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My very first horse was a standardbred mare and her temperment was the best.
It wasn't until I grew up and went to work on the SB tracks that I found out
what wonderful, athletic horses they are. First of all the ideal endurance
horse in my opinion would be an SB/arab cross. Luke in Australia has one of
these. The SB is known for their docile temperment and big heart! They
will give you all they've got, then add a little more. My mare as a child
would trot, trot, trot, and it was difficult to keep her in a canter. If
you get a horse from the track who is still sound, then you are pretty much
getting a horse with their base miles already done. SB's excercise 5 days a
week with two days off. A day off after their training day and after their
racing day. In a basic training week they will be excercised at a medium
paced jog 3-5 miles a day , with one day a week for a faster training mile
and one day a week for racing. When they train or race they usually will go
out on the track 2-3 times, depending on the horse, for a blow out mile
before the race, and on a training day they will go out 3 times in a day,
each time a little faster then the last time. Their last mile may be at a
time 10-15 seconds slower then what the driver expects their race that week
to go in. So these horses are in great condition.
When breaking the babies in the winter I found most of the babies to be mild
tempered and easy to train. They are not a spooky horse by any means and
the ones I've met are usually very people oriented, since they depend on
people for everything. Actually when you look at their living environment I
believe that they think themselves more a part of the people herd then
horses who are turned out in a field everyday with their own kind. They
only get out of their stalls to excercise or race, with an annual turn out
on a ranch for the more expensive horses. Another thing about SB is if
their track conditions were different and they weren't started so young they
would probably stay sound. They race on hard limestone tracks here in the
USA and it severely stresses their joints and soft tissue.
Some common lameness problems are blown suspensory apparatus, torn tendons,
bowed tendons, calcium spurs in knees and hocks, stifle problems such as
locking or strained, back problems galore. So really check the horse's legs
and body out that you are picking for an endurance prospect. If I was
looking for an endurance prospect from the track I'd first hope to find one
that wasn't fast enough to cut it, then odds are with you then that they may
still be sound. Then I'd get a total vet lameness exam done on it. If you
are adopting one just for pleasure though then I'd be a little more passive
about what types of lamenesses is acceptable for this type of use. SB's
have big hearts and I've seen horses with chronic lameness function late
into life with proper care and management.
Good luck and keep us posted on your SB progress:}!
Cheryl Newbanks
~~^** Just In Time Ranch
~~}_ _~~ /\| Buckeye, AZ
( )__, ) ~ horsetrails@inficad.com
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