse sport has their share of people in it for the money and people who just love the sport and the horses – some people that can even accomplish both. Horse racing is under heavy public eye because it is widely televised and has highly attended events. Other horse sports – from western pleasure to saddleseat to dressage and show jumping also have their fair share of problems. Many western pleasure and saddleseat horses are also started at 2 years old, the biggest dressage controversy is the use of Rolkur -  a method used to force the horse to do what the rider wants, and even hunter jumper horses are forced to continue jumping through sore backs or arthritic knees. It is seen in every sport, it is all a matter of how you look at your horse – friend or machine, investment or partner? A healthy balance of both viewpoints is the best option for both your checkbook and your heart.