Recently, a friend looked at a horse he was interested in buying; the horse was put together well and had a solid pedigree, but it was a cribber. He asked me if he should avoid buying a horse that cribs. I wasn’t certain, so I decided to do some research to find out. It would …
During our recent visit to the racetrack, my grandson noticed the jockeys wearing different colored silk shirts than they wore in earlier races. Seeing this prompted him to ask why jockeys have to wear silks. Jockeys are required to wear the horse owner’s silks. The horse’s owner registers the silks pattern and color with the …
We recently went to the racetrack with a group of friends that’s never to the horseraces. They researched gambling on horses online but didn’t understand the basics, so I thought it a good idea to explain the bets a person should know before wagering at the racetrack. The bets you can place on a horse …
When I recently watched a horse work at the training center, I realized that most of the racehorses in training are incredibly young. This made me think about their lifespan and how long they’re likely to live, so I decided to do some research to find out. The average lifespan of racehorses is 27 years, …
Watching horses leaving the paddock, I noticed their ears’ intricate movements. This silent dialogue between them piqued my curiosity. Were they communicating? What were they saying? This post dives into the intriguing world of equine ear communication. Understanding the subtleties of horse ear positions reveals a hidden language of emotions and intentions. This knowledge, beyond …
When I was looking at a racing form, I noticed some of the horses had long breaks between races while others ran quite often. This made me wonder how often the average horse races and how the frequency of races impacts their performance. So, I did some research to find out. On average, racehorses race …
Women dress up and wear fancy hats to the race tracks to be different and feel good, especially for the Kentucky Derby. But have you wondered why some racehorses wear a mask? I have, so I decided to research why horses wear masks and other gear during a race. Racehorses wear masks called “Blinkers” or …
After the excitement of purchasing our first racehorse subsided, we had to decide who would be the trainer. We bought him before we chose his trainer. So I researched the role of racehorse trainers. A successful racehorse trainer must win races and be able to run a business while supervising staff, planning strategy, and maintaining …
This time of year always brings me joy as I watch the playful foals—future racehorses—frolic in the pastures. However, I hadn’t given much thought to the intricate process that leads to their arrival. Intrigued, I delved into research to gain a better understanding of how racehorses are bred. For an offspring to be registered as …
When I initially purchased a Thoroughbred colt, I hoped he would flourish into a successful breeding stud. However, before running his first race, the trainer recommended that he be gelded. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I decided to research geldings to learn more to make an informed decision. A gelding is a castrated …