Just a quick question for those with horses in training. *She's home* Have diagnosis.

[Xctrygirl]

We have made a game plan now and short version is the filly is coming home and will be re-evaluated here.

I did try to express to the trainer that I have no qualms with her or her training and that for me this is more about communication than anything else.

So we’ll get her home and check over her wellness and then she’ll go to a trainer friend of mine to evaluate at a more local location for a week to see:

1. Where she is actually in her training?
2. How she is at the gate?
3. (Big one) Does she want to be a racehorse?

To be very clear this is a nice mare. A super athletic type and mover and already loves to jump over the exposure she’s had to small logs etc.
The running joke has been that her second career is a lock, but we were trying to get a first career first.

I appreciate all the feedback you’ve given me.

~Emily

[Where_sMyWhite]

Keep us posted after you get her home.

At least you know what she appears to want to do if she doesn’t want to be a racehorse

[Flash44]

Sorry you had so much trouble with your trainer. The phones of the trainers I know ring nonstop, and most of them with decent sized barns are going full tilt from at least 5 AM to 9 PM. Some of them lose clients due to communication, but I do understand that owners want to be kept informed when they are getting training bills.

3 months should be plenty of time to get a gate card if she was already breezing before she went to the trainer, as long as she was sound.

[Xctrygirl]

Couple points of info just for clarification:

1. When we sent her she was galloping 3 miles a day over fields and the wood chip track. She had done some speed work in company but no official breezes

2. The initial setback was that she had an issue with the track atmosphere and the dirt. This could have been complicated by the level of experience rider who was put on her. I found out about the issues 2.5 weeks after they started. I came up on the Saturday after I was told and rode her and I was told she improved from there with the changes I had suggested. (Different rider, different amounts of jog before gallop, different company) This is of course working on the assumption/info that I was told they did follow my suggestions.

3. Trainer has (I believe) 10-12 horses in training and 1 toddler age child. (Just for life workload understanding)

4. I did just go back and saw that on the Monday October 3rd email for the September bill, the trainer mentioned that they planned to try to break for her card that Saturday. Then the next day they worked her 3/8ths and that kind of didn’t mesh for me with breaking for her card Saturday so I texted and magically the break for the card had moved to the following week with no further reasoning. Then on Friday a conflict came up that prevented me from being there to watch her go to the gate Saturday and due to rain expected Sat am, they wanted to push back to the following week. That was the last communication I received before this past Friday (10/15) when I asked for a timeline of when we thought she’d be able to get a gate card, which now the answer became “She’s started to get an attitude about coming out straight. Went back yesterday to break for her card and she came out very slowly. Finding her new company for next week.”

That was the straw that broke this camel’s back.

~Emily

[Flypony]

I talk to my owners all the time. I only train for people I like, that helps. I do believe we need owners, this is a hobby for them, we need it to be enjoyable. I also welcome the visits, they are not an inconvenience at all

I am sorry this trainer hasn’t lived up to your expectations. Couldn’t you just get the OK on her yourself?

[Xctrygirl]

Not with a full time job definitely 40 minutes away from most local tracks. Figure I work 8-4 or 5. Not exactly conducive to getting a baby to the gate multiple times a week.

I have thought about it but I ended up thinking that it would be too much on my job and my husband. That’s not a good idea.

Emily

[Xctrygirl]

Update she’s home.

And she’s lame.

Lameness workup with my vet tomorrow am.

Emily

[LaurieB]

[QUOTE=Xctrygirl;8900691]
Update she’s home.

And she’s lame.

Lameness workup with my vet tomorrow am.

Emily[/QUOTE]

I’m glad you have her back. And I hope the lameness is nothing serious. Please keep us posted.

[ASB_Stars]

[QUOTE=LaurieB;8900954]
I’m glad you have her back. And I hope the lameness is nothing serious. Please keep us posted.[/QUOTE]

This. Hugs, and thinking of you guys…

[Flypony]

I guess you know why it took so long…hope her name wasn’t Day Money on the training chart. I am sorry about your horse.

[Where_sMyWhite]

Hope she is ok and glad she’s home.

Keep us posted on how she’s doing

[Xctrygirl]

Ok some amount of xrays, blocking and an ultrasound later we have the following conclusions:

1. Both shins are actively painful but not cracked nor stress fractured. Just ouchy. Right front was worse, but when you block the right, the left leg is instantly lame as well.

2. She has what my vet referred to as a “pre-lesion” in the left suspensory where the medial branch comes to the sesamoid. (I’m a parrot on this… I just wrote it down. Don’t kill me if I have the terms wrong)

The short answer is that we got very lucky to pull her home when we did. Blood work just showed she was stressed but that could simply have been from shipping home yesterday.

We’ll use topical Surpass and she’ll go on paddock turnout and stall, for a couple months then recheck. My vet commented on how sweet she is and I realized again that the filly getting the rep of being “attitudey and difficult” at the track should have been my first hint.

~Emily

[jennywho]

Ugh so sorry, hope she heals quickly. Would love to throttle the “trainer” for you.

Umm, WHY do we have an owner shortage? Grr

[Kasey]

Backside Attitudes towards Owners

[QUOTE=Xctrygirl;8901720]
Ok some amount of xrays, blocking and an ultrasound later we have the following conclusions:

1. Both shins are actively painful but not cracked nor stress fractured. Just ouchy. Right front was worse, but when you block the right, the left leg is instantly lame as well.

2. She has what my vet referred to as a “pre-lesion” in the left suspensory where the medial branch comes to the sesamoid. (I’m a parrot on this… I just wrote it down. Don’t kill me if I have the terms wrong)

The short answer is that we got very lucky to pull her home when we did. Blood work just showed she was stressed but that could simply have been from shipping home yesterday.

We’ll use topical Surpass and she’ll go on paddock turnout and stall, for a couple months then recheck. My vet commented on how sweet she is and I realized again that the filly getting the rep of being “attitudey and difficult” at the track should have been my first hint.

~Emily[/QUOTE]

So sorry to hear about your horse. Unfortunately your experience is the norm rather than the exception. I carefully researched my trainer and well in the end it was a waste of time. Often owners who want to stay in the game go through several trainers and their staff before they settle in to one that is trusted. Then of course there is the partner who may meddle in the other partners relationship with their trainer, crew and yes indeedie, the jockey. Owners who stop in unannounced often times get the cold shoulder…perhaps out of fear of being found out. Issues: 1). expired vitamins, 2). Vet training the horse (lots of scoping) often times for free (kickback) vet care for the trainers own horses. 3). Horses that are not well but continue to stay at the barn rather put in pasture (read the vet bill). 4). keeping horses with no talent just a tad longer for an extra month or two training billing…etc.

Owners who change trainers end up in the gossip on social media. Owners who visit unannounced are labeled absentee or greedy owners in the media fodder. Even though they are clearly at the events. These labels stick because they make for good stories and provide leverage in disputes. Take it with a grain of salt. If you want to stay in the game you have to learn to be the bad guy.

[Where_sMyWhite]

Em, glad you have a diagnosis and doesn’t sound like anything permanent or career threatening (at least at this point).

I second the ‘glad you got her home when you did’!!

[Xctrygirl]

[QUOTE=Kasey;8901950]

Owners who change trainers end up in the gossip on social media. Owners who visit unannounced are labeled absentee or greedy owners in the media fodder. Even though they are clearly at the events. These labels stick because they make for good stories and provide leverage in disputes. Take it with a grain of salt. If you want to stay in the game you have to learn to be the bad guy.[/QUOTE]

Ok so maybe you missed the back story that to be fair wasn’t 100% spelled out on this thread. I worked at the track for hall of fame trainers for over 10 years. I was an exercise rider and am assistant trainer. I have worked with premier barns and claiming barns alike. I have been a licensed trainer in my own right. I knew very well the different perspectives that exist about owners.

Additionally the trainer who was working with my horse was chosen to do the job by myself and my full time trainer. The two of them are friends and my trainers husband, who is a jockey, rides for the trainer. I knew her from horse life in this area. Even though she was only supposed to be my trainer for 30 days or so we food talk about all the vital aspects of a good relationship between trainer and owner. Now did it last? Not as well but barring some obvious things she still did what she said she would do.

I don’t think coming in and telling owners to expect to be treated with the examples you have is the right approach. That would be like loading an airplane full of people who are afraid to fly and listing off that years crash statistics before the plane took off.

I’m happy she’s home. I’m happy the trainer is paid and hopeful that we can resume being friendly acquaintances.

Emily

[Flash44]

New trainer is needed if you decide to put her back in training. Shins are so common (as I’m sure you know) and there are training programs and treatments to get them through it. Hope the suspensory turns out to be a nonissue. The best riders frequently work for the best trainers, and sounds like your trainer has some mediocre riders. At least your filly has some good qualities that will give her a great chance at a second career.

[PeteyPie]

[QUOTE=Xctrygirl;8902239]
Ok so maybe you missed the back story that to be fair wasn’t 100% spelled out on this thread. I worked at the track for hall of fame trainers for over 10 years. I was an exercise rider and am assistant trainer. I have worked with premier barns and claiming barns alike. I have been a licensed trainer in my own right. I knew very well the different perspectives that exist about owners.

Additionally the trainer who was working with my horse was chosen to do the job by myself and my full time trainer. The two of them are friends and my trainers husband, who is a jockey, rides for the trainer. I knew her from horse life in this area. Even though she was only supposed to be my trainer for 30 days or so we food talk about all the vital aspects of a good relationship between trainer and owner. Now did it last? Not as well but barring some obvious things she still did what she said she would do.

I don’t think coming in and telling owners to expect to be treated with the examples you have is the right approach. That would be like loading an airplane full of people who are afraid to fly and listing off that years crash statistics before the plane took off.

I’m happy she’s home. I’m happy the trainer is paid and hopeful that we can resume being friendly acquaintances.

Emily[/QUOTE]

Snort coffee

[Kasey]

[QUOTE=Xctrygirl;8894406]
How much contact do you have with your trainer?

If you have a horse in their barn and it’s not right around the corner, what is your normal level of communication? Is it via text, calls what?

Thanks,

Emily[/QUOTE]

Simply sounds like the usual complaint. I am glad your horse is ok.

[vineyridge]

If she was lame, did the trainer even know? Would she have continued to charge you day rate for a lame, unstarted, still in training horse? I find that she kept a horse with soundness issues without consulting you very strange and disturbing.

It’s a good thing you got her back when you did instead after she had been broken.