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Originally Posted by sumitas
Yup, he was right there at the top of the stretch. It takes a lot longer to get in top shape than most people realize, that's for sure. It doesn't happen in a month or 2. It takes a while. The competition is fierce and the horses are great athletes.
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Sumitas,
There is so much truth in what you say.
It's just so easy to get down on a trainer.
Most folks don't know what goes into it. It's waves, not straight lines.
First is the diet. You kind of "starve" them...not really, but hay and a little grain. Short easy works to start building muscle. Then, as the appetite develops, stronger works at a variety of distances, hotter feeds. By the time the race comes up, you just hope that everything you've put into prepping for that race comes true. It's diet and excercise...hoping that when the horse reaches "peak" it's at exactly the right time.
So much can go wrong along the way. The horse can sustain an injury (sometimes difficult to detect), or some kind soul can show up with a ton of carrots and mints to disrupt the feeding program. We've all seen horses get hurt in a morning breeze. Wind sprints and gate works??? Lots!
In a "nut shell", good trainers have the savy from so many previous lessons that when the target race comes along, the horse is a "monster", totally pumped and sound...at the top of the "peak" (wave).
Even then, a stupid ride can happen, or a bad step...and all the effort that's been invested is gone like a discarded ticket on the floor.
It's a tough game. Not just for the horses but also for everyone that tries everyday to make it happen.
If it was easy, I don't think many people would even try.
Nor would the horses.
Just my two pennies worth.
DTS