Читать книгу Beyond the Track - Anna Morgan Ford - Страница 18

Thoroughbreds are started under saddle using a variety of methods, just as there are many approaches to backing pleasure or show horses. Each trainer or owner has his own philosophy on how the breaking process should go. Some training farms do a month of groundwork, teaching the horse to be longed and ground driven before he is backed. A few farms do “sacking out” or desensitizing exercises in the round pen.

As with other breeds and disciplines, during early training the young Thoroughbred is first taught to wear a saddle and bridle, then carry a rider. Usually a couple of handlers are present the first time the horse is mounted. In the ideal scenario, they work very slowly with the horse, lifting the rider onto the horse’s back in a calm and matter-of-fact series of events.

With the rider on and a handler on the ground at all times, the horse’s training under saddle starts in a round pen or small arena. After learning to walk and trot he is taken to a training track, probably accompanied by a “pony horse” the first several times out on the track. A pony horse babysits a young racehorse, giving him confidence in his new environment and helping ensure he doesn’t get unruly. After that, young horses go out in groups and just jog around the track. Once they are comfortable jogging, the exercise riders let them canter.

For most horses, all of this is accomplished in about 100 days. At that point, if a horse shows enough physical maturity and potential, the trainer continues his program and starts working him at faster speeds. Physically and mentally immature horses are sometimes turned back out to pasture for a couple of months and resume their training in early fall.

1.5 Some farms take the time to incorporate ground-driving in their young Thoroughbred training program, allowing horses to be prepared for work under saddle without incurring undue stress and strain.

Trainers at “quality” farms take this kind of extra time and work with each young horse until he’s completely comfortable, but unfortunately, there are some trainers who mold a horse to their timetable rather than fit the program to each horse. These horses end up training on the track, whether they’re ready or not.