Читать книгу Beyond the Track - Anna Morgan Ford - Страница 22

When you first find an OTTB that you feel could be right for you, it is unlikely that you will know very much about his past. Nevertheless, with a little research, you may be able to get some valuable background information on his previous experiences.

Equibase (www.equibase.com) is one of the most helpful places to get information on Thoroughbred racehorses. This website can search any Thoroughbred that is registered with The Jockey Club and can provide a variety of information, such as the horse’s race record, sale information, and pedigree. All you need is the horse’s registered name. Note: You cannot look up a Thoroughbred by his tattoo number, which is tattooed under his upper lip, on Equibase.

Thoroughbred foals born in 2017 and after must be microchipped, and the microchip must be recorded with The Jockey Club. The microchip is placed in the nuchal ligament on the left side of the horse’s neck and contains a set of numbers specific only to that horse. If you only have access to the horse’s tattoo or microchip, you can go to www.registry.jockeyclub.com (which requires you log in), enter the chip or tattoo number, and there find the horse’s registered name. You can then go to Equibase to look up the horse’s information.

At this time you cannot do a “reverse lookup” with tattoos or microchips, meaning you cannot type in the horse’s name and find his tattoo or chip number.

▶ Pedigree and Stud Fee

As with any breed, examining a Thoroughbred’s pedigree can tell you a lot about the horse’s potential character and athleticism. You may be able to find additional information about his dam and sire, as well as their other offspring, that can help you determine a horse’s trainability, competitiveness, and physical longevity.

Are Racehorses Abused at the Track?

People often ask me whether racehorses are mistreated. It is a subject that I’ve had many years to ponder—my father is a fifth-generation Standardbred trainer, and I grew up watching him work with his horses. He always handled them with respect, and though he wasn’t overly sentimental in his dealings with them, he did everything within his means to keep his string happy and in good health. I believe that he is an example of the norm, rather than an exception.

During my tenure at New Vocations, I have worked with and met many different racehorse trainers from all over the country. As can be found in any division of the horse world, there are those with the animal’s interests at heart and those with more questionable ethical standards. I can honestly say that I have encountered more trainers who truly care about the well-being of their racehorses than those who do not.

However, there is a dichotomy in care and/or management within the racing industry, and this is most easily noted when you compare one track to another. At the larger, more prominent tracks, purses are much bigger and the competition greater, which in turn draws owners and trainers who have more money to work with. At this type of track, a “daily training fee” (which the trainer charges the owner and includes feed, board, grooming, and training, but neither veterinary nor farrier care) ranges from $75 to $125 a day. More money allows the barns to be better staffed, with more grooms and riders, higher quality feed and hay, and the very best in vet and farrier care.

At smaller tracks, purses aren’t worth as much, which attracts owners with fewer resources and less valuable horses. Here, the daily training fee can range from $25 to $50, which means many stables are understaffed and overworked. Exercise riders may groom, too. Trainers may have to clean stalls. Horses are more likely to be exercised on a mechanical hotwalker because there is less time (and fewer bodies) for hand-walking.

The difference here can become problematic for the horses; for example, in the case of minor injury. When there is money available, there is no hesitation to x-ray or examine further the location of any unusual swelling or heat. At a smaller track, limited funds often mean such problems are never diagnosed properly—until it is too late and the horse breaks down.

That said, even at the lowest of lower-tier tracks, I have met trainers who would rather go hungry than let their horses miss a meal. At the end of the day, a racehorse is still an investment, and owners and trainers will generally do whatever they can to protect a horse’s health during his racing career.

In addition, take the time to look up the sire’s stud fees for an idea of how much was initially invested in the horse (check www.bloodhorse.com/stallion-register). If a large stud fee was paid—say, $10,000 or more—it is more likely the mare’s owner had the funds to train and care for her foal properly, thus limiting the chances of stress-related mental trauma and physical injury. (Granted, this is a generalization, but it often holds true.)

▶ Purchased at Sales

A horse that was prepped for the weanling or yearling sales tends to have better ground manners, since this ensures he was handled thoroughly at a young age. While he could certainly have acquired bad habits living at the racetrack, at least you know he had an early education.

The other thing to note is the horse’s sale price. As is the case with stud fees (see p. 24), when a horse was purchased for a significant amount of money—$20,000 and up—at the sales, it is usually a sign that the new owner had the means necessary to ensure quality care and training as the horse was prepared for his racing career.

▶ Race Record

In my experience, a horse that has won a stakes race or earned over $100,000 at the track is often very intelligent. It takes a good mind and that little something special to successfully compete at this level, as well as the ability to understand when the stakes are high and the race is important. If a horse could handle the high stress of racing and come out a winner, this often means he is likely to catch on to new training quickly. While of course this is not always the case, at New Vocations we have seen time and again that stakes winners or big-money earners are easier to transition to riding horses.

Another component is that successful racehorses have often enjoyed the very best in care and handling. Trainers and owners will often go out of their way to keep a horse of such value happy and healthy.

▶ Frequency of Races

Find out how often and how many times the horse raced. This information alone can tell you a lot about your OTTB.

If a horse never raced, he is less likely to have soundness issues down the road—his joints, ligaments, and tendons haven’t suffered the pounding a seasoned competitor’s have (though keep in mind he may never have raced because of soundness issues). The flip side is these horses haven’t been exposed to life on the track to the same degree as those with racing experience. They may not be as accustomed to day-to-day handling, and they may have a more difficult time adjusting to a new environment.

Horses that have started 15 or fewer times (generally the equivalent of two years of racing, or less) are accustomed to being groomed, bathed, wrapped, and ridden daily. They have been tested and proven they have the fortitude to survive the racetrack—which may translate well to a new career. Of course, these horses have imposed more stress on their bodies and so are more likely to have sustained injury. They also may have developed bad habits on the ground or under saddle.

Horses that have raced for 3 to 10 years have been shipped to countless racetracks, handled by many different grooms, and ridden by several jockeys. They have seen and experienced far more in that period of time than most horses do in their entire lives. If they leave the track without major injury or chronic unsoundness, I have found that chances are they will remain sound for most disciplines.

For some seasoned racehorses, however, it is difficult to transition to a new career; they have known one thing and one thing only—being a racehorse. Because they have spent many years in a stall and unable to socialize with neighboring horses, some may have a hard time adjusting to turnout and/or participation in a community of horses. Plus, the wear-and-tear on their bodies will take a toll, and arthritis can develop earlier and to a greater degree than with horses that had a less lengthy racing career.

When you are looking at how often a horse raced, you may notice a gap of time—say 3 to 12 months—when nothing is on record. This often indicates a lay-up due to injury or time taken to rehabilitate the horse after surgery. Make special note of such ] gaps—while it may be impossible to find out the real reason the horse had time off, it can still help you understand an OTTB’s history and warn you to pay careful attention to the pre-purchase veterinary exam (PPE).

▶ Location of Races

As mentioned on p. 25, it is good to note where a horse was raced. Racing at larger, more recognized tracks can indicate a quality of training and attention to well-being that is harder to find at the smaller, lesser-known tracks where trainers are overworked, barns are understaffed, and financial resources tend to be limited.