Politics and Horses.

Phew for Mitt Romney in Michigan. How does a smart guy like this keep stepping all over himself verbally? Everybody has met a person such as Romney. Doer instead of thinker. They never waste any time looking at the world conceptually. They are present in the room physically without anything of note really going on upstairs. And so, what should be a cake walk for Romney versus idiots is proving, given the constant out to lunch, unsurprisingly difficult.

Stallion in the vid, the sire of Union Rags. Is there a nicer conformed horse in the stud book? I could stand to get rid of the white socks in terms of soundness. The good die young. Dixie Union was euthanized last summer. Probably EPM from what I am reading. For the connections, of course, just as their stallion gets the big horse.

I want to do a little autobiographical post involving what's going on here without horses to train but save for another day. For this blog I am considering following Derby training and posting on it. I was posting on "performance" and have suddenly, and this is actually confirmed by Michael Matz and Union Rags, conjured up a possibly ideal workout schedule after all these years in terms of performance. Day to day for the moment.

You Play The Cards That Are Dealt

Three months now since Rodney's retirement. I've had since the end of November to think about getting the RR stable going once again. And am starting to fret a little at the passage of time. Maybe, if one has serious plans to win the Derby, in addition to money, motivation and help some sort of sense of urgency is necessary.

I do remember back in late 1996 when I decided to "move" the whole operation from KCMO to Lexington, KY. That was a big personal change of life, and how that actually transferred from being a thought process to occurring was that we just did it. Packed the bags, informed the Landlord we're out of here, put the horses into the trailer and left. I'd made a couple of trips to Lexington of course and found a barn there. Nice people btw Ray and Rita Jones. She runs or ran the County Extension Office there.

I have considered doing the same thing again. Just packing the bags and heading to a horse venue let the chips fall were they may, St. Louis possibly, or Iowa or Phoenix were I have some relatives. That sort of suddenness likely in the end would work out fine.

Probably yours truly is a little short of being totally ready for that sort of adventure. Might happen at some point. My more serious thought processes of the moment vis a vis racing are that when I am ready to get that next yearling or two year old my plans are to have everything ready to go in terms of racing that horse forthwith. The one thing I have learned in this business is how fast the they age and the months pass. When I'd bought these last two before the constant rains hit I'd determined to get them to the track fast. Never happened due to the weather. This next time I plan to have a stall at a race track or training center near a track and my personal situation near a track simultaneously with buying the horse.

As noted in the last prior post this sort of thing requires some money in a time in my office when there's barely enough to keep things going month to month. Interestingly I never distress about lack of money. Think I learned that lesson early when I arrived to live in NYC with $10 dollars in my pocket as a youngster. My car broke down on the way there in the middle of Pennsylvania and I used all my funds to repair it. I learned that without money you survive and I've never worried about low funds since that time. You make do.

To buy a horse, however, and also, as I plan, to have it ready to go at a track is going to require a small nest egg. Luckily, in the "you make do" category, my office does have one nice case going where a fairly large settlement or judgment is likely due in the next 12 months. We'll see and avoid counting chickens before they hatch. When and if this materializes possibly the RR stable will be back in business. More thoughts on currently being out of racing, next post.

Stable Plans

Being without horses to train here at RR stables leaves a void in a lot of ways including a large increase in daily time and some mental adjustment including, if we're to continue in horse racing, what's next?

The prior posts concerning history of my little operation since 1987 mentioned motivation, help that I received from various sources in terms of labor and that money was available in those days. With that same money without any doubt I'd have the next horse already in place as has been the case for the last 25 years. The availability of extra cash always allowed the horse racing to continue forward. In days of yore it was via brood mares and foals supplemented by an occasional expensive (for us) auction purchase. The lesson is that while as is being so obviously once again shown on the 2012 TC trail wealth is unnecessary there is a certain financial bottom line that has to be met to continue racing.

And, that's what I am faced with here in KC these days which is as previously noted a current lack of money, and I write this as I am just back from Court after spending 8 months contesting a mortgage amount owed to Bank of America. I walk into the Courtroom armed to the hilt and ready for trial Bank Am's lawyer is sitting there as I enter and offers settlement which inexplicably offers paying me $1500.00 in attorney fees that I never asked for. Sometimes it pays to get up in the morning.

And so the operation will last for another month even when it seems for me almost every lawyer acquaintance I run into times in terms of money are really tough.

Prefer avoiding long posts and will post in the next one the thought process which seems a combo of my distress involved in having to retire any horse, the money, and the current thoughts in getting to the Derby, such as they are.

More Stable News

14 horses, several were mares and retired, is pretty much a 14 hour a day 24/7 proposition if you're doing your work. I was always humored in Lexington at the Kentucky Horse Center seeing both barns on either side of me scooting about so they could absolutely get out of there by 11:00 a.m. Major league wash rack of course. Their horses were clean, and put up by 11 a.m. and we were generally just getting the last horse off the race track.

Being motivated helps in merrily taking care of the shed row without personal protest. Looking back there were a couple of other things immensely helpful in running the stable.

Number one I had help. Some of it was occasional shed row help. When I needed to leave Eureka or Oklahoma or LA Downs there was still somebody there I was paying to get the horses ridden. In the days as solely an owner, when I was at the race track I payed a trainer generally assisted by a personal employee who kept an eye out 24/7 or the trainer was solely my own employee.

More importantly in those days for 14 years I was with a young lady. Describe her as clever, a comedian. Eventually I tired of the 24/7 jokes,. Nothing ever serious for her. Although she was never directly involved with the horses though she dabbled occasionally you never realize how much they really do till they're gone. In those days I could leave town knowing that someone would hold down the office and any in town horses would be cared for.

Third difference now and then is money. I was luckily most of the working life to make 2012 equivalent of $8-10,000/mo gross and certainly enough to race horses even if the costs in Lexington in '98 finally took all my pocket change. I picked absolutely the wrong venue-Lexington--to move to. Those $25.00 bales of hay (in 1997) will eventually clean you out.
The money spigot came to an abrupt halt about August 2008. I'd seen it coming for a number of reasons--and avoid discussion of that here--I was surprised at the abruptness. Let's say that Obama Administration policies have been unkind to my type of law practice as well as that people in the social class that frequent the office never get married any more. The divorce business for lawyers suddenly collapsed. In these days of $120.00 fill ups of the PU Truck, I make enough money to survive. What's next for the RR stable, I am considering.

Stable Plans (Such As They Are)

Once upon a time I had 11 horses at the farm. I was up to 14 in -97-'98 in my year in Lexington, Ky. I had 7 ready to go at the Woodlands Oct. 1, 2001. I think back to those times particularly when in 2011 before the retirement I would get worn out mentally and physically going to the farm and riding just one horse and maybe doing a little ground work. How in the heck I had the energy and will power to take care of and train so many horses in times past I look back now and question--could I/would I do that again?

Instead of boring with a personal story, there's a point to be made here. If you are an "involved" owner instead of a third party type owner you can get in pretty deep. How does that work, and how, if u've retired ur last horse as I have, do u get back in?

As to how it works, for myself the relevant observation is that there have been some fairly dramatic changes in my situation since the days that I was training seven to start at the Woodlands in 2001, and also before that. These changes illustrate perhaps what it takes to be deeply involved in horse racing and also have a life. A little interesting and illustrative maybe how all that came about for us.

Primarily in those earlier daysI was very highly motivated and this probably resulted from a combo off youthful motivation and also interest and determination vis a vis horse racing. Competitive athletics was something I enjoyed immensely since picking up a basketball in the 5th grade, and I was pretty good at it. So, here was horse racing where you can get into "pro" athletics for a song, financially, and get rich doing what you most enjoy. In terms of personal motivation does it ever get much better than that?

Additionally in those days was the personal thought process resulting from the quality/lack of quality of training at the race tracks of the certainty of success in the horse racing endeavor. How can somebody knowledgeable in exercise physiology possibly fail against this competition? Even after I understood the role of Moore's law in horse racing--that if something bad can happen it will--my thoughts were that eventually we'd surmount the obstacles.

This sort of thinking resulted in the no holes barred/anything goes approach to horse racing, money, time or anything else--without a problem. The title to this blog that I started with a horse purchase in 2006 reflects that same attitude.

And so, focused personally on certain success I hardly ever noticed energy, time or money spent. Need to train in a -10 degree day or in a foot of mud it always got done. Need to take 3 horses off track on a daily basis to give them out of stall time--got done every single day, etc. More to it though than just a good attitude toward the sport. Continue next post.

Sun. Misc.

Third parties can provide the horse care or we can do it ourselves in various degrees of involvement. Anybody owning a horse knows what it takes to bring one out of the starting gate, and never mind the potential rewards or financial losses, it's special and personally rewarding in a way that likely never occurs to 99% of the population.

My path was always personal involvement, 24/7 since 1987, and I brought this up couple of posts ago because with retirement of my last horse it's been a bit of shock and personal decompression. You suddenly find yourself doing and thinking "other things" and what's frankly surprised me about my thoughts re racing is the decline in my previous determination both to stay in racing and to get the next horse. On Rodney's retirement "getting back in" was fully on my mind, and it is a little sad to report the weeks pass I have frankly considered this less and less. Without horses to train I've been surprised that racing has receded in my consciousness. I find myself clicking less on the horse mags such as Blood Horse and with less interest.

And so, for us here in KC there's the Q vis a vis horse racing, what's next, if anything. There are plans and thoughts, and will do some posting on that next. Interestingly and somewhat disconcertingly now that I am on the outside I think I may have finally thought up an ideal performance workout, a late epiphany shall we say, and will get to that one also.

Anti-slaughter

The Humane Society has become a proponent of anti-slaughter. How do well meaning folks get it wrong--and, referring to other than anti-slaughter profiteers whom I find anything but well meaning and hypocrites of the worst sort. Yes Alex Brown, U. The tens of thousands shipped to Mexico thank u. I digress. Today--a real world rendition from the Missouri Ozarks, and has their been anything printed more poignantly on target?

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/01/09/3418452/dumped-horses-are-a-problem-for.html

Somebody introduced a slaughter transport bill in the U.S. House. Good. The anti-slaughter folks should concentrate on humane transport and humane slaughter instead of eliminating plants.

Mon. Misc.

Rodney, age 6, with his mares in the vids. Quite funny to see the two in action in a 30 horse herd. Rodney immediately is herd boss. Took about 5 min of squealing, kicking and horses bouncing off him in all directions. Wind, age 17, is the boss of the little mare at the bottom of the pecking order.

And, as it happened, more entertainment for the witnesses that saw it. Rodney and Wind apparently had an encounter with their mares in the middle of the field and got into a fierce fight rearing and pawing at each other. And then, they said, Wind started landing kicks and Rodney and his group ran off, lol, given age difference and size.

Sun. Misc.

Groovin' Wind and his new girlfriend.

Rodney Retirement Aftermath

Since the year 1987--25 years now--your blogger has been "in training" with race horses, referring to the daily expenditure of time, thought and energy, and that's other than to mention the $$$. This was to 12/11 with the decision to retire Rollin' Rodney, my last active horse. I doubt in all that time I ever once gave a thought to it--if I was without any race horses to train--what would I be doing with all that time. Now that it's here, for this post I'll merely confide that it's interesting.

Can we approach race horse ownership in two different ways? 1) we do everything ourselves or minimally stay totally involved with the animal, or 2) we have the financial wherewithal to employ others to train and care for the animal.

My thought process based on observation, and I figured this out rather quickly after I bought my first horse, one's chances of success in racing leaving things to a 3rd party is a lot like betting on the ponies--your individual success mostly depends on blind luck. Surely if you stay uninvolved you control some things--what horse to buy, you select the venue for early training, you select the trainer, you get your "reports" such as they are, but the reality is your horse is on its own and at the mercy of the day to day handlers. The owner in this situation is essentially gambling on the trainers "win percentage", i.e. Mr. or Mrs. Owner are playing the trainer lottery, and, is that any different that making a $2 bet on the Kentucky Derby only with a whole lot more cash. Let's confide for the uninitiated that most "win percentages" count only the horses that actually race. A 25% win percentage may look impressive on paper but is likely more accurately in the neighborhood of a 5% win percentage over all the horses that have gone through this trainer's stable. Thus, for this type of owner the Q: is the true win % of 5% worth the $50,000 minimal investment?

It's probably a very questionable proposition although I've never seen a study outlining the gory details. Akin likely to digging for oil. You strike a lot of dirt. From what I have seen at the race track, even in the best stables, the care our horses will get there is akin to the care that human babies get at the day care center. It makes logical sense when you consider except for one thing--human athletes under their coaches get expert individual attention. Our horses for reasons inexplicable rarely do although, of course, when your horse gets its first win check suddenly everybody wakes up and care and training improves.

The second method of ownership requires owner involvement which is also a mixed bag. A few thoughts next post.