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Oh I am so bad. I just never give up. And for some reason everything keeps coming my way. Out of the blue and today I get more information to support my "If it isn't a Standardbred - it isn't a horse campaign". Western Raceway in London, Ontario has started an initiative where they are putting cameras on the helmets of the drivers to give the fans a different view of the race. These are not the polished images from the professional videos I have recommended over the last few weeks. This is raw footage of the real thing.
Mud hitting the camera is no different than the mud in the drivers face. Feel the horses lean into the turns at 30 + mph. See the stretch run. Over the next while Western Fair will be posting a series of these race videos. My boy Tahuya Riverdance pounds the track in London on a regular basis. Perhaps we will see a race from his perspective.
Sooner or later you will see why It has to be Standardbred!
See the video through the Standardbred Canada website at : http://www.standardbredcanada.ca/news/1-22-12/see-what-driver-sees.html or on UTube at ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mxbhauY-IPE&noredirect=1
Ok folks, I am at it again. Another episode in my unending quest to turn the entire horse world into “Standardbred World” and prove my point “If it isn’t a Standardbred – it isn’t a horse”. I invite you to watch another just released video. Sit down, take off your shoes, grab a drink and enjoy an hours’ worth of living the Standardbred racing life.
This movie is the story of the “Gold Cup and Saucer” one of the most prestigious Standardbred races in North America. Raced in Charlottetown, PEI the race is the culmination of an annual 10-day long festival. The presentation is the story of the 2011 race, the people, horses and the importance of this piece of history to both PEI and the people who live Standardbred racing on the far east end of Canada.
Filled with breathtaking images of horses and drivers careening around the track at breakneck speeds this movie truly represents what is good in the racing industry.
For those readers in the Lower Mainland of BC. If you feel the need to experience the real deal then check out Fraser Downs in Cloverdale. Friday nights and Sunday afternoons. It’s a family affair – bring the kids.
There is a “thing” making the rounds in the animal welfare community. The “thing” is a concept that horses are entitled to five freedoms. The group behind this is the Farm Animal Welfare Committee of the World Equine Veterinary Association. The five freedoms are as follows:
1. Freedom from thirst, hunger, and malnutrition; 2. Freedom from discomfort; 3. Freedom from pain, injury, and disease; 4. Freedom to express normal behaviour; and 5. Freedom from fear and distress.
Now anyone who has even remotely followed my ramblings over the 80 odd Just Jake columns and 84 more blogs knows that I am an advocate for the welfare of the horse. However, I am also a realist and the reality is that there is no way, unless you put a horse in a gilded cage and monitor him 24/7 you can meet the 5 criteria. Even if you did it, you would be breaking freedom 4. Let us look at the list:
1. Freedom from thirst, hunger and malnutrition. This is motherhood and no person can find an argument with this.
2. Freedom from discomfort. Now how can we guarantee that? What if he jumps and lands and strains something. What if followed by what if. Yes freedom from human caused discomfort, but to what extent?
3. Freedom from pain, injury and disease. Well duhh! Obvious yes, but impossible to do. Diseases are transmitted by nature, we all know our horses can inflict injuries on themselves that cause pain.
4. Freedom to express normal behaviour. Normal behaviour within what physical constraints? Should all horses be free to run over the barren prairies? Free to fight and battle for herd dominance to the detriment of others?
5. Freedom from fear and distress. Number 4 and number 5 are diametrically opposite. Normal herd behaviour is based on fear and dominance, which causes distress. How does one stop fear of the unknown? Stop fear of some unknown creature in a pasture (bears for example) or fear caused by a sudden noise or unusual situation. Horses survived because of a highly developed fear instinct.
Everyone reading this has broken the five freedom rules. You have if you rode too long, or too fast or jumped too high. All of this will cause some degree of muscle soreness. Therefore, you inflicted pain, discomfort and distress on your horse. If your horse is not turned out with others where he can play and fight, or is kept stabled during training, you have broken the five freedoms.
Making lists of rights and freedoms is fine but they must be applicable and reasonable. These rules are so encompassing that every horse owner in the world has been abusive. This sort of drivel only fuels the rhetoric of the radical welfare groups and taints the minds of people who have no concept of animal husbandry.
Horses in general are doing pretty well in today’s world. How about someone guaranteeing you or me the same five freedoms. Wouldn’t even a single day without (di)stress be wonderful. If you cannot do it for a person, how in heck can anyone expect it be reasonable for horse owners?
In my never-ending quest to prove to my readers that “If it isn’t a standardbred – it isn’t a horse”, I am heading to a well-known BC location. Fraser Downs in Cloverdale is the site of the action I want to you see. On December 4, 2011 Driver Dave Hudon hit the track with cameras affixed to every part of his sulky (and his head) to give you a unique view and feel of what happens when you are literally hurtling around a racetrack at speeds over 30 miles per hour. While the video is so smooth it does not look like you are going that fast, trust me these guys are movin!
As you watch the video notice how close the horses follow each other, with only milliseconds between each horse. Notice the tails flapping in the drivers faces; understand the potential for disaster if anything goes wrong. This is a high intensity activity.
Congratulations to Fraser Downs, Dave Hudon and the videographer Tom Davidson for presenting such a wonderful video experience.
Race Day does not mean much to most of my readers. Most of you, probably 99.999% have never sat behind 1,000 plus pounds of horse heading around a turn at speeds near 30 miles per hour. However, for those of us who have experienced the ultimate relationship between man and horse it all culminates in race day. Now I will be the first to admit that it is a few years since I sat in a race bike with the intention of crossing the finish line first. I do still enjoy a brisk jog workout and the occasional 2:15 training mile. Race days will find me in my colours warming up one of my beasts. I do it for no other reason than to remind myself why I keep draining my savings account buying horses, harness and other “necessities” of life.
You can now taste some of the excitement of harness racing, and after January 28, 2012, you can get a full blast of the lifestyle. Filmed entirely on August 6, 2011 - Race Day, a 23 minute documentary will take you inside harness racing. Here is how the producers describe this venture.
RACE DAY offers a rare glimpse inside the colour, emotion, character and characters of horse racing.
This short documentary was shot in ONE day by 20 people who love, live and breathe harness racing.
Filmed at racetracks, farms and homes — and from race bikes, trucks and private jets — across North America, each contributor has a unique perspective: From pomp and polish, and million-dollar races, to green fields, pitchforks and elbow grease.
RACE DAY is a truthful taste of ordinary people living extraordinary lives in their united love of the greatest game in the world.
The film will have its debut at Standardbred Canada’s national awards night and will then be available on line to the world. You can now watch a trailer and some interesting footage on YouTube or at http://racedaydoc.com/ . You can be sure I will tell you when the complete movie is available!
So here we are at the end of December and just like I said one year ago today another 365 days have rolled past us and we are on the verge of another new year. I certainly feel at least a year older. A new year is a reason for change and a new beginning. Just like I said last year what counts if you desire change is a new attitude. As you look back have you had a change in attitude. A revised view of the world and perhaps a change in your life because of a new outlook. Did you do it on your own? Probably not! Your changes required the support of friends and family because attitude is a group response. You are influenced by those around you. Together we achieve what we cannot manage on our own.
So again in 2012 let us all concentrate on Attitude. A strong Positive Attitude. The goal does not matter. What matters is that you attack each challange with a Positive Attitude. Share your positive attitude with all your friends. Being positive is contageous.
So if you didn't quite find success in 2011, try again in 2012. You can do whatever you need to do to be successfull in whatever venture you choose.
So carry on and make 2012 the year of the Super Positive Attitude, and as we say in the racing business may 2012 bring you many fast miles!
Tis the season and even Grumpy Old Jake can be jolly once in a while. Christmas at Tuff Stuff Farm revolves around animals not people. Horses, dogs and even the barn cats are creatures of habit and it is important that you not put their care on the back burner while you partake in the festivities of the season. Christmas morning here is not filled with presents and fancy breakfasts. Here the first chore is to ensure the horses, dogs and cats are all fed and checked over. The horses get their daily morning brushings and receive the same attention as any other day of the year. They do not understand waiting while you delve into festive wrapped packages. They want their routine. Only after the four footed creatures are happy does attention turn to the two footed beasts. So don’t put your horses on the back burner. Show them the spirit of the season and ensure they have as good a Christmas as you do.
And from the residents of Tuff Stuff Farm we send you the warmest of wishes for Christmas. That is quite a pile of wishes. From the horses – Airdrie, Dancer, Mac, Mister, Lady, Poconuts, Pampered and Jane. From the dogs – Allie, Monica, Cecil and Lexi. And never forgetting the cats – Sweets, Trixi, Millie, Timothy, Bert, Tippy, Tuffy, Snoopy, Sox, Ginger, Jelly Bean and Freeda. Geesh I think a name change is required to Tuff Stuff Zoo!
Best wishes to all!
Helping or Hindering. Many competitive horses are essentially stabled for everything except their actual training sessions. Many owners excuse for this is that it protects them from injury and they are therefore acting in the horses best welfare. Stall confinement has a significant effect on a horse’s behaviour both during times they are confined and also undergoing training. A study was conduced at the University of Goettingen, Department of Animal Science to see what effect allowing even short term turnout had on equine behaviour.
Using German Warmblood horses they tried 3 different regimens. Two hours of turnout before training, 2 hours turnout after training and no turnout. The researchers used video recordings, personal observations and GPS devices to monitor behaviour. At the completion of the study, the conclusions were as follows.
Stall Behaviour. Horses receiving no turnout were significantly more restless and even more aggressive than horses receiving turnout. These horses spent more time “doing things” (good and bad) than turned out horses. Horses in the turnout after training group stood alert and also dozed off more than horses with no turnout.
Turnout Behaviour. The horses turned out before training were considerably more active than when turned out after training. Horses turned out after training rested more. At the same time horses turned out after training covered less distance during turnout than horses turned out before training, however even trained horses covered more than 1 kilometre during turnout suggesting that that training did not necessarily fill the horses exercise needs.
Training Behaviour: It was noted that horses in the turnout before training group had a tendency towards being more willing to cooperate with the trainer’s requests resulting in shorter training times. The no turnout group showed less inclination to cooperate and required longer training times while the turnout after group were rated as “normal” in cooperation.
The conclusions: A horses stall and training behaviour is more relaxed when turnout is offered. They suggest that all horses be supplied with some degree of turnout. Very active or more difficult horses may benefit from turnout before training while quieter personality horses may do better with turnout after training. If you are concerned with potential injury, the researchers suggest turnout after training when horses demonstrate less activity.
The Sport of Kings, or The Sport of Fools? Thoroughbred racing is considered by many to be the pinnacle of horse competition with the potential for earning considerable amounts of money and peer recognition. An analysis of your chances to actually succeed in this lofty goal suggests that a great percentage of “Kings” might be blessed with more money than brains.
Melissa Jackson from the University of Melbourne in Australia conducted an analysis of 2773 race horses sold at auction in Australia to see how many actually gave their owners a return on investment. Analysts divided the 2773 horses into five different groups based on their purchase price at auction. Group 1) under $10,000: 2) up to $20,000: 3) up to $50,000: 4) up to $100,000 and 5) more than $100,000. All horses were assigned the same training costs for their first 2 years of $40,000 each.
If you are considering investing in a thoroughbred race horse the researchers found your best bet for you getting all your purchase price and input costs back within 2 years lies in buying a horse that costs between $50,000 and $100,000. The important (and sad) part of the analysis is that while category 4 was your best bet, you still only have a 7% chance of making money. No other category even came close. Your chances of making money with a group 1 horse is 2.7%, a group 2 horse 1.5%, group 3 is 5.3% and group 5, the most expensive group was 5.7%.
If your goal is simply to earn back the money you paid and you consider the training etc to be the cost of your hobby the horses in group 1 were the most likely to get your money back with 24.1% paying for themselves. As the purchase price goes up, your chances of getting your investment back drops. 16.3% for group 2, 12.9% for group 3, 11.2% for group 4 and 6.3% for group 5.
The net result according to the study is that only 14.5% of horses win back their purchase price within 2 years and only 5.1% make their purchase price and other input costs back within 2 years. The bottom line : race horses are not a good RRSP investment and you better really like what you are doing!
Winter is virtually apon us. One of the things people do in winter is stable their horses inside more often, and for longer periods of time. They also tend to close barns up tighter and reduce ventillation. That leads to a buildup of ammonia in the barn and ammonia is toxic.
Ammonia is a stinky compound made of nitrogen and hydrogen. Your horse excretes nitrogen in it's urine and it is convered to ammonia. Ammonia accumulates along the floor of your barn, in particular the stalls. Your horse eats off the floor to a great extent and also sleeps with his head on or very near the floor. Research has found that it is not uncommon for the level of ammonia near the floor of a horse stall to be about 200 ppm. The human safety standard is 35 ppm with a maximum exposure time of 15 minutes. Your horse may spend hours with his head near the floor at these toxic levels. These levels can cause inflamation and constriction of your horses respiratory tract. Chronic exposure can lead to decreased stamina, reduced performance and difficulty breathing coupled with coughing.
The easiest way to prevent the problem is to ensure stalls are kept as clean and dry as possible. Clean the stall without the horse in it so he is not exposed to elevated ammonia levels released during cleaning.Use one of the many different stall freshner products available that bind toxic ammonia. Finally and most critical - keep your barn well ventillated. Better a cooler barn than a sick horse.
RACE UPDATE. Nov 24, Airdrie races to a 3rd place photo finish in 2:00:4 just 0.2 seconds out of first place. Dancer got his poor grey rear end kicked and did not get a cheque..lol.
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