Bode Miller planning to get a trainer's license

[Toadie_s_mom]

How much could he possibly have learned in the short amount of time he’s been hanging out with Baffert? I’m all for him buying a farm, but maybe he should stick with being an owner, and train skiers. I hope he hires some good help.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-10/ex-olympian-bode-miller-to-ditch-skiing-to-race-horses.html

For some reason I can’t help but insert “like” in every one of his quotes. “It’s what I’ve wanted to do for a long time”. What, like since 2011, maybe? “Yeah, I mean, that’s gonna be my career after skiing”.

Oh well, guess I’m just jealous :sigh:

[Shammy_Davis]

No wonder US horseracing is struggling. The thought of another Bode being reported on by the TV racing commentators brings me to tears. You can’t watch CA racing without commentators pointing out Baffert’s son sitting in the stands with his parents. Does the kid ever get to school?

I once knew a trainer named “John Smith.” I jokingly called him “captain.” He was so bad that I once advised him to give up training, move to Jamestown, and become an reenactor.

Wonder if Bob Baffert is waxing the skis for Bode to enter the life of a being a horseman?

[Windsor1]

[QUOTE=Shammy Davis;7808082]
No wonder US horseracing is struggling. [/QUOTE]

So you’re saying this doesn’t bode well for the sport.

Heh.

[Mara]

I hope he plans to be more committed to caring for/training his horses than he was to preparing himself for the Olympics. No blowing it off because you stayed out too late partying the night before.

Am also annoyed with Baffert’s kid stealing the scene. And it’s not a name I’d ever want to foist on a child.

[Angelico]

[QUOTE=Shammy Davis;7808082]
No wonder US horseracing is struggling. The thought of another Bode being reported on by the TV racing commentators brings me to tears. You can’t watch CA racing without commentators pointing out Baffert’s son sitting in the stands with his parents. Does the kid ever get to school?

I once knew a trainer named “John Smith.” I jokingly called him “captain.” He was so bad that I once advised him to give up training, move to Jamestown, and become an reenactor.

Wonder if Bob Baffert is waxing the skis for Bode to enter the life of a being a horseman?[/QUOTE]

So US horse racing is struggling because someone wants to become a trainer?

Is US gymnastics struggling because I want to become an elite gymnast?

Nobody has given him a license yet, he still has to take his test and interview with the stewards like everyone else, there are no exceptions. Racing isn’t struggling because an ignorant fan wants to be part of the game.

I’ve been in racing long enough to know better than to tell another trainer that I think they are “bad”. A good horse can make an idiot look smart, lesser horses can make a horseman look stupid. You hardly ever know the the full story and the circumstances. I recall some naive fans laughing at a “crazy” older trainer and his unusual methods, little did they know that man had trained multiple stakes winners and held his own at meets like Churchill and Saratoga.

[Texarkana]

[QUOTE=Angelico;7808209]
So US horse racing is struggling because someone wants to become a trainer?

Is US gymnastics struggling because I want to become an elite gymnast?

Nobody has given him a license yet, he still has to take his test and interview with the stewards like everyone else, there are no exceptions. Racing isn’t struggling because an ignorant fan wants to be part of the game.

I’ve been in racing long enough to know better than to tell another trainer that I think they are “bad”. A good horse can make an idiot look smart, lesser horses can make a horseman look stupid. You hardly ever know the the full story and the circumstances. I recall some naive fans laughing at a “crazy” older trainer and his unusual methods, little did they know that man had trained multiple stakes winners and held his own at meets like Churchill and Saratoga.[/QUOTE]

Right on. I couldn’t agree more.

And to add, if racing wants to survive, we should be embracing any non-negative public interest. Someone “high profile” wanting to become involved in the sport is a good thing. And while he may have more opportunities right off the bat than a “nobody,” Bode will still have to jump through the same exact hoops to become licensed. :yes:

[Shammy_Davis]

Ouch!

[merrygoround]

[QUOTE=Texarkana;7808232]
Right on. I couldn’t agree more.

And to add, if racing wants to survive, we should be embracing any non-negative public interest. Someone “high profile” wanting to become involved in the sport is a good thing. And while he may have more opportunities right off the bat than a “nobody,” Bode will still have to jump through the same exact hoops to become licensed. :yes:[/QUOTE]

Having known more than a few people who had trainers’s licenses who were an embarrassment as horsemen,much less trainers, I’m with the negative opinions.
I would hope that Mr Miller is planning long apprenticeships with more than one trainer.

[Texarkana]

[QUOTE=merrygoround;7808465]
Having known more than a few people who had trainers’s licenses who were an embarrassment as horsemen,much less trainers, I’m with the negative opinions.
I would hope that Mr Miller is planning long apprenticeships with more than one trainer.[/QUOTE]

I know plenty of crappy horsemen and women in all disciplines, not just racing. I agree that I would hope any professional would obtain as much education as possible before striking it out on their own.

But at the end of the day, I don’t think anyone can say, “We’re all good enough to be horse people but you aren’t. You aren’t welcome in our club.” That’s pretty cruddy, don’t you think?

[Shammy_Davis]

I hope Bode keeps a “gold plan” Obama care plan in force when he enters the horse business. Not sure but he’s in his mid to late thirties and I don’t recall him ever mentioning any experience with horses of any kind and I use to be an avid skier having worked in my younger days on VT mountain ski patrol. Clearly this is a recipe for trouble. Maybe Baffert will help him and that will be great. I’d breath a sigh of relief. The track is a dangerous place and even the most experienced horsemen and women find themselves in trouble. I am reminded of Jeff Lukas.

It takes years of daily hands on experience for horsemen to become journeymen and women in any facet of the horse industry. The amount of knowledge and experience to care for and maintain any horse is enormous.

Having a trainer’s son or a colt named for you might increase your interest or passion for the sport, but like previously posted, I know of no premier horse trainer today who didn’t spend time working their way up in a racing barn.

There is more chance that a newbie like Bode, even beginning as an assistant, will get a horse killed or injured than making it to the winners circle.

My original comment was ribald, but since a few of you take it so seriously, I stand by it. I would not discourage anyone from looking at opportunities in horseracing, but I wouldn’t bite my lip or turn a blind eye to a person looking to make a suicidal decision of jumping over experience and education to work with horses and those who care for them on the track.

You may not like how I said it, but I’m being honest.

As posted above, I don’t think this bodes well for horseracing. You don’t become a horseman or woman by prepping for the trainers test seeking out a few owner’s to send you horses. The test is the bare basics to the experience and knowledge required in this business. Hopefully, a steward will see through that, if Bode decides to move through with his “life long love.”

[Laurierace]

You have to work under a trainer for at least two years before you can even apply to take the tests so I think this is much ado about nothing at this point.

[Shammy_Davis]

[QUOTE=Laurierace;7809041]
You have to work under a trainer for at least two years before you can even apply to take the tests so I think this is much ado about nothing at this point.[/QUOTE]

Ah . . . Finally a little sanity introduced to the conversation. Thank you.

I was thinking just the other day that it seemed like just the other day that you put out your trainers shingle. Now you have reached the big five oh. You are now eligible to join AARP. Getting old sucks. Think about getting a fake I D that shows you are 20 years younger. Perception is everything these days. See how the perception that Bode was going to be a trainer generated this nonsensical thread.

Happy Birthday.

[Laurierace]

Thanks! It does seem like yesterday in some ways. I definitely miss it. Some how COTH got my birthday month and day reversed so you are early, I’ll make sure you get extra credit!

[Mara]

I wonder if he’s aware - really aware - of the costs associated with horses. I’m sure he’s got sponsorship and appearance dollars from his skiing fame in his pocket to start out with, but has Baffert taken the time to explain to him how quickly horses can siphon off a nest egg?

[Shammy_Davis]

Or the time involved. A good trainer, like every professional horseman and woman, has to be fully invested in horses.

Wasn’t it Bode that was involved in a court case with his first partner over the “naming” of his son? As I recall this “post-natal” feud went on for quite a while and made the headlines. It appears “reckless abandon” is a prominent character trait that goes well beyond a down hill ski run. No one asked me back then, but I remember thinking that “Beleaguered” might be an appropriate name for the poor child.

[Flash44]

I won’t knock someone with a passion for racing who is willing to jump right in even though I’m sure there are easier ways for that person to make a living. Being an elite athlete does give a person an advantage wrt conditioning and injuries, because athletes live that life themselves. Training is not rocket science, but it does require a tremendous amount of patience, dedication, common sense and perseverance. Best wishes to Bode in all his racing endeavors.

[GoodTimes]

I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt on this one. Even though he’s got a reputation as a party guy, it’s not like he got to that level of the sport and stayed there as long as he did without training and commitment. I’m sure he’s well aware that racing is a tough game and if that wasn’t what he was bargaining for he would just be an owner.

[Thoroughbred_in_Colo]

http://www.outsideonline.com/news-from-the-field/Bode-Miller-Is-Becoming-a-Horse-Trainer.html

According to this article, at least it sounds like he plans on having a team of professionals involved.

FWIW, and putting his d-bag tendencies aside, the man is one heck of an athlete and understands the rigors of training for sports at an elite level.

[Toadie_s_mom]

[QUOTE=Thoroughbred in Color;7810905]
http://www.outsideonline.com/news-from-the-field/Bode-Miller-Is-Becoming-a-Horse-Trainer.html

According to this article, at least it sounds like he plans on having a team of professionals involved.

FWIW, and putting his d-bag tendencies aside, the man is one heck of an athlete and understands the rigors of training for sports at an elite level.[/QUOTE]

That article makes him sound a little more sensible

[beaujolais]

Does anyone else find Baffert’s naming of his son & a racehorse after this skier fellow kind of, well, - - yuk - -? (Or even slightly peculiar?)