Horse Racing Handicapping's Greatest Challenge, Understanding The Mind Of A Horse
- Date: 2008-06-18 - Word Count: 772
Share This!
What many horse racing handicappers don't understand is that in the process of trying to decipher the possible outcome of a race they are also trying to understand what a horse or horses may do or think. Having owned race horses I can tell you that is no easy trick. After many years around horses, both the racing kind and others, I can tell you I still don't understand them most of the time. Many people have commented about how much easier life would be if they could just talk to us.
If they could talk to us maybe the first thing that horses would do is tell us that they want to get paid for what they do, so maybe it isn't such a bad idea that they can't speak. On the other hand, as in the case of the poor performance of Big Brown in The Belmont, it would certainly be a relief for the trainer, jockey, and owner to hear the colt's side of the story and why he didn't seem to have it. One thing I can tell you about horses is that they aren't rational thinkers or rocket scientists by human standards. But once they learn something, including bad or dangerous habits, it is almost impossible to "un-learn" them.
I once owned a little filly named "Bomb Strike," who was a pretty good trotting horse. I was harness racing at the time and I bought her on the advice of my trainer who thought he could improve her with some TLC. What I didn't know was that Bomb Strike had developed the dangerous habit of bolting through doorways, sideways. Some time in her life before I owned her she had accidentally turned while she was passing through a doorway and had suffered a nasty gouge on her hip. After that unpleasant incident she was terrified of doorways including her stall gate even though the wound was treated and healed just fine.
The injury wasn't racing related and could have happened to any horse. As most horse owners will tell you, though they are large and strong, horses often hurt themselves in the barn or pasture, often because they are spooked by something as simple as a shadow or blowing leaf. Just like some people I know, a horse can often be his or her own worst enemy.
Bomb Strike is a little horse, but even a little horse can be dangerous if she bolts while you are leading her through a barn. What made the problem even worse was that she would sometimes irrationally try to bolt through a doorway other than the one you were trying to lead her through. As she went through any door she would almost always turn and bang herself on the door frame.
We tried many ways to help her to overcome her fear and also padded as many doorways as we could and tried to avoid doorways. But in racing you eventually have to lead your horse through some doorways. Sometimes she would stand quivering in front of a door and then bolt through it and other times she would see an open doorway and rush to it before I was prepared for her move.
She never overcame her fear so the decision was made to let her live on a farm and do what all good filly's eventually want to do, she became a mother and now spends her days at pasture. It seemed the best decision for her own welfare though she certainly had many good races left in her and my trainer was willing to try to keep working with her. She loved to race and was very aggressive on the track despite her small stature, but on the farm she is quiet and peaceful, enjoying her foal and the wide open spaces.
If I could have talked to her I could have explained that she was hurting herself, but I couldn't make her understand that and she couldn't tell me why she kept making the same mistake. She always did her best for me, so I did what I thought was best for her. I just let her be a horse in a natural setting where she was happy.
Big Brown couldn't tell us why he ran poorly in The Belmont and horse racing handicapping will continue to be shrouded in mystery as long as horses can't talk. On the other hand, the communication problems add to the challenge and mystery whether you are raising horses or trying to predict their next race performance. Learning to watch and try to understand them is part of the job and challenge of good horsemanship.
If they could talk to us maybe the first thing that horses would do is tell us that they want to get paid for what they do, so maybe it isn't such a bad idea that they can't speak. On the other hand, as in the case of the poor performance of Big Brown in The Belmont, it would certainly be a relief for the trainer, jockey, and owner to hear the colt's side of the story and why he didn't seem to have it. One thing I can tell you about horses is that they aren't rational thinkers or rocket scientists by human standards. But once they learn something, including bad or dangerous habits, it is almost impossible to "un-learn" them.
I once owned a little filly named "Bomb Strike," who was a pretty good trotting horse. I was harness racing at the time and I bought her on the advice of my trainer who thought he could improve her with some TLC. What I didn't know was that Bomb Strike had developed the dangerous habit of bolting through doorways, sideways. Some time in her life before I owned her she had accidentally turned while she was passing through a doorway and had suffered a nasty gouge on her hip. After that unpleasant incident she was terrified of doorways including her stall gate even though the wound was treated and healed just fine.
The injury wasn't racing related and could have happened to any horse. As most horse owners will tell you, though they are large and strong, horses often hurt themselves in the barn or pasture, often because they are spooked by something as simple as a shadow or blowing leaf. Just like some people I know, a horse can often be his or her own worst enemy.
Bomb Strike is a little horse, but even a little horse can be dangerous if she bolts while you are leading her through a barn. What made the problem even worse was that she would sometimes irrationally try to bolt through a doorway other than the one you were trying to lead her through. As she went through any door she would almost always turn and bang herself on the door frame.
We tried many ways to help her to overcome her fear and also padded as many doorways as we could and tried to avoid doorways. But in racing you eventually have to lead your horse through some doorways. Sometimes she would stand quivering in front of a door and then bolt through it and other times she would see an open doorway and rush to it before I was prepared for her move.
She never overcame her fear so the decision was made to let her live on a farm and do what all good filly's eventually want to do, she became a mother and now spends her days at pasture. It seemed the best decision for her own welfare though she certainly had many good races left in her and my trainer was willing to try to keep working with her. She loved to race and was very aggressive on the track despite her small stature, but on the farm she is quiet and peaceful, enjoying her foal and the wide open spaces.
If I could have talked to her I could have explained that she was hurting herself, but I couldn't make her understand that and she couldn't tell me why she kept making the same mistake. She always did her best for me, so I did what I thought was best for her. I just let her be a horse in a natural setting where she was happy.
Big Brown couldn't tell us why he ran poorly in The Belmont and horse racing handicapping will continue to be shrouded in mystery as long as horses can't talk. On the other hand, the communication problems add to the challenge and mystery whether you are raising horses or trying to predict their next race performance. Learning to watch and try to understand them is part of the job and challenge of good horsemanship.
Related Tags: horse racing handicapping, race horses, trotting horse, harness racing
Learn how an insider handicaps horse races by visiting Bill Peterson's website williewins.homestead.com. To see the systems Bill uses, go to williewins.homestead.com/handicappingstore2.html or williewins.homestead.com/truecb.html. 50 yrs. Experience! Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles
Recent articles in this category:
- Playing Bingo And Blackjack Online
Two of the most popular games in today's casinos are Bingo and Black Jack. You may have heard of Bin - Betting On State Lotteries, Know When To Stop
State lottery advertising seems to sent conflicting messages. A well broadcast NY television ad stat - Why Bingo Is So Popular
It is really hard to find a casino game like bingo, where the bets and gambling can coexist with a c - Beat The Slot Machine
The slot machine is one of the most popular forms of casino games available today. People line up at - Novice Guide To Online Casinos
Online casinos have been flooding the online world lately. It seems that they have been trying very - Each Way Betting On Horse Racing Explained
The main point to understand with each way betting is that basically you are placing TWO equally siz - How To Play Live Roulette Uk Games Online
Nowadays, online or live roulette UK is probably the most well-liked of the casino games that are pl - Playing Free No Deposit Bingo At Your Fingertips
Bingo is one of the most popular games. There is absolutely no restriction as to who plays bingo. It - What Novice Players Should Know About The Game Of Blackjack
How to play this casino game online or offline like a consummate gambler is no mystery. However, beg - On Line Bingo Explodes, Are You In?
Every individual once in his life has played the game of bingo in one form or the other. Bingo is ev
Most viewed articles in this category:
- James Bond Themed Casino Royale
For the perfect black tie theme, James Bond is the ideal theme to choose for your next event.Plannin - Advanced Online Poker Table Position Play
The ability to assess the effect of your table position and your opponent's table position on the va - Internet Poker
Playing poker has become more popular than ever due to the widely watched high dollar poker tourname - Online Poker - Advanced Betting Strategies
At the moment, online poker play and betting strategies are in their infancy. Betting often follows - Internet Poker Tips
If you're new to playing poker or want to learn more about the games and improve your skills, you ma - Internet Poker Room
An internet poker room can be a great place to have fun, learn to play poker, or improve your existi - Are You An Football Fan
If you are an football fan, I'm sure betting gives you a high! If you haven't experienced it yet, th - Heads Up Play -Tactics Needed To Win at This Stage Of The Game
Heads up poker involves only two players. A recent phenomenon, it gained popularity in recent years - Online Poker Tournaments - It's a Marathon Not a Race
Since the first organized World Series Poker tournament in 1970, poker tournaments have become extre - Party Poker Bonus Codes
So you have decided to play some poker on the internet. I am sure you know that there are many firs