Trainers Behind The Eight Ball

Those of us that bother with training and exercise physiology understand that you can safely race a horse once a week likely for about 3 weeks in a row.  This sort of protocol (I have done it) also produces progressively stronger performances given appropriate off day training.  Third start in a row is likely to produce a win or near win.  Take two weeks off from racing, repeat.

Monitor ur horse's health of course. One 5f  breeze in :13s sometime during the week.  Daily 20 minutes in the ice tub for the front legs after horse leaves the track.  Necessary to protect the horse's lungs or horse will never make it through.  This is were lasix comes in on race day.  Use Xantax (anti-bleeder herbal mix--works well) before breezing and a heavy dose of lasix as preventative on race day.  To the extent your horse bleeds u can generally tell by experience in monitoring the post race/post breeze/post gallop coughing--how heavy, frequent and how quickly it subsides.  This heavy style of training--Preston Burch--most horses will likely suffer light EIPH that will improve with conditioning but needs to be controlled, or ur down the tube.

Also protect the horse's stomach.  Going off feed is highly unhelpful.  I am proactive in that I give as much lactobicillus as I can afford--i.e. almost every day, and certainly after race/breeze.  And, when you come off the track u take the short route to the wash rack and cool ur horse down immediately.

Carrying on this schedule, one rather giant problem--your trainer's license.  The Steward and State Vet know what ur doing with ur horse.  Race a horse once a week and it's equivalent of seeing a suspicious looking vehicle parked outside your house.  People notice.  Guarantee Bryce Peckham raced his eyebrow a few times re I'll Have Another's daily work at Churchill.

They will never say anything until your horse breaks down during a race. Then they will close in like a pack of buzzards over a fresh kill.  Hence, the 8 ball.

Training--took another fall, this time feeding my horses. Two feet up the steep muddy slope, lose the legs and ram the hips into a concrete abutment.  Very sore and off till it heals..