Training question

[Laurierace]

@Palm Beach

You summed it up in post 17. I stay small and avoid clients, just have a couple runners for myself. I’ve been around the track since childhood, but only got into it as an owner about 15 years ago. I stayed small, as my experience with different types of racing operations, farms, etc made it abundantly clear how high the overhead was and exhausting the labor. To put it in perspective, I am happily running a profitable Chick-Fil-A as opposed to trying to get into the high end gourmet restaurant business. And I get Sundays off. I tend to prefer older horses, and don’t hesitate to give them farm time or retire them when needed. Right now my biggest problem is finding horses I like - low inventory. I have a vet who is a dear friend, and she will occasionally ask me to rescue/rehab a racehorse that has an injury that may keep it from racing, but should allow a good second career. I keep the horse for no charge, and she has been very generous with my bills. Being a small operation, I do all the labor myself and don’t need expensive equipment.

As a child and young adult, I dreamed of the big beautiful farm and for a little while considered being a trainer. But the farm looked too expensive, and I don’t feel I had what it takes to be a successful trainer - I don’t feel that I understand the subtle nuances of what race/level the horse is capable of winning.

Why would you need to avoid clients if you aren’t a trainer? I have never heard of an owner having clients.

[Where_sMyWhite]

@danacat

If I’m remembering correctly: When R. Reagan became president, a law was passed that made owning racehorses (owners only – not trainers) a HOBBY not a business (or something very close to that).

Close but not quite true. Racehorses can be an investment but the IRS must recognize the investment as a business investment with ‘for profit’ motives as well as determining if the owner is an active or passive investor.

So, racehorses can still be a business, just much harder than it was before the tax law changed.

[Palm_Beach]

@Laurierace

Why would you need to avoid clients if you aren’t a trainer? I have never heard of an owner having clients.

People ask me to take layups, leg ups, etc on my farm. I do it for my own horses, just don’t want the headache of doing it for other people.

[danacat]

@Where'sMyWhite

Close but not quite true. Racehorses can be an investment but the IRS must recognize the investment as a business investment with ‘for profit’ motives as well as determining if the owner is an active or passive investor.

So, racehorses can still be a business, just much harder than it was before the tax law changed.

Thank you for clarifying. Yes, the passive/active part (which I couldn’t remember) was important.

[littlebaypony]

Circling back to my original question: breezing is a fast gallop for about 4-5 furlongs, working is slower perhaps longer? When I watch video of some famous horse charging around the track along the rail he’s “breezing” and the slower horses galloping/cantering in the middle of the track are “galloping”? When they are finished working and cooling down or coming off the track they’re on the outside rail going the reverse direction?
Thank you all for your comments, I love learning about racing life from those that truly know.

[Texarkana]

@littlebaypony

Circling back to my original question: breezing is a fast gallop for about 4-5 furlongs, working is slower perhaps longer? When I watch video of some famous horse charging around the track along the rail he’s “breezing” and the slower horses galloping/cantering in the middle of the track are “galloping”? When they are finished working and cooling down or coming off the track they’re on the outside rail going the reverse direction?
Thank you all for your comments, I love learning about racing life from those that truly know.

Working and breezing are used interchangeably. In my own circles, the term “working” is used far more than “breezing.” But they both mean to train at (or near) racing speed.

I think the confusion stems from the fact that both words have multiple meanings in the context of training, or slightly regional differences from barn to barn. In casual conversation, someone might drop the verb “work” to describe any general training. And “breezing” can also be used as an adjective to describe the visual impression of the work.

To answer the second part of your question, yes, the slower horses in the middle of the track are galloping.

The horses going the reverse direction are generally warming up, not cooling out. The typical pattern for horses training at the track is to spend time walking in the barn before heading to the track, then “jog the wrong way” about once around before galloping or working. Then they head back to the barn, where they walk the shedrow more to cool out. Of course, different trainers have their own variations.

[Palm_Beach]

A “gallop” is a speed somewhat slower than 2 minutes per mile. A “2 minute lick” is a fast gallop at which pace the horse would cover a mile in 2 minutes. In a “work” or “breeze,” you are usually looking at 12-13 seconds per furlong, depending on the trainer’s instructions and the fitness level of the horse. Sometimes the trainer wants you a little slower than 13s if it’s a youngster or a horse coming off a layoff.