racing people...

You don't want to even begin to hear the words that were coming out of my mouth when this thing was broncing down the road! They would have made the Oxford Complete Dictionary of Swear Words blush! Hehehe!
 
EKW said:
Anything that came to mind :D The only clean words were - you, little,your and just! I'll let you guess what filled in the gaps! LOL!
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LMAO!! i'd love to fill them in but i dont want to get kicked off the forum ;)

admittedly i mildy scared my total novice friend with the language i used on my horse that wouldnt stop bucking across the school! must of looked fun cause she got on afterwards anyway ;) hehehe
 
Def do not go in with the attitutde that you don't want to ride. Make it clear to the boss that your keen but lacking experience. They will nearly always have something quiet to get a newbie started and even if you're only doing roadwork. If we had someone come in who didn't want to ride they'd be given the road. You may not get to ride but at least show wanting!
 
EKW said:
Ours are called - horrible little scab or a disease when they are being total pain in the backsides! But on the flip side none of ours are horses, they get called ponies despite the fact that we only have a handful of 15.2hh's, the rest are much bigger lol!
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Ours were ponies too :D

I unfortunately fell off a lot as I was in charge of backing the yearlings.

I also got told I was fat a lot. Be warned. Jocks like to take the mick and they aren't backwards about coming forwards with it either. Or ours weren't anyway. Blooming p!ss take artists!
 
I worked in racing during my long summer holidays from university. It was actually quite well paid for a temporary student holiday job and they help you with accommodation too. I just started straight away as a normal stable lass, doing and riding my three. ie cantering them up the gallops. I had my own pony and had done a bit of everything and felt confident enough. Obviously they wouldn't have put me on the best ones or most difficult ones, but racehorses are surprisingly easy to ride. I rode a lot of two year olds because I'm light.

I went somewhere different each summer - Newmarket, Epsom, Belguim and Ireland. It was great! On my last day at the yard in Epsom, I got to ride the stable star as a reward (was actually a very easy horse) and wow, was it something else to ride a real quality horse with gears!

I just got these jobs by phoning up the trainers and asking!
 
amage said:
Def do not go in with the attitutde that you don't want to ride. Make it clear to the boss that your keen but lacking experience. They will nearly always have something quiet to get a newbie started and even if you're only doing roadwork. If we had someone come in who didn't want to ride they'd be given the road. You may not get to ride but at least show wanting!
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i am keen-but currently i am about a stone too heavy to ride a thoroughbred but i thought i can at least get some experience on the ground. if the diet continues well then i'll eventually be light enough to ride one.

so i do want to ride! but as of yet wont be allowed! :p
 
Mithras said:
I worked in racing during my long summer holidays from university. It was actually quite well paid for a temporary student holiday job and they help you with accommodation too. I just started straight away as a normal stable lass, doing and riding my three. ie cantering them up the gallops. I had my own pony and had done a bit of everything and felt confident enough. Obviously they wouldn't have put me on the best ones or most difficult ones, but racehorses are surprisingly easy to ride. I rode a lot of two year olds because I'm light.

I went somewhere different each summer - Newmarket, Epsom, Belguim and Ireland. It was great! On my last day at the yard in Epsom, I got to ride the stable star as a reward (was actually a very easy horse) and wow, was it something else to ride a real quality horse with gears!

I just got these jobs by phoning up the trainers and asking!
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interesting-i'm hoping to get as much exp before i apply cause then i think i'll have a better idea of the tasks and have a higher chance of being accepted to do the NVQ2 or level 2 as it is now called. :)
 
Years ago I did work experience at racing yard. I DID ride out, but mainly groomed, shite shovelled and tarted up the place - new lick of paint stuff. Oh, and cleaned tack - all the work saddles and bridles, boring but essential as a WP. The lads were tollerant of me, but the piss was taken and swear words a plenty.... again, comes with the job.
I went when I was 9st, ideally too heavy for a novice on young flat breds, but no-one seemed to mind. I had a nice time, but since prefered to go down the breeding TB route rather than the yard itself.
Good luck, keep smiling and whatever happens show willing..... they have no quarms about saying bye bye!! (seen it happen to others).
 
RuthnMeg said:
Years ago I did work experience at racing yard. I DID ride out, but mainly groomed, shite shovelled and tarted up the place - new lick of paint stuff. Oh, and cleaned tack - all the work saddles and bridles, boring but essential as a WP. The lads were tollerant of me, but the piss was taken and swear words a plenty.... again, comes with the job.
I went when I was 9st, ideally too heavy for a novice on young flat breds, but no-one seemed to mind. I had a nice time, but since prefered to go down the breeding TB route rather than the yard itself.
Good luck, keep smiling and whatever happens show willing..... they have no quarms about saying bye bye!! (seen it happen to others).
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okay i will bear that in mind and brace myself for the the fat jokes when i go work exp in june!!
hopefully by the time i work in a real yard i'll be the right weight!
 
RuthnMeg said:
they have no quarms about saying bye bye!! (seen it happen to others).
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That is so incredibly true! We had one numpty in 2 weeks ago, wanted to come in every Friday for 6 weeks as work expo for going to Vet School. She was 20 and wanted to quit her Maths Degree. So we plonked her on the yard donkey, took her out for a hack - walking hack. She was petrified! And when the horse jogged 4 steps to catch up with his pal she nearly jumped off. So after this we decided she was yard bound for the rest of the day. What happened next was most certainly something that doesn't happen often and I most certainly hope won't happen again.

She went over to the field across the road with one of the lads to fetch the horses in, one of the little jack russells followed them - and got hit by a car. Poor doggy went off to the vets but didn't make it :( All the while this wanna be vet was shivering, shaking, crying and was generally being incomprehensible. EVen the lass who owned the dog coped a million and one times better! So when we managed to get her calmed down we restricted her to the office for the rest of the morning and got her to write down an inventory of the cupboard - yes we are that mean! But to be fair, it wasn't just for her safety but for the safety of our horses. What would she have done if one of the horses was injured? Stood staring, gibbering and shaking in the field without getting help? Needless to say we kicked her out at 1pm on the dot and told her not to come back. I somehow don't think she will be doing veterinary science any time soon - well I most certainly hope she won't be!

As for the ripping the lads give you - I don't get any :D I'm twice as mean and scary as anyone else on the yard, can floor any one of them before than can blink - done that to a few of them, and I always carry a penknife :D Just give back as good as you get and you will soon earn their respect.
 
EKW said:
That is so incredibly true! We had one numpty in 2 weeks ago, wanted to come in every Friday for 6 weeks as work expo for going to Vet School. She was 20 and wanted to quit her Maths Degree. So we plonked her on the yard donkey, took her out for a hack - walking hack. She was petrified! And when the horse jogged 4 steps to catch up with his pal she nearly jumped off. So after this we decided she was yard bound for the rest of the day. What happened next was most certainly something that doesn't happen often and I most certainly hope won't happen again.

She went over to the field across the road with one of the lads to fetch the horses in, one of the little jack russells followed them - and got hit by a car. Poor doggy went off to the vets but didn't make it :( All the while this wanna be vet was shivering, shaking, crying and was generally being incomprehensible. EVen the lass who owned the dog coped a million and one times better! So when we managed to get her calmed down we restricted her to the office for the rest of the morning and got her to write down an inventory of the cupboard - yes we are that mean! But to be fair, it wasn't just for her safety but for the safety of our horses. What would she have done if one of the horses was injured? Stood staring, gibbering and shaking in the field without getting help? Needless to say we kicked her out at 1pm on the dot and told her not to come back. I somehow don't think she will be doing veterinary science any time soon - well I most certainly hope she won't be!

As for the ripping the lads give you - I don't get any :D I'm twice as mean and scary as anyone else on the yard, can floor any one of them before than can blink - done that to a few of them, and I always carry a penknife :D Just give back as good as you get and you will soon earn their respect.
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oh my god, thats awful! in what universe is someone scared walking out on a hack ?!

do you really always carry a penknife? what on earth for :eek:

hmm so basically, try to rib them back and i should be fine?! lol :p
 
I carry a very small penknife - knife, scissors and file generally for one reason only - so I can file away any chips in my nails as and when they appear before they rip off and take half the nail with them :D But SHHHHHH! Don't tell the boys that's the reason for carrying it!
 
EKW said:
I carry a very small penknife - knife, scissors and file generally for one reason only - so I can file away any chips in my nails as and when they appear before they rip off and take half the nail with them :D But SHHHHHH! Don't tell the boys that's the reason for carrying it!
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LOL okay!
 
If you work hard in the yard for two weeks and don't drink anything other than water you will lose a stone. Not all yards are full of swearing lads, it all depends on the trainer and his staff, some are quite civilized esp in National hunt, where the horses are bigger and older.
The job is often what you make it, re of mucking out, I don't find it a great burden, its just something to do before doing something else. Once in to the swing you would be looking after 4 horses and riding out three a day. The style of riding is not BHS, but a good rider is a good rider, and in every yard there will be those who can make it all look easy. Cantering up a hill will take the steam out of most TB's, although you need to be fit to pull them up, and sometimes when they are not so fit you will have to push them up the hill.
Re mixing it with the lads, just be yourself, and don't go spouting about how well you did at pony club, the best lads will have been riding since they were six and will not be impressed by some little know it all.
Oh and don't think racing school will be anything like secondary school, you will learn the basics, and will have every opportunity to see a lot of life. and if you are going to leave home and live and work in racing, you have to adapt pdq, enjoy it, and make sure you see a bit of the world as well.
 
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MrsD123 said:
If you work hard in the yard for two weeks and don't drink anything other than water you will lose a stone. Not all yards are full of swearing lads, it all depends on the trainer and his staff, some are quite civilized esp in National hunt, where the horses are bigger and older.
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Us National Huntians are a good craic when we get going :D Plus you don't need to be a stick insect to ride them as they are bigger, stronger and older.

I only muck out 1 horse a day and that's because the yardmen that do ALL the mucking out are scared of him :D We ride 3 or 4 and look after around 6 each. Doll them up, take them racing yada yada. Except for clipping - I clip them all. I have a slight bit of OCD - I hate horses that look like patchwork quilts after being slipped so I won't let anyone else clip. So I end up clipping out horses about 500 times in total a season, along with my usual duties lol!
 
MrsD123 said:
If you work hard in the yard for two weeks and don't drink anything other than water you will lose a stone. Not all yards are full of swearing lads, it all depends on the trainer and his staff, some are quite civilized esp in National hunt, where the horses are bigger and older.
The job is often what you make it, re of mucking out, I don't find it a great burden, its just something to do before doing something else. Once in to the swing you would be looking after 4 horses and riding out three a day. The style of riding is not BHS, but a good rider is a good rider, and in every yard there will be those who can make it all look easy. Cantering up a hill will take the steam out of most TB's, although you need to be fit to pull them up, and sometimes when they are not so fit you will have to push them up the hill.
Re mixing it with the lads, just be yourself, and don't go spouting about how well you did at pony club, the best lads will have been riding since they were six and will not be impressed by some little know it all.
Oh and don't think racing school will be anything like secondary school, you will learn the basics, and will have every opportunity to see a lot of life. and if you are going to leave home and live and work in racing, you have to adapt pdq, enjoy it, and make sure you see a bit of the world as well.
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thanks-but i will most certainy not be acting like a know it all...why antagonise the people that could help me?

but yeah thanks that was thorough :)
 
EKW said:
Us National Huntians are a good craic when we get going :D Plus you don't need to be a stick insect to ride them as they are bigger, stronger and older.

I only muck out 1 horse a day and that's because the yardmen that do ALL the mucking out are scared of him :D We ride 3 or 4 and look after around 6 each. Doll them up, take them racing yada yada. Except for clipping - I clip them all. I have a slight bit of OCD - I hate horses that look like patchwork quilts after being slipped so I won't let anyone else clip. So I end up clipping out horses about 500 times in total a season, along with my usual duties lol!
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is clipping a usual yard duty then? btw EKW, do you have your own horse? :)
 
Nope, clipping is left to those that can do a good job of it. If you ask they will teach you to clip but they will let you clip the just back in work ones, not the ones that will be seen in public, until you can do it well enough.

As for my own horses, yup. 3 horses, 11 ponies, 4 ponies out on loan. The 3 horses are retired racehorses, 9 of the ponies are shetlands, one darty, one welsh d. Of the 4 on loan 3 are shetlands and one is a fell.
 
EKW said:
Nope, clipping is left to those that can do a good job of it. If you ask they will teach you to clip but they will let you clip the just back in work ones, not the ones that will be seen in public, until you can do it well enough.

As for my own horses, yup. 3 horses, 11 ponies, 4 ponies out on loan. The 3 horses are retired racehorses, 9 of the ponies are shetlands, one darty, one welsh d. Of the 4 on loan 3 are shetlands and one is a fell.
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my goodness! do you have another job aswell as the in the racing yard then?! :p
 
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