A little bit on the training side...
I have been working with a few thoroughbreds recently and made some suggestions to owners.
I don't like horses being locked up in almost solitary confinement, horses are herd animals, they need interaction for excercise, vitamin D from sunlight and fresh grass, there is no subsitute for natural training. All the supplements in the world are not as good as their natural environment.
Most trainers train the body like a piece of sports equipment, horses are not pieces of equipment, they are thinking feeling animals which also need correct training of their minds.
Many fractures are caused by the lack of natural Vitamin D.
Most digestive problems such as colic are caused by anxiety, and unnatural feeding habits.
Many stable problems such as weaving and windsucking are caused by seperation anxiety, there is no herd.
The horse never knows it's place, in the herd there is a pecking order, the herd has a leader, captains and followers. There is mental comfort in being part of the herd, horses don't look after themselves, the herd looks after itself. Certain horses within the herd take on the role of mother to ANY young horse and provide guidance, protection and discipline.
Most trainers do not allow horses to be horses, so they have no idea how to be horses, there is no yardstick, no play, no fighting. Horses love to play, it is part of their interaction.
The mental and physical excercise a horse gets in a herd is simply immeasurable.
I have two owners that I made some suggestions to.
The horses were turned out with a group of handpicked companions to make up a nice herd. They are out on ten acres with trees and a dam.
They previously had dead eyes, no glint, no sparkle and fought their handlers every time they came out of solitary confinement.
One of them was a kicker and a biter.
Their trainer who shall remain nameless, said "it's rubbish".
I explained to the owners why I was making the suggestions and how it would benefit their pockets.
So they gave it a go.
I went and visited the horses today, I drove away with a very warm heart.
There they were, galloping in the field, looking after two colts, no rugs on, grazing on lush green grass, playing with a huge ball I'd left for them.
The naughty boy had been temporarily banished from the herd and was under a tree waiting for the signal to be let back in. They all came galloping up to me, eyes bright and full of life, no biting, no kicking. Just a lot of whinnying.
The other side of this is they had built muscle from being part of a herd and their ribs were now covered, not emaciated by three meals of hard feed a day.
I feel a lot of good horses would be a good deal better on the track if treated this way. The anxiety horses carry onto the track is a lot of energy burnt that could be saved for the last 400m of a race.
I should add that these horses were not performing at country level, so the owners had nothing to lose. I'm not allowed near the good horses just yet
Hopefully that might change soon.