Training Camp

What's it look like from back of a horse? Even at the standstill I was unable to get Art to quit fidgeting, but, if you specifically look down, you get some idea. I'll figure out how to post the camcorder clips one of these days.

We are training two youngsters, and so I thought I might in the future organize the posts, so that they look like this per last night's training:

Art (age 2): 1.5 miles trot under tack. Last Friday's riderless breeze at 2 x 1 mile at 90% speed was a tough one. There was some slight heat in the shin of the left front afterward, and so we're backing off just a bit this week. I call this time of year "training camp" instead of the off season. Starting last June it took me 5 months to get to 12 year old Groovin's Wind's final pre-race breezes. Five months from now puts us into April 2008 with this youngster just now beginning serious tack work.

And so, with Art, we're best about our business. If there's one thing I've learned of late with my young horses it is that time flies, and each day has a place if you want to get them to the races. The weather around here has been great compared to last year's weather disaster, and, if the weather holds, hopefully we'll be going in a straight line to the starting gate of a 4f race at Eureka on the first Saturday in May. It's other than the Derby for Art, but, at this point we'd take it.

Y: The new yearling will be designated Y till we figure out a name. Yesterday was Y's 9th day at the farm. The new yearling plates have yet to arrive, so Y is still without shoes on the hinds, and getting a bit long in the toe overall. I've thus avoided anymore speed work (he ran fast on his own two straight days when he got here). Based on last week's work the youngster now lunges to the right, wears the saddle and accepted the bridle at first asking. He warms up at the trot with the oldsters nightly and this would include about 4f of slow galloping changing directions in the middle. Mild stuff to date both due to lack of rear shoes and this fellow's knees are going to require a couple more months before I'm comfortable with serious work.