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Quote of the Day:

"I've spent most of my life riding horses. The rest I've just wasted."

~Anonymous

Training Tips:

Some horses buck when they're young and unbalanced, especially at a canter. They simply haven't learned to carry themselves, and  a rider at the same time. When you start jumping your horse, it gets even worse! Imagine running around a ring by yourself - you're fine, and it's easy to jump things too! But then try carrying a child piggyback around the ring doing the same things. It gets a lot harder, doesn't it? If your horse gets into the habit of bucking or kicking out while cantering or after he jumps, check several things. Make sure his teeth haven't grown too long, or that his back isn't sore. Check to be sure that you're not causing the horse pain or discomfort by pulling in his mouth or sitting too heavily on his back. If you've checked everything possible, and your horse is still having problems, consider another approach. again, many your horses are simply unbalanced. I have a mare, though, that it's merely an attitude problem! She learned that by bucking, she would get out of working at a canter (my own fault, I know). Once the horse has learned this, it's hard to work them out of it, but it IS possible. Your best choice is to put a western saddle on your horse, for your own balance and safety. When your horse bucks, or kicks out, push him through it HARD - get him over the idea that misbehaving gets him out of work. Every time he misbehaves, he has to work harder! This is the easiest and quickest way to train your horse out of a bucking problem.

Horses in History:

1845: The Great Sectional Match, the North versus the South, was run at Union Course in New York. Fashion, representing the North, raced against the South's Peytona in a match race won by Peytona. Three years earlier, Fashion had defeated Boston, who represented the South, in another North-South rivalry.

1891: Kingman, the only African American-owned horse to win the Derby, did so with jockey Isaac Murphy in the irons. Kingman was owned and trained by African American Dudley Allen. The win gave jockey Isaac Murphy back-to-back Derby victories and made him the first jockey to win three Derbies.

1939: Louis Schaefer became the first person to have ridden and trained a Preakness Stakes winner after he saddled Challedon to victory. Schaefer won the 1929 Preakness as a jockey, riding Dr. Freeland. In doing so he managed to solidify himself as one of the best all time jockeys.  Schaefer's double was replicated by jockey-turned-trainer John Longden, who rode Count Fleet in the 1943 Preakness and trained Majestic Prince to win the race in 1969.

1973: Secretariat worked five furlongs in :57 2/5 at Pimlico Racecourse in preparation for the May 19 Preakness Stakes. He was eased after completing his workout distance, but still ran six furlongs in 1:10.

Not many people are aware of the rich history of horse racing. Whilst horse racing as a sport first appeared in Roman as a spectacle of entertainment, it was the opening of Newmarket Palace in England in 1606 which instigated the birth of thoroughbred racing. The sport has gone from strength to strength globally since then.

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