Say i wanted to pick up a broodie and breed her. Where do i go to learn more about “the raising of a racehorse, the first two years”?
Yes, i am aware i might as well stand out in the yard and set fire to $100 bills. I’m just looking to tick off the bucket list, not get rich.
A few more questions for context, because answers will vary depending on your plan:
Are you going to foal the mare out yourself and raise the foal at home, or are you going to board? Are you going to race the horse yourself or sell? If selling, are you going to sell privately or through public consignment and at what age?
Most race horses are broke before their 2 year old year-- are you going to be handling that process as well? Yourself or will you be sending the horse to a breaking farm?
I’d foal the mare out here at home, most likely. We own 25 acres. There is a breaking farm just south of here I’d like to send the foal to. I don’t have enough young horse experience to do it right. The horse would be for me to race, and hopefully retire here.
In that case, it’s really not much different than raising any other young horse. Birth through the first 1.5 years of life pretty much consist of living out with the herd while being introduced to the “usual” young horse handling stuff-- haltering, leading, picking feet, grooming, bathing, standing for the vet/farrier, etc. Young horses headed to the sales begin a more intensive routine of sales prep that involves a lot of walking, regular stabling, etc.
Usually horses head off to the breaking farm around the fall of their yearling year. A lot of people spend a few weeks getting them legged up and riding out, then bring them home and give them some time off. Others go straight into preparation for the track. It just depends.
Do you have a trainer lined up for when the horse goes to the track?
I don’t have a trainer picked out, but one of my good friends trained for 20 years and does retirement and retraining now, and she said she’ll help me find someone when we get there.
IMO, one thing that’s important when raising a TB to be a racehorse is that the foal is not “hot-housed” as it’s growing up. In central Kentucky, TB babies spend most of their lives outdoors in all but the worst weather. They live in big, hilly, pastures, usually in groups of 6, 8, or more. The foals have plenty of room to run and play and they use all of it. They race, they roughhouse, and they mock-fight. They use their muscles, they wear themselves out, and they quite naturally become totally comfortable in groups of galloping horses. If you have a way to duplicate that situation your prospective foal will have a chance to learn things that will serve it well in its future career.
What Laurie B said. This was my first take on your plan too. Young racehorses need both the physical and psychological experience of running in a group, and social development from a very early age. Not “coddled” like show horses sometimes are. Building bone density starts early, and building competitive attitudes do too. If you can’t supply this for your growing foal, you are likely going to have a greater (???) chance for success in buying a yearling, either privately or at a sale, who has been raised this way. Because your other option is to buy several mares, and have several foals of your own, so that they can grow up together correctly, which will multiply your investment by an astronomical amount.
Go shopping at the yearling sales. It’s an experience in itself. And way cheaper than raising your own. Good luck, I hope you experience the unbelievable thrill of winning a race with your own horse. To see YOUR horse pulling away from the field in victory, man, there is nothing like it. Heart stopping.
First thing that came to mind. Come work for me, lol.
Sure wish those of us doing this had the same luxury that Sport Horse trainers/ riders have. Working students, that get paid little to nothing and have to work their butts off. And they seem to line up for the position.
IMO if someone wants to become a “horsemen” the complete horsemen. They should know the drill, soup to nuts. From last cover to the first start. On the racetrack, show ring or Event course.
I’ve never bred/raised etc a “singleton”. Nor have I seen others do this. But am sure there are plenty that do. Would make for an interesting study.
The 2 books I recommend out of a handful I have read over the years. The Complete Book of Foaling and Joe Taylor’s How to breed and raise Racehorses. But nothing beats working hands on with mentors. There are so many tricks to the trade for many different situations. IMO nothing is written in stone when it comes to all things horse. I have modified, changed and or just don’t do things I was taught.
It’s not worth doing unless you have oh, mid five to six figures to set fire to. If you want to raise a foal, raise a foal that will make a decent riding horse and have the potential to live a long, happy, useful life. Race horses do not always make decent riding horses, and if you don’t end up with a really good one, you’ll end up running in claiming races. There is no reason whatsoever to subject a horse to race training if you are not committed to raising a good quality race horse. There are way way too many race horses needing second careers, and breeding a mid to low quality TB just perpetuates the problem of what to do with all these ex racers. And racing is very hard on them - why risk an injury to a horse making them work that hard?
Well if she sends the foal to you she will never lose a race.
Wow and I thought I did things expensively but I have never come close to six figures for a single foal (from birth to race horse) and I have raised 18 of them both in California and Kentucky. I have a two year old Shackleford running this year who might have cost $50-ish with the stud fee and factoring in hauling the mare back and forth to California but it doesn’t have to be that way. The poster has access to 25 acres I have never had and realistically without hiccups I would estimate $800 a month for the first year and a half and then $1500 a month to break the horse (x 6), then $2000 a month plus vet to train the horse unless she is planning on being at NYRA or Southern California. That’s about $30,000 to make it to the races and that is probably on the high side. Of course things can go to hell fast but then generally people stop. Also horses make money and/or get claimed away, breeders get awards, horses get sold etc.
From my perspective, I didn’t want to raise one by myself. There is so much that goes into it that I preferred having an expert handle the nutrition and socializing etc not to mention the sticky picky things the Jockey Club wants to register one. In a very competitive world, a breeder with a single horse is putting that horse at a disadvantage IMO.
Let’s mention those things, please! Is it not as simple as having a registered mare bred to a stallion and the stallion owner sending in a breeding report and the mare owner requests papers on the foal?
You have to pull hair and send it off for DNA as well as describe the markings in words and follow up with photos from a million different angles. It can take some back and forth to get it to the point that they accept it. Not a big deal but can be annoying. As can figuring out a name that is available. I tried to name one mine Quite a Star but it was rejected because there was a horse named Quoit a Star already for example.
You have gotten some good advice already but I am going to add some based on my own experiences.
If you have not already found a mare, pick the best one you can afford.
Do your research, and try to get one from a good female family, there are a lot of research tools and opinions out there, read as many as possible.
Since this horse will retire with you make sure the mare has a temperament you would like in a riding horse.
When looking at stallions(after you made your match on paper) pay close attention to the stallions temperament.
If the stallion is nice most farms will let you approach and pet them, if not be cautious.
You want the sire and dam to have the qualities that would make a good riding horse if the foal flops as a racehorse.
Figure out what you are willing to spend( a lot of this is regional) and stick to it.
Find people whose advice you trust, and give their thoughts serious consideration.
Deciding whether or not to progress with a young horse can be tricky, not even people who spend their lives doing this get it right all the time, that is why you have to stick to your budget!
Getting partners is a great way to go, if you can get some interested parties.
Good Luck, it can be fun as long as you spend wisely!
Also, consider purchasing a mare already in foal.
I grew up on a breeding farm, then I worked for years taking care of other people’s mares. When I decided to start purchasing my own stock to breed, I had an above average amount of knowledge going into it. I knew the drill and I knew the risks. I still ended up eating my hat with nothing to show for it in my first attempts.
You really need to get back in the game and show us how it’s done!
So by your figures you are at $80,000, which is right in the mid-five to six figure range. Is that with or without the vet? $120 a month for the blacksmith? And this is for a 2 yo, correct? So if he doesn’t make it to the races at 2, then the bills keep piling up until he gets there, but looks like yours did, nice.
No read my lips…$50k at this point and I have won purses and won breeders award to defray it. He’s the expensive one – normally it is about $30k by the time I am at the races as a 2 year old and there are only two I can think of that hadn’t run at that point when I still had them. I also do things a little more expensively than could be done because I board and there are cheaper options out there. Call that personal preference.
It is not an inexpensive endeavor or one to take lightly but it is not as ridiculously expensive as you imply. I could never have done it with your numbers but then you never have done it at all have you? To throw out numbers willy nilly and parrot things you have learned online is sort of irresponsible. I get that free advice is worth what the original poster paid for it but reread what you said – it is way too over the top and negative.
Just my two dollars and yeah I have the cancelled checks to prove I have paid them.
OP doesn’t have a broodmare. What is the value of the mare?
Regardless of production costs. purchase price of a yearling. For the average person it will cost between $20-$30,000 to get the horse into the starting gate for the first time. Considering most horses don’t make their first start until late in their 2 year old year, more like early 3 year old if lucky. Expect the expenses to be closer to $30gs.
I could do it a lot cheaper because I had a farm that was big enough to properly train off of. I took in some outside horses to off set a small percentage of my costs. Mainly to have enough horses to get the attention, make it worthwhile to get and keep freelance riders. I couldn’t ride them all. But what people are willing to pay really didn’t make it worthwhile.
Only the horses that I felt showed enough race talent to open in MSW, maiden special weight went to the track. Paying training expenses on horses that in all likelihood will open, be low level claimers is a fools game a waste of money. If they show anything in their first couple of races they will get claimed by smart money. One’s that don’t get claimed will be hard pressed to win a race at the level they are running. Couple months later dropped to bottom level with more money thrown after bad. What ever they win will never cover the expenses to get that win. Not even close. Even if the horse gets claimed.
People see some hard knocking claimers that have won, $100-200g and say look at this one. Well ya, but look how many times it was claimed. It didn’t win much money if any for any one person.
When my horses shipped to the track they were ready to roll. They had plenty of works at my farm with no “track” a big field with good turf. The trainer just had to give about 2 weeks legging up on the dirt and work them 3. A bit more gate schooling and they were ready to brake. I had a mock gate to work with at the farm.
I didn’t have the money to risk sending a lot of horses to the track. But we did all right with the ones I did. Broke even at best over all. But no one should get into racing expecting to make money. HOPE to break even at best. Hope to get close to breaking even at the end of the day. Hope they win at least one race.
The important thing is to have fun losing some money. Cherish the win, cherish the feeling of your horse coming down the stretch in the hunt. With a good chance of winning even if it doesn’t. Cut your loses and retire the horse if it doesn’t do any of this fairly often.
IMO and experience not matter how much money you have into a horse before it gets to the track. Do the math. If it only shows limited ability in its early training. More times than not that is best it will ever be. Spending $30,000++ and have it claimed for $10,000 is bad money management. Or just give me $10,000 and you will still be $20,000 ahead.
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