Standardbred racing or I need a life :)

[Where_sMyWhite]

So when I need “noise” I have TVG on (where is that blush?) :o

In the evenings there is often standardbred racing. After watching some of the races, I have some questions.

Who owns the sulkies? The owner? Trainer? Driver? Track?

I often see “bands” around the horse’s front legs above the knees. Are these part of the trotting/pacing harness or something else?

Do trotters/pacers break down more often than the TBs given they are running on a harder surface than the TBs?

Interesting to watch within a race the difference in movement… some have very flat knee action and some have a much more pronounced knee action. Is one more efficient or preferred than the other?

If a horse breaks to a canter, are they immediately DQ’d or can they regain the trot/pace and re-join the race?

Is there a penalty for racing inside the pylons?

[sk_pacer]

Race bikes are owned by either the drivers or trainers and infrequently the owners although some tracks keep an emergency bike of their own on hand in case of a breakdown.

Those bands are not bands but knee boots to keep the horse from injuring itself when it goes to its knees…not falling but a form of front end interference. There are many kinds of knee boots, in materials ranging from felt to hard plastic with a metal insert for the hard knee knockers. Also, there are boots for front shins, hind shins, speedy cuts, over reaching, elbows (trotters only). crossfiring, and even a thing called a Go-Straight to help a horse not hit himself from ankles to knees and beyond. That is only skimming the surface of the equipment that may be needed.

No, the incidence of break down is actually lower because of the gait. ALso because of the gait, the track needs to be harder as in either trot or pace, the horse hits, slides and takes off rather than hits, sticks and takes off.

Knee action is mostly irrelevant as long as the stride length and speed are both there…you don’t want something that is a real daisy cutter nor do you want something that has a front end that looks like a sewing machine at high speed.

Breaking rule roughly reads when a horse breaks the driver must take back and lose ground where clearance exists and get the horse back on gait. If a horse is lapped on break at the wire, the breaking horse will be set back and may or may not finish in the money as a result of the penalty, but the race time stands.

Pylon violation - driver fines ranging from 50.00 and up and enough offences may give a driver a ‘holiday’ aka driving suspension. If the violation goes so far that the horse takes a shortcut across the infield, the horse is disqualified and may have to requalify and the driver gets dinged too.

[Where_sMyWhite]

sk_pacer, thank you!!!

I figured there was more equipment than TB but didn’t realize it was that much over the “standard” blinkers, pace “harness” (whatever the equipment is that keeps the pace and sometimes the trot).

I still love watching the TBs but the SBs are also very interesting to watch and now I know a bit more about what I am watching

[beaujolais]

“Standardbred racing or I need a life :)”

No, no, - standardbred racing IS life! :yes:

[Big_Tag]

I actually imagine the “bands” you are seeing are trotting or pacing hobbles. Trotters occasionally wear them, but only in the front, and pacers almost invariably wear them on both fron and back legs.

[jvanrens]

[QUOTE=sonomacounty;8424241]
“Standardbred racing or I need a life :)”

No, no, - standardbred racing IS life! :yes:[/QUOTE]

Sure you don’t live in our house sonomacounty? LOL We live/breath/sleep standardbreds here, though I’m a bit of a rebel and my personal horse is a QH. My daughter and SO are off to race our Dragon Again three year old filly at Rideau Carleton tonight. Her first night there, she’s raced at Vernon and Saratoga with success this year. Hopefully she likes the track and driver change, since heaven forbid you hit the wench.

[beaujolais]

Best of luck, Jvan!!

Sorry I have not added anything to White’s question as I’ve been dealing with a really miserable cold. SK & Big Tag did a marvelous job, though.

[jvanrens]

[QUOTE=sonomacounty;8425757]
Best of luck, Jvan!!

Sorry I have not added anything to White’s question as I’ve been dealing with a really miserable cold. SK & Big Tag did a marvelous job, though.[/QUOTE]

Thanks! She was second racing against the boys. Was shuffled back badly but came up the stretch like a monster. She’s a tough girl.

Yes, nothing much to add to what was posted earlier either but if there’s any other questions I feel remotely qualified to answer I’ll take a kick at them if I have useful information to share.

[Where_sMyWhite]

[QUOTE=sonomacounty;8425757]
Best of luck, Jvan!!

Sorry I have not added anything to White’s question as I’ve been dealing with a really miserable cold. SK & Big Tag did a marvelous job, though.[/QUOTE]

Yes they did for which I thank them and hope you feel better soon!

[beaujolais]

Yay, go Filly!! Congratulations!!! Awesome!

Thanks so much, WMW!!

[wildernessD]

Here’s some info links to the United States Trotting Assoc.

http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?481109-Standardbred-racing-or-I-need-a-life-)

http://fanguide.ustrotting.com/racetrack-experience.cfm

Equipment; pacer
http://fanguide.ustrotting.com/equipped-for-racing.cfm

[Where_sMyWhite]

Thanks wildernessD.

These horses impress me (well, and the drivers too!) It is cold (sub freezing) and snowing and they are still out working The TB’s and jocks would have called it a day long before

I’ll have to look at those links. Seems like pacers are just as popular as the trotters where I would have thought they were in the minority.

On the other hand, I am still not getting into the Quarter Horse races.

[sk_pacer]

There are more pacers than trotters registered every year…been the trend for a long time now. Some areas don’t even write conditions for trotters now

[Where_sMyWhite]

Is trot vs pace at all genetic?

Do pacers go faster than trotters?

Do pacers stay more sound than trotters?

Wonder why the predominance of pacing when it is the less natural gait for the horse.

[RPM]

[QUOTE=Big_Tag;8425540]
I actually imagine the “bands” you are seeing are trotting or pacing hobbles. Trotters occasionally wear them, but only in the front, and pacers almost invariably wear them on both fron and back legs.[/QUOTE]

This is what I was going to say. I think Big_Tag is right.

I think that pacing is usually a faster gait than trotting. It is not less natural, AFAIK. Not any less natural than a running walk or rack is to some other gaited breeds. I presume that pacers were in the mix of foundation sires for some of the gaited breeds, e.g., American Saddlebred and Tennessee Walking Horse (I know that Standardbreds are in those pedigrees; maybe some of them were pacers). Although Hambletonian was a trotter, and I think Messenger was as well.

ETA a question of my own for Where’sMyWhite: What is TVG? I want to see if I can get it. I love watching harness racing and the “big” sports channels don’t even show the Hambletonian, let alone the Little Brown Jug and other pacing races.

I miss that old NY cable channel that showed harness racing at night so many years ago!

[cripplecreekfrm]

[QUOTE=Where’sMyWhite;8484116]
Is trot vs pace at all genetic?

Do pacers go faster than trotters?

Do pacers stay more sound than trotters?

Wonder why the predominance of pacing when it is the less natural gait for the horse.[/QUOTE]

Normally horses are either trotting bred or pacing bred but both are natural gaits. Though don’t tell our Better’s Delight trotting gelding that he is supposed to pace

Pacers normally go faster than trotters. I haven’t seen one being sounder than the other.

[beaujolais]

Absolutely genetic. That is why one breeds trotters to trotters or pacers to pacers (almost all the time).

Interesting article for you, along similar lines:

http://www.thehorse.com/articles/36397/gait-keeper-gene-mutation-found-in-trotting-horses

The above article shows how it is natural for those with this gene.

Why more pacers - among other reasons - some feel they are less tricky to train, they “break” - meaning go into a gallop less often than trotters, there are lots more races for pacers than trotters, . . .

(I adore trotters, just my thing, nothing as gorgeous as a nice gaited trotter. Are you located near any harness tracks or going to be near one? If so, go down to the rail as you really need to see the beauty up close to get the full impact.)

Yay, WMW is a Standardbred lover now. :encouragement:

[beaujolais]

Oh, and as for the trot being more natural, sometimes you will see trotting bred horses that had been tried or raced a bit as a trotter but now race as pacers (cause they are better at it/it’s easier for them). It’s quite rare to see the other direction, meaning a pacer that becomes a trotter.

[RPM]

One of the dumbest things I ever saw was a then-new edition of Born to Trot. The cover artist had painted Rosalind as a pacer. Can’t believe the publisher let that one get by.

[Where_sMyWhite]

[QUOTE=RPM;8484162]
What is TVG? I want to see if I can get it. I love watching harness racing and the “big” sports channels don’t even show the Hambletonian, let alone the Little Brown Jug and other pacing races.[/QUOTE]

I have DIRECTV and I suspect because of the sports package I have, I get TVG. It is definitely not over the air. Cable, DISH probably also offer it although it may be a premium upgrade.

Tons of racing… TB, QH STB along with racing across the US + down under and Japan (haven’t seen European racing on it). It can be non-stop racing if 4-5 tracks are running

I don’t think the “bands” are part of the hobbles as one horse last night had small (maybe 1- 1 1/2" bands, 2 of them) under each knee. All the pacers/trotters that have hobbles seem to end above the knee.

The only track I know in Phoenix is Turf Paradise and they are, I think, QH and TB only. Is there a STB track in Phoenix?