Harness Racing Report - Weeks 12 & 13

[Crosshill Pacers]

What an up and down fortnight it's been for Missile and I.

Following the lameness with the cuts, Missile had Saturday - Tuesday off work while they were treated. By Wednesday he wasn't showing lame and was fully weight bearing again on his NH so I took him out in the cart for 3 miles of walking. On Thursday we did 10 minutes of walking and 20 minutes trotting and by Friday he was back to a full 30 minutes of trotting (and keen as mustard by then). I also tried the saddle on him Friday night and took him for a few laps of the track - his previous owner/trainer had advised that I should carry a schooling whip as Missile didn't understand leg aids however having seen how keen he was ALL THE TIME I didn't want to risk accidentally touching him with the whip and us both disappearing over the fence into the next field! I should have listened though, as after 4 laps of the track we'd achieved approximately 10 strides of trot, and that was only after J chased us up the hill flapping his arms! After speaking to a friend who rides her racehorses, she made me realise Missile only really knows how to be ridden in a race situation and is therefore super green with everything else. He is a blank canvas so I can do this properly and teach him the basics (having done so before with my homebred pacer and my first pacing mare who was a fruitloop).

Saturday and Sunday J jogged him as I was unwell and he was happy enough that the horse was ready to return to workouts on Tuesday.

The racing that we were working at on Monday (bank holiday) was subsequently abandoned due to track conditions so we took Missile, Stevie and Eternal to Corbiewood that afternoon for their workouts. Missile was due to do his two heats in 2.24 and 2.20 with J's uncle, 'the jockey' driving him in the race sulky. From the minute they went out on the track I could see something wasn't right. Missile usually does a 3-beat pace/flat canter until he hits a certain speed and then he paces true. However for the full mile workout he seemed to be rumbling in his hopples and couldn't find his rhythm. He completed the workout in 2.24 but the jockey said he was pulling and wouldn't settle. I decided not to send him out for the second heat as I had concerns over his soundness.

On Tuesday I jogged him and again wasn't happy that he was 100% sound (although he walked up sound and around the track appeared to be however in trot he wasn't landing correctly on his NH) so we took his back shoes off and noticed the cut on his heel had gotten bigger. Worse still there was another one on the OH heel and they appeared to be splits not cuts. He was also very low down on his heels. The farrier came out Wednesday and commented on the low heels as being a conformation issue (there was very little to take back on the toe) and advised that our best bet to lift his heels and also protect the splits was to put wedge pads under his 'normal' shoes and then under his racing plates when the time came to race.

Wednesday and Thursday I turned him out to get some exercise into him of some sort, then yesterday the farrier came to shoe all 4 feet and add the wedge pads. We could immediately see the difference as his heels were lifted off the ground (but not so much so that there would be any jarring up the tendon). I jogged him afterwards and at first he was a bit tentative but about half way through he must have realised that his heels weren't hitting the floor and he was going much too slowly because he turned back into keen as a bean Missile he didn't feel or look lame from the cart and J watched us and said he wasn't showing lame from where he stood either.

I'm away this weekend on a hen do in Wales so J is in charge of jogging over the weekend and will just keep an eye on how he is in his work. All being well we can return to Corbiewood on Monday to see whether he's back to himself in fast work. If all is well the saddle is coming back out so I can get a bit more used to him before I go hacking with J's sister (I think taking him out will keep his mind active).

Fingers crossed this is the end of the problems and we can aim for June 19th as his first race (June 12th may be a qualifier amongst young horses to sharpen him up).

Will keep you updated

 

[lucemoose]

Fabtastic! Once again so informative. Will you keep missile in wedges? Or try to achieve a better hoof balance without them?
I've just got home from watching the trots here in NZ at the Cambridge track. There was a $1.2 million purse today and lots of horses from Australia.
Are they called drivers or jockeys? They were very, holistic? Hopping off to adjust tack, getting out the cart thing to pat their horses and walk beside them on the track.
Lots of the horses had no nosebands, flair strips and tongue ties, is this a breathing thing?
I saw nothing other than a snaffle, although some were as ring bits and a few had bearing reins on? The speed and the pace of the horses was fantastic!
What are the extra hopple things for, like they have those things that encircle the legs to prevent breaking pace but a few had extra ones on the front legs only, that went around the forelimb and came back up like a teardrop?
Hope missile continues to improve and become a nice ride too!!!

 

[Festive_Felicitations]

Thanks for another fascinating report.

The wedges under the shoes sound interesting and would love to see a photo (if you dont mind). Like, Lucemoose, I was wondering if these will be permanent or just while you try and correct the hoof imbalance?

 

[glamourpuss]

Another great report! As I have a horse with foot balance issues I'm very interested in the wedges.
The racing sounds like it is starting to come together but it seems you've got your work cut out with the riding

 

[Crosshill Pacers]

Fabtastic! Once again so informative. Will you keep missile in wedges? Or try to achieve a better hoof balance without them?
I've just got home from watching the trots here in NZ at the Cambridge track. There was a $1.2 million purse today and lots of horses from Australia.
Are they called drivers or jockeys? They were very, holistic? Hopping off to adjust tack, getting out the cart thing to pat their horses and walk beside them on the track.
Lots of the horses had no nosebands, flair strips and tongue ties, is this a breathing thing?
I saw nothing other than a snaffle, although some were as ring bits and a few had bearing reins on? The speed and the pace of the horses was fantastic!
What are the extra hopple things for, like they have those things that encircle the legs to prevent breaking pace but a few had extra ones on the front legs only, that went around the forelimb and came back up like a teardrop?
Hope missile continues to improve and become a nice ride too!!!

Thank you for all the questions, you've really got me thinking! The wedges will be staying in for the forseeable future, partly due to the imminence of him racing and partly due to the short season - we're working towards an improved hoof balance where he won't need wedges in the future however we don't know how long that's going to take (FF I will try to get photos today when I'm at the yard and upload them later).

The prize money in NZ is unreal - it makes my eyes water! Unfortunately it will never be like that in the UK for many many reasons, but J and me seem to be doing it for a pure love of the sport (we have discussed moving to Canada/America should the situation take a turn for the worse in the UK). The drivers are called drivers, I simply call J's uncle 'the jockey' because he has a whole host of different nicknames and it's the one I find funniest as I'm pretty sure he's never actually sat on a horse in his life!

A lot of drivers also train horses or have worked as grooms, but I think the main reason they are keen to check tack is the last thing they want is for something to go wrong during a race because the tack wasn't done up properly (especially travelling at 30+mph and surrounded by 8 or 9 other horses and sulkies!). As a groom, I ALWAYS double check all clips, straps and buckles before sending a horse on the track, but my old boss would always do a once over himself. A trainer I know hired a girl to work for him during a summer and she lasted all of 2 weeks, because on two occasions she failed to tack up properly which resulted in two smashed up jog carts (an expensive two weeks for the trainer). As for jumping off and walking beside the horse, I think this is partly because the horse has done its work and they feel they should jump off, and partly because trying to turn a horse in harness and a sulky on a tight circle (i.e. to get into the winner's circle) is quite difficult and the sulky can tip, so it's safer and easier on the ground. I always jump off Missile before I bring him off the track, hang my reins on the overcheck clip on the backband and lead him in, although that's so that he learns he can't dart off the track if someone is on board, he has to be led in!

The hopples you refer to, which encircle the front legs and then join the backband (with no rear hopple), are trotting hopples. They are to encourage square trotters to remain in the trotting gait whilst at speed. Not all trotters use them; some trainers rely on shoeing to keep balance, some are lucky enough to have super drivers who are able to ask a horse to speed up without breaking its gait. Here in the UK there was a craze for them a few years ago, but everyone who races trotters seems to have gone off them again now. The winner of the Prix D'Amerique in France (the biggest trot in France) raced without shoes altogether, which is quite common on the continent.

I think that's everything, although if I've missed anything feel free to ask again! And thank you, I'm keeping everything crossed right now that we can get Missile to the races!

 

[Crosshill Pacers]

Another great report! As I have a horse with foot balance issues I'm very interested in the wedges.
The racing sounds like it is starting to come together but it seems you've got your work cut out with the riding

Tell me about it - my horse is the classic Jekyll and Hyde character! I have always said though that I would rather get a slow horse to go faster than a fast horse to slow down. My first pacer was a total headcase; she did stop, most of the time, but when the red mist came down I just had to cling on for dear life (we parted company A LOT). The mare I have now is laid back to the point of laziness almost, both racing and riding, but I've figured out ways to switch her on which suits me fine!