That's it just got in AND I'M OUT!

[ireneinwa]

I was so excited to get involved by purchasing mares and breeding.
Now I feel really bad for any foals Ive produced.

I grew up going to the races in the Bay area in CA. All I wanted to do growning up was be part of it. Now breeding and second guessing my decisions. There was never so many problems with horses beening vanned off, eased and so forth.

Two mares to foal soon I don't know if I even want to reg any of them. Might just keep them and have them shown Was getting ready to send them to CA to foal and bred.

A friend of mine has refused to gallop some at a local track because of severe heat in there legs. He was vanned off and put down after racing shortly after.

I dont think I could trust the states, trainers, tracks with my horses .
So why try ..
Im not ..Im done...

[summerhorse]

Please register them. A horse without papers already has two strikes against him on the market. If they are colts geld them. Horses have always broken down, sometimes it is the trainer and sometimes the horse was doomed to break down from its conformation. I think we just hear more about it now. And horses are kept racing longer on more severe injuries I think.

[TJ]

I was so excited to get involved by purchasing mares and breeding.
Now I feel really bad for any foals Ive produced.

I grew up going to the races in the Bay area in CA. All I wanted to do growning up was be part of it. Now breeding and second guessing my decisions. There was never so many problems with horses beening vanned off, eased and so forth.

Two mares to foal soon I don't know if I even want to reg any of them. Might just keep them and have them shown Was getting ready to send them to CA to foal and bred.

A friend of mine has refused to gallop some at a local track because of severe heat in there legs. He was vanned off and put down after racing shortly after.

I dont think I could trust the states, trainers, tracks with my horses .
So why try ..
Im not ..Im done...

Irene,
You can't give up on your dream because of a post in the forum. You have to follow your dream...but in so doing you have to prepare yourself and your horses to succeed. One of the most important things you can do is see to it that your horses are raised and broke correctly. After that you need to play an active roll in who purchases your horses and who their trainer will be. It is the trainers that break down most horses, not so much the track surface. So don't give up hope, just do your homework before you let one out of your control. I also echo Summer's sentiment, please register them:>) TJ

[ponytime]

. And horses are kept racing longer on more severe injuries I think.

There is nothing more true than this statement above.

[ponytime]

. And horses are kept racing longer on more severe injuries I think.

There is nothing more true than this statement above.

[dray33]

To be brutally honest: you cant control where your foals go when you sell them, unless you keep them and race them. If you can't afford to breed to race, and selling foals is your plan... many of the horses you sell will go to outfits that may or may not fit in your "ideal parameters". Think of it like this: not all horses can go to the "Clement/Mott" types. So if you can't stand to see some of your horses going to others... breeding them to sell is not your game.

[Rokeby Forever]

Irene...with thinking like that, the possible 2011 Kentucky Derby winner won't be registered. The next Cigar might not be registered. The next Lava Man might not be registered. Would you deprive the sport of that?

[TJ]

To be brutally honest: you cant control where your foals go when you sell them, unless you keep them and race them. If you can't afford to breed to race, and selling foals is your plan... many of the horses you sell will go to outfits that may or may not fit in your "ideal parameters". Think of it like this: not all horses can go to the "Clement/Mott" types. So if you can't stand to see some of your horses going to others... breeding them to sell is not your game.

Hi Dray , this is very true if you have horses that will sell at an auction. Since she has concerns as to whose hands they get into, she can control the first sale by selling privately off the farm. If she is uncertain as to how to attract buyers, she can enter into the appropriate sales and scratch out. This will give her horses exposure to the market and can lead to a lot of inquiries from buyers, affording her a chance to screen the interested parties. TJ

[dray33]

she can control the first sale by selling privately off the farm. If she is uncertain as to how to attract buyers, she can enter into the appropriate sales and scratch out. This will give her horses exposure to the market and can lead to a lot of inquiries from buyers, affording her a chance to screen the interested parties. TJ

Very good point, TJ. Great idea, btw... using the sales as a form of advertising. It's worth the 5%.

[TJ]

she can control the first sale by selling privately off the farm. If she is uncertain as to how to attract buyers, she can enter into the appropriate sales and scratch out. This will give her horses exposure to the market and can lead to a lot of inquiries from buyers, affording her a chance to screen the interested parties. TJ

Very good point, TJ. Great idea, btw... using the sales as a form of advertising. It's worth the 5%.

Hi Dray, and a Happy, Healthy New Year to you and your stock. This isn't anything new, many who are concerned for the welfare of their horses and whose hands they may fall into, use this little gimmick with success. It may cost them a few $$'s in selling price and sales commission, but it can relieve some of her concerns concerns at this stage of her initiation:>) TJ

[Tucumcari]

Don't be out. This sport needs compasionate people like you. GGF can be tough. I worked there for a while for some of the toughest trainers there. Tough as in tough on horses.
Honestly, now if I am in that kind of situation, I try not to look down. and I certainly never feel a leg. Feeling them on their back is sometimes enough. I used to be a work rider for one of the leading trainers up there, and I swear I had my feet on the dashboard more often than not. I guess I rationalized it by the fact that I wouldn't ask them for their life like the boys would. To some degree you have to become numb, sad but true.
We need people with a heart like you!

[Tiz]

Tuc makes the best point, Irene. It's people like you who will change the sport for the better, by recognizing the unacceptable is simply that, unacceptable, not "That's horseracing."

If you bred to race, I know an excellent trainer in the NW.

[madelyn]

Irene, perhaps you could rethink it.

We just brought our Skip Away home a few weeks ago. He took a bad step at the track in late Oct and got a little filling on his tendon. I told the trainer to stop and wait for the tendon. I resisted and contradicted the track vet. He is MY horse and jogging him with filling in his tendon might make him bow. Anyhow, I think I may point him to sport horse since he is actually over 17h now and just too tall.

You, as the owner, have the final say on your horse. If you are on the game, checking your horses out yourself, and directing the process, you will not have those kinds of breakdowns. Most of those horses are either owned by the trainer or by absentee owners or folks who can't run a hand down a leg and feel a hot shin.

[RuffianT21]

Madelyn- Is that Here Be A Monster that got hurt? I remember you talking about him on another thread because I absolutely love his name. I'm sorry to hear he's injured...

[Mood Swings]

Ireneinwa - I agree with Tuc. Without compassionate people in this sport the horses would all suffer. As my quote says "Failure isn't falling down, it is staying down". The same goes for giving up - IMO
Hang tough.

Madelyn - Point Given is 17hh. There is always hope for the big guy! Hope he okay