"Racing" vs Point to Point - training differences?

[domane]

Can anyone tell me if there is any difference in the way a horse is trained for "normal" racing and point-to-point racing? I have an ex P-2-P lad who is 14. He seems to have raced up until he was about 9. I don't really have a clue what kind of life horses in training have so I'd be really interested to know, if someone could take the time to tell me please - and also what the distinctive differences are for P2P?

Huge thanks in advance

 

[JanetGeorge]

The biggest difference is that P-2-P horses HAVE to be taken hunting to 'qualify'. Some do the bare minimum - others do quite a lot. So you could expect a P-2-P horse to be a bit more 'worldly wise' and laidback than a 'normal' racehorse (other things being equal!)

 

[bounce]

One difference may be that your lad would have regularly hunted as you have to qualify a point to point horse with a pack of hounds. I would have thought that a point to pointer is far more used to galloping over all terrains than a race horse which is primarily used to well kept gallops.

As for any other differences I guess it depends on the yard he was trained at.

My local point to point trainer mainly hacks hers out around the lanes and bridleways and does all the fast work in a field up a very steep hill. She also takes them to cross country events to school them over jumps.

 

[archiesmum]

Our pointers do hacking round roads, faster work around fields, hill work, cubbing and hunting, sponsored rides and jump schooling wether that be hurdles, chase fences, xc fences or fences out hunting. Just to give you an insight

 

[seabiscuit]

Not all point to pointers go hunting- they have ways around actually NOT taking them to a hunt meet. ;-) and still get their cards signed by the relavant people..! Like all horses, some of them cannot handle even standing around at a hunt meet TBH.

Training regimes for a PtoPter will be exactly the same sort of training that they do for Nat.Hunt jump racers.. some harsh trainers and some softer trainers..

A typical week's training might be 5 miles cantering 4 times a week plus 1 or 2 fast gallops on the other days , plus an hour or two on the horsewalker each day.

To the other extreme, some trainers will just canter them for 5 mins daily loose schooling round a arena, horsewalker them for 1 hour and only do 1 or 2 sharp gallops just before the race.

Others will do something like 2 hours walking under saddle daily, and 2 X5mile canters a week and 1 sharp gallop up a hill a week either on grass or on surface.

Every so often there might be a gridwork /jump schooling session.

So a real mixture-Totally depends on the trainer!