[nightmoves]

How much time do you take from breaking to racing? Not counting the ones you break and turn out but the ones you break and go right to training?

[Slewdledo]

I work for a trainer. He brought everybody in to the track the first two weeks of February and expects to have the first ones ready to run around the first of May. The babies are going through snots right now and he goes slow with them anyways, so they might run in July at the earliest, but the older horses should be ready in late April/early May. He put about a month of walking/jogging/galloping on them before the first ones breezed 2 weeks ago.

[nightmoves]

So I am assuming when he brought them to the track in Feb. That they were already broke to ride at the farm? If so how long did they take getting them broke before they shipped them to the track?

[DickHertz]

How much time do you take from breaking to racing? Not counting the ones you break and turn out but the ones you break and go right to training?

DEPENDS ON HOW IMPATIENT THE OWNER IS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Slewdledo]

The 2YOs started the breaking process in November. They ended up getting the last half of December off because the guy breaking them got hurt. Went on the exerciser in January and then to the track in February. Spent a couple days settling in to being stalled most of the time, ONLY walking on the hotwalker, and then about a week going around the shedrow before they went to the track. And they were all super when they went to the track for the first time. The first few have been to the gate, one is a very good boy and the other two reared their first time to the gate.

[Acertainsmile]

Usually it takes 60 days to break a baby under saddle, totally depends on the horse, facilities and location though. A facility up North in the winner wont be able to train like a farm in Florida. A lot of trainers will send two yr olds down south early, and they will spend some extra time being broke before being shipped to the track. Typically these babies will have some gate experience and be just about ready to breeze. Other will spend less time at the farm, come to the track broke but not very experienced or fit, so they will take more time once at the track. This is of course if your talking about a two yr old ready to come to the track in February.

If all goes well with a baby, usually 90 days is sufficient for a trainer to get them ready to run their first race.

Most trainers will not give horses a break from racing or training unless there is a specific issue.

[nightmoves]

We start ALOT of them and then turn them back out to mature physically and mentally. IMO there aren't many that I personally would race at two I know it doesn't allways work that way.

[Blinkers On]

IME, most of us do turn them back out till January. As we all know they are young growing babies and it would be a grind and a half to go from Oct/ Nov to the new year and on. They do need time to grow up some, rest from sale prep, the sale, breaking, etc. Mental and physical break is warranted.
The earliest we are "supposed to" bring babies on the grounds is early Feb.

Some trainers are more oriented to running two year olds and running early. Others aren't all that concerned with it. Babies weed themselves out, and some show that they are physically and mentally precocious and able to go on some.
We had our first 1/4 mile race this week. Full field with AE's. The little 1/4 mile races are not my cup of tea, but some love it and do it well. 4 1/2 is so much better IMO.
So many babies are brought in, get a little education and sent back to the farm to grow up. And brought back in later in the year or as a three year old.

[SleepyFox]

Ninety days to condition is the standard for a horse that is already broke. Five to six months is the standard from field to race for an unbroke horse. It can be done more quickly if no issues arise and the horse takes training well. If the horse is broke on the track or a busy training center, it generally also takes less time. On the other hand, you can drag the process out as long as you'd like.

[Jessi P]

Ninety days of galloping before beginning the breezes - then anywhere from 6-10 breezes (once a week) depending on the trainer's preferences before starting in a race. Some trainers will work them less than that. So ninety days of galloping and six to 10 weeks of breezing - just my personal preference - YMMV.

[Acertainsmile]

Of course I didnt mean 90 days from the time they are broke to their first race... but 90 days is reasonable if you get one it that is partly fit and has been galloping along on the farm!

If you reread my original post, 60 days for breaking and getting them galloping, 90 more days at the track untill their first race.

[KBEquine]

More trainer preference questions --

Of the places on the East Coast that start babies & then send them to trainers, are there any that most trainers think do a better job than others, or is it all individual preference?

And do any/many trainers prefer to start their own?

[Las Olas]

I think it's mostly preference. There are a lot of them that do a good job.

[Las Olas]

And do any/many trainers prefer to start their own?

A handful, but not many. They already have their hands full and it's not feasible for most.

[nightmoves]

We would prefer to have ONLY horses that we start ourselves. We take the time to bring them along slowly and all of ours will ride like a trail horse before they ever start working. It eliminates alot of problems down the road. I know alot people that start them on Mon. and have them going around the track on Fri. That's never going to happen here. We do get alot of horses in to start over with and try to fix the problems others have created.

[doublete]

I break my own, but only have time for a few at a time. One or two max. I like to break them myself so that I know them and know how they are going to act when I get on them at the track, since a lot of people don't want to get on babies. And I'm such a wimp that I hate my babies to be rough handled (like some riders that WILL get on babies do).

[Blinkers On]

Have good people do it. I used to break, I LOVE babies and developing them! But as for the breaking process Find someone reputable and have like goals for the process and allow them to do it. Go watch the progress periodically and carry on.

[Las Olas]

We would prefer to have ONLY horses that we start ourselves. We take the time to bring them along slowly and all of ours will ride like a trail horse before they ever start working. It eliminates alot of problems down the road. I know alot people that start them on Mon. and have them going around the track on Fri. That's never going to happen here. We do get alot of horses in to start over with and try to fix the problems others have created.

Do you run off the farm then? If not, do you move your entire stable to the racetrack when everyone is broke? Most trainers I know don't break their own because of the logistical issues.

I break my own, but then I send them to a training farm for their breezes and gate work, then they go to my trainer at the track. I think it's very difficult to do both well on a large scale.

[Acertainsmile]

I agree with the above, we have little time to break babies and also train at the track... I will start them on the ground and break them to tack, then off they go to someone reputable for thier galloping education before coming to the track for training.

Added to the fact that good help is hard to find rider wise, and I've paid my dues on young horses and dont wish to repeat it!

[nightmoves]

Do you run off the farm then? If not, do you move your entire stable to the racetrack when everyone is broke? Most trainers I know don't break their own because of the logistical issues.

I break my own, but then I send them to a training farm for their breezes and gate work, then they go to my trainer at the track. I think it's very difficult to do both well on a large scale.

We break ours and colts for others here at the farm. We ship back and forth to the track to race unless we don't have alot of outside horses and then we will ship into the track and stay. Small operation, we race our own mainly and would rather not have any owners but husband enjoys starting colts and it supplements our income. Myself I would rather not have any outside horses. My husband trains, rides and is a farrier.