Relating Training To Injuries
In our stable we train other than conventionally because conventional training causes injuries. For any who have followed the blog hopefully I've convinced you of the truth of the statement. The blog is past debating "whether" conventional training causes injuries. It's all documented in the archives for such conventional stables as Lukas and Mandella(see December '06 to January '07.). Back in the old days I used to warn: every conventional trainer will injure your horse within three months of entry of getting their hands on it. An exaggeration? After looking at the injury rates of some of these outfits, we can with a fair degree of certitude declare that the statement is an exaggeration, but, barely.
To review: based on close examination I estimated that D.W. Lukas loses 64% of his horses to injury in 1.5 years. Mandella--drawing conclusions from small numbers, 5 of the 8 horses on the DVD "On the Muscle" were injured in 11 months. One, The Tin Man is still racing several years later. I noted the early gluteal injury to The Green Monkey and mused in wonderment that if they can injure a sixteen million dollar horse assigned to the best care, the best stable, and presumably the most intelligent training possible, what hope is there for the rest of us?
Well, hang in there. We're talking about conventional training. There's a lot of ways to skin the cat here. And though I've tried to document, to the extent possible, injury rates in conventional stables and hinted here on causation, I've yet to identify positively the manner in which the injuries occur. If we can somehow figure out what happens, then we can get into prevention!
Training:
WEATHER: Our annual mid-October monsoon arrived yesterday, and we have 6 inches of water in the buckets this morning. How many consecutive years have we had Wind and Aylward a couple of breezes away from racing at the Woodlands, and down comes the rain and they close the track for a week? This caused immense frustration at one time. Now, I just go with it. If weather shuts us down it'll hardly be anything new. Would be a shame after all this work. We'll see. We've been there before.
Wind: I looked at him this morning. I'd say he's down 75 lbs since July. Ribby, overly skinny neck. He's muscular and strong, energy level is very good right now, but, I've yet to see Wind get this thin through any of his prior training programs. Lucky unlike many times in the past, Wind is eating. He gets about 18 lbs. of grain a day, free choice pasture in the day, and plenty of high quality brome hay with minimal amounts of alfalfa at times + his supplements. Part of the problem is pasture death. All the horses have lost weight since August. Our walnut trees are without walnuts this year, and they say the wild life will have a hard time this winter due to the late April freeze shutting down the nut and berry shrubs, and then the alternating periods of rain and drought. I'll be watching Wind's weight. The good news is that the attitude is good, the horse continues to joust with his buddies, and legs still stone cold.
Art: Monday rests after yesterday's riderless breezes. The mud is such it might be two or three days before we can do anything. Depends on the sun.
To review: based on close examination I estimated that D.W. Lukas loses 64% of his horses to injury in 1.5 years. Mandella--drawing conclusions from small numbers, 5 of the 8 horses on the DVD "On the Muscle" were injured in 11 months. One, The Tin Man is still racing several years later. I noted the early gluteal injury to The Green Monkey and mused in wonderment that if they can injure a sixteen million dollar horse assigned to the best care, the best stable, and presumably the most intelligent training possible, what hope is there for the rest of us?
Well, hang in there. We're talking about conventional training. There's a lot of ways to skin the cat here. And though I've tried to document, to the extent possible, injury rates in conventional stables and hinted here on causation, I've yet to identify positively the manner in which the injuries occur. If we can somehow figure out what happens, then we can get into prevention!
Training:
WEATHER: Our annual mid-October monsoon arrived yesterday, and we have 6 inches of water in the buckets this morning. How many consecutive years have we had Wind and Aylward a couple of breezes away from racing at the Woodlands, and down comes the rain and they close the track for a week? This caused immense frustration at one time. Now, I just go with it. If weather shuts us down it'll hardly be anything new. Would be a shame after all this work. We'll see. We've been there before.
Wind: I looked at him this morning. I'd say he's down 75 lbs since July. Ribby, overly skinny neck. He's muscular and strong, energy level is very good right now, but, I've yet to see Wind get this thin through any of his prior training programs. Lucky unlike many times in the past, Wind is eating. He gets about 18 lbs. of grain a day, free choice pasture in the day, and plenty of high quality brome hay with minimal amounts of alfalfa at times + his supplements. Part of the problem is pasture death. All the horses have lost weight since August. Our walnut trees are without walnuts this year, and they say the wild life will have a hard time this winter due to the late April freeze shutting down the nut and berry shrubs, and then the alternating periods of rain and drought. I'll be watching Wind's weight. The good news is that the attitude is good, the horse continues to joust with his buddies, and legs still stone cold.
Art: Monday rests after yesterday's riderless breezes. The mud is such it might be two or three days before we can do anything. Depends on the sun.
posted by rather rapid at
12:01 PM
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