by Sharon Soileau 11-26-2008 02:00 AM
In all equine disciplines, there are trainers and there are horsemen. A trainer merely has a title, while a horseman knows horses.
In racing, a person has to pass a lengthy written test to obtain a trainer's license. Some states have incorporated a "barn" test, where the individual applying for a license must demonstrate how to saddle a horse, wrap its legs and perform a few other minor chores. A book of rules and regulations for any racing jurisdiction is easily obtainable and the test will consist of questions directly from this book. Saddling a horse is not difficult, and with a little practice, anyone can learn how to apply leg wraps. What is not found in any rule book is the horse's mind, how he thinks, feels and reacts in certain situations.
A true horseman understands how a horse thinks, knows why he reacts in certain ways and what he is feeling. He can get inside a horse's head. In addition to this, a horseman is "hands on" in his operation, meaning that he is involved in all aspects of the animal's care, from feeding to leg and hoof problems to conditioning and racing.
Some trainers are merely "program" trainers. Their name is listed in the racing program, and they get all the credit when a horse races well, but someone else has actually done all the work. "Claim and drop" trainers fall into this category. They have funds necessary to claim or buy horses out of races. Then they race them back at lower levels. When a $30,000 horse is put up against $10,000 horses, his ability and class will prevail, and the "trainer" takes all the credit for the win, even though he did nothing to prepare this horse. He bought the horse for a pretty penny, fed him for a few weeks, then dropped him to a level well below what the horse is capable of competing at to increase the changes of coming out with a win.
Others are "copy-cat" trainers. They don't do as well as the claim and drop trainers, but their name is in the program and they will win a race from time to time. These trainers know very little about horses. They will see a successful horseman and try to imitate his training program. Horses are individuals and need to be treated as such. What works with one horse, may not work with another. Some animals like a strenuous training schedule, while others may prefer light exercise. A horseman will be able to determine which horse needs what, whereas a "trainer" will not be able to figure it out because he doesn't understand his horses in the first place.
Horsemen think like a horse. It is second nature to them. They knows exactly what each animal wants and how much training he needs. He can take an inferior horse and turn him into a winner, or nurse an injured horse back to health. Most people just give up on these type of horses. A horseman will appear to be able to read a horse's mind. He takes time in preparing his charges for racing, knows every minute detail about each horse, and knows when they are ready to race because he listens to each individual horse.
All horsemen make excellent trainers, but all trainers are not horsemen.
Published 11-26-2008 © 2026 Access Athletes, LLC
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