question regarding the assistant starters in the gate
Do they just stand on that little ledge or do they ever straddle the partitions (not sure if that would be safe)? How do they not slip off the ledge sometimes, say if it is muddy & they have a bad actor? Do they wear any certain sneakers/shoes for more stability?
Thanks!
They stand on that ledge, it’s wider then you think and there’s a type of non-slip material so they don’t slide off. No they don’t wear any special shoes and if they need to they will hold onto the bars for stability. You have to be pretty agile and quick to have that job 
What blows me away is that in Europe, they load the horse, then crawl out under the front of the gate!
The ledge is about 4in wide. Sometimes if a horse throws a fit they do get knocked off of it. Sometimes a horse will break into the Assistant Starters back leg and either knock them off the ledge or bruise them. Most Starting Gates are made such that the Assistant Starter stands one foot infront of the other. There are some gates made so the Assistant Starter can straddle. I would rather not straddle, makes it difficult to handle a horse with 2 hands.
I’m surprised that someone somewhere hasn’t redesigned the starting gate to make it safer and less terrifying for all involved. But racing (and horse people on the whole) tend to operate with the mindset, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! We’ve been doing it this way for years.”
[QUOTE=Texarkana;7840868]
I’m surprised that someone somewhere hasn’t redesigned the starting gate to make it safer and less terrifying for all involved. But racing (and horse people on the whole) tend to operate with the mindset, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! We’ve been doing it this way for years.”[/QUOTE]
Out of the thousands of horses that go through, only a handful of them ever seem to find it terrifying. I pony races, so I spend a lot of time behind the gates, and really they are pretty well thought out contraptions. I’ve seen horses panic and get themselves in some pretty bad jams, but only I can only remember one time when I saw a horse end up with more than a couple scratches and a little body soreness. For a piece of horse equipment the starting gate’s record is pretty good, a lot better than trailers.
I’ve never seen a gate crew member slip in the gates, most of them have their “stance” figured out. You probably couldn’t pry any of those guys from that ledge if you tried. It is much more stable than it appears from and distance and on camera.
All three TBs I have had were MUCH better about getting in the gate than getting in a trailer (after the H/J trainer I started with got hold of him, Old OTTB was positively psychotic about loading.)
[QUOTE=Angelico;7840887]
Out of the thousands of horses that go through, only a handful of them ever seem to find it terrifying. I pony races, so I spend a lot of time behind the gates, and really they are pretty well thought out contraptions. I’ve seen horses panic and get themselves in some pretty bad jams, but only I can only remember one time when I saw a horse end up with more than a couple scratches and a little body soreness. For a piece of horse equipment the starting gate’s record is pretty good, a lot better than trailers.
I’ve never seen a gate crew member slip in the gates, most of them have their “stance” figured out. You probably couldn’t pry any of those guys from that ledge if you tried. It is much more stable than it appears from and distance and on camera.[/QUOTE]
I’ve never seen many hurt either, but you can’t tell me you don’t think it could somehow be safer than having two humans and a horse precariously squished in tiny metal box!
It is a very dangerous job!! In the “old days” they didn’t wear helmets and protection vests. And yes…some have been killed in the line of duty!! Picture a split second error of the gate opening…horse lunging out…and the Assistant not turning the horse loose…by a fraction of a second!! Not nice to watch.
[QUOTE=Texarkana;7840913]
I’ve never seen many hurt either, but you can’t tell me you don’t think it could somehow be safer than having two humans and a horse precariously squished in tiny metal box![/QUOTE]
I really can’t see how to make it any safer really, and gates are safer than a lineup start. Two humans and a horse in the gates are a lot better than one human and a horse. I’ve been on a horse in the gate without a header a few times and while luckily nothing happened, I definitely missed having that other person.
The gates are a lot bigger than you think when you are standing next to them, and there is thick padding on nearly every surface. The spot where the horse stands is narrow (and a little freaky the first few times you ride through it) but that is also a safety thing, the more room they have to wiggle the easier it is for them to hurt themselves and the harder it is to control them. Notice how the back gates are lower, if a horse goes up or flips the jockey almost always goes right out the back and is protected from the horse.
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