Thursday, July 27, 2017

A California Racing Horse Stable

By Jeffrey Ross


The thoroughbred racing industry employs tens of thousands of people, requires the breeding and raising of thousands of horses, and gives pleasure to countless fans. The racetrack itself is exciting and colorful, but the real heart of a California racing horse stable is on the 'backstretch'. This is the barn area, where the horses live and a whole lot of people take care of them.

The barn area has rows of long, low barns. The roofs extend out to cover a dirt aisle that circles the inner stalls, constructed back to back. This aisle is known as the shedrow, used to walk horses that won't be galloped that day or that need to be cooled out after workouts. Any unused stall will probably be filled with hay and straw. Locking tack rooms and feed rooms store saddles, bridles, grooming kits, and other gear, as well as grain and supplements that keep the horses fit and full of energy.

Each horse has a stall, which is a big box about twelve or fourteen foot square. There is plenty of headroom, because thoroughbreds are tall and may rear up if they get excited. The stalls are bedded deeply with bright straw, which the grooms clean thoroughly each day and periodically pick up piles of manure.

Each stall is equipped with a feed tub and a water bucket. Hay is generally fed on the ground in a corner, and the horse can be tied to the wall for grooming or tacking up. There may be windows in the walls, but usually the only opening is the front door, and horses like to stick their heads out to see what's happening. It makes a pretty picture when a long line of horses are eagerly looking for their feed.

The people who work on the backstretch are all licensed by the racing authorities. Guests have to be accompanied by an owner or trainer. This world is peopled by jockeys and their agents, and supervised by the trainers. Grooms and exercise riders do the work, only authorized people can bring in feed or hay, and even the farriers need a license to come in and shoe the racers. This helps to make the racing community a close-knit one.

The center of everything is the horses. Their care and training is the reason for all backstretch activity, and the hope of their success keeps all the people on their toes. In California, most of the animals are well-bred and gorgeous. Grooms fall in love with their charges; in fact, many feel like the horses are more theirs than the property of the people who actually own them.

Racetrackers like the excitement of the races, but it's the backstretch that enchants them and makes many spend their whole adult life at one track or another. Early morning chores, the fun of carrying feed to eager animals, the perfection of a freshly raked shedrow are part of the charm. It is more than a job, it's a way of life.

Horses need to be fed morning, noon, and night. They are exercised at least once a day, twice on race days. They are brushed, their feet are kept clean and shod, their teeth are attended to, and their legs are examined, rubbed, and wrapped with bandages. This is definitely not a part-time job. Few get rich in the sport of kings, but many are addicted to it. There is nothing like it.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment