Standardbred Filly high-strung behind the gate

Question
QUESTION: HI, I have a 3 year old standardbred filly that is a quiet as can be in the barn and in the paddock and but when it comes time to actually race she is very very high-strung.  She gets herself very worked up and we have tried numerous things to try to help her calm down.  We have opened up her bridle, closed it up more, walked her in the center-field but once she goes behind the gate she pulls..We are at a loss...We have had her thoroughly examined and there is nothing physically wrong.  Do you have any ideas what we can do to clam her down before she races?  Should we skip the post-parade and just send her out when the gates are ready to open?  Any ideas would be welcome.  Thank you in advance for your ideas!!!

ANSWER: Hi,

Thank you for your question. It is a bit of a challenge for me to accurately answer your question without knowing your entire daily training schedule, but let's start here:   Do you think your horse is completely fit for the distances you are racing?  This may sound odd, but often a horse that is not quite fit enough to go the entire racing distance will build up severe anxiety then express that in the moments prior to  racing.  It is the physical manifestation of anticipation (aka fear) of performance as they know they will be pushed to do something they cannot achieve without experiencing severe exhaustion, muscle burn, etc.  All those thoughts get jumbled in their minds and they tend to go wacky behind the starter.  

My first guess is if you horse were stronger and more confident in her ability to go the distance, any distance, (which she will learn as she is conditioned more and more on a daily basis) she will no longer anticipate starting any race.  I am not saying your training is inadequate because I would have no way of knowing.  What I am saying is that each horse is an individual athlete, each conditioning differently.  Some require more exercise than others to reach their top form.

There is an excellent book I highly recommend, but it is out of print so to find it you'll have to shop around.  The title is The Fit Racehorse II.  You will want to make sure it is The Fit Racehorse II and not just the Fit Racehorse, as the II book is twice the size, with twice the research and also covers standardbreds.  You might be able to find a used copy on Amazon. The author is Tom Ivers.

I hope that helps to answer your question.  Please feel free to write again if you have more questions or if I can help again.  I would love to hear about your progress, too!

Best wishes,

Maureen Millen
www.trainerstest.com
www.racehorseresources.com
www.designequine.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: This filly has been trained in a mile and a half distances and the race itself is only 1 mile. She is jogged 5 miles daily except when she has a day off or two after racing.  She is jogged at different times everyday so not to expect complacency (do my job and finish).  If she does not race that week she is trained that week a mile and a half not just one mile like her races.  Not sure if this helps at all but it is more info.

Answer
Hi,

Thanks for your response.

It's great to hear that your are giving your filly so much long, slow distance daily, as that's excellent for her cardiovascular system (endurance) as well as bone remodeling (for soundness)  Now perhaps work on her endurance at speed. Conditioning is about specificity...meaning what ever you do specifically in training is what you get specifically in a race.

Please understand I am not giving you any training advice; to do so would be irresponsible of me as I have never even seen your horse or watched her work.  What I am sharing with you is information that can be found in any book on equine exercise physiology.

Exercise physiology is the same regardless if you are training a human or an animal, so adaptation is the same whether it's a horse or a human...  once they reach a certain level of conditioning, the trainer needs to push them past their current fitness level, then drop back to the regular workout to recover. If the first "push" was tolerated well (no signs of trauma, ie off feed, no swelling in limbs, etc) then, on the 3rd day, another push in speed is given, and the process is repeated.  Each time there is a push after a well-tolerated recovery there is a stair-step in strengthening, allowing your horse to become stronger and faster, building stamina at speed. Of course there is more monitoring that goes along with the conditioning, such as bloodwork and heart rate peaks and recovery times.  It is a science.

I hope you are able to find a copy of The Fit Racehorse II, as it is an excellent read on equine exercise physiology and contains racehorse training schedules. You sound like a very competent and conscientious trainer who would appreciate the information contained in that book.

I'd be curious to know how your filly progresses.

Wishing you well,

Maureen Millen

www.trainerstest.com
www.racehorseresources.com
www.designequine.com
www.healthylivingzone.com