by Amber Lesovoy

Created on: March 16, 2009   Last Updated: March 21, 2009

The Thoroughbred horse: A sleek, powerful running machine, the ultimate equine athlete. Thousands of people worldwide enjoy watching these horses run at tracks around the globe, but very few realized the blood, sweat, and tears that goes into the training and conditioning of a winning racehorse.

Unlike other breeds, Thoroughbred horses ages are determined by the year of birth rather than the month. All Thoroughbreds have a birth-date of January 1st of their birth year, and as yearlings and two years olds, this can mean the difference between an immature baby or a sturdy horse ready to win. A horse born in February will be much more physically mature than another born in December of the same year. Regardless, these horses receive the same training at the same ages, so most breeders try to come as close to a January foal as possible to avoid a late foal who might never make it to the track after an injury due to the stress of training on immature joints and bones. Even the foals born right around January first are at risk for injuries to their legs, as their growth plates are still in the process of closing and they are not fully mature yet. This does not bode as well for those foals born much later in the year.

Very few Thoroughbreds actually receive any training prior to becoming yearlings. A yearling is a horse who is one year old, based on his foal date of January 1st of the previous year. Foals are weaned from their dams at between four and six months of age, at which time they are considered weanlings. Weanlings are generally turned out to pasture with others of their age group until they turn one. At one year of age, the horses are brought into the training barn and started on high protein feed and alfalfa hay. The idea is to condition them by adding weight as needed, grooming for a neat appearance, and finally exercised to build muscle tone. Many stables use a mechanical hot-walker that leads each horse in a large circle, usually through sand. This slowly builds muscle and increases stamina.

During this time, they are also introduced to bathing. The horses are bathed after every workout, regardless of how strenuous. Thoroughbreds are hotblooded by nature, and sweat heavily during even light training. Wash racks made of metal piping have gates that make them like big, open air stalls. The horses are taught to accept the hose by slowly spraying from the hooves, up the legs, and finally to the body. The head and neck are the last places to get wet, and most

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