What's Up With This?

A few days vacation from blogging, but the RR ears perk up today as I'm considering this weekend's Florida Derby and the breezing and training up to this big race. My thoughts on Fl. Derby when the PPs post.

Meanwhile, what's up of late with all the horses racing with their tongues hanging out? I'd thought it was due to too tight tongue ties, but, here's Jalil in Dubai with just a flash nose band and a blue tongue hanging out. Nice looking horse, btw!

Unknown to me if a tongue flapping all the way around the race track affects race results, but, can this be anything but another subtle, although probably benign, form of horse abuse perpetrated by our training community. Do they care if the horse enjoys the race, or has to endure his tongue flapping in the breeze as it runs? Seems to me, if my horse had the problem that I'd take a look at the equipment and fix it. What need is there to pull the straps on the flash noseband so tight there's insufficient room for the tongue in the horse's own mouth?

Training:
Mon: 3/24/08: Riderless speed work for both horses. Looked good. March is strengthening month. We'll begin race prep in April.
Tues: 3/25/08: the well thought out tack plans for both go awry. Just as I commence the riderless gallop with Art he's out there limping. Lost a shoe. The ground conditions are hard bumpy interspersed with deep mud. By the time the shoe's back on too late for tack work, but, we get in the planned riderless work. Planned a warm up + 2 miles without stop slow. Called it at a mile and a half. The ground is wind blown hard as a rock. I was fearing hoof bruising or worse. Rod had the day off as I'd noticed some check ligament looseness in the area of the splint bone left front the day before, undoubtedly caused by pulling his feet out of deep mud. He'll get two days off with this minor injury.
Wed. 3/26/08: Both horses off.