and the quick answer to that question is no! This weekend has gone by at a rate of knots, which is really scary when you sit and think about it. It seems that I was only raving about the fact that I had 4 days off before I had to grace the office again and look where we are now - at the back end of Sunday! AAArgh! This is a very depressing thought.
Saturday was not a good day with a chronic bout of sinus to make me feel all cheery and happy - ah, not! Not to forget that it was my mum's eight anniversary of her passing. If you want to know the truth, I felt like hiding under the doona all day and thought the better of passing on my doom and gloom mood to all my happy and cheery readers.
Today has been spent updating Gallopers website and taking photos for the update of the Massie Lodge website (which took me a good half a day) that is about to take place in the very near future. After an AGM meeting of Gallopers (at the local Italian Restaurant in Warwick on Friday night), it was decided to make the Massie Lodge website much more interactive and live with both Evan and I contributing articles of interest about the industry; what's happening, who is doing what (and to whom? lol). Evan will begin tipping again on the site (he gave it up last year after his picks were becoming too short!) and there is even talk of a subscription area to Evan's best tip of the day. Very exciting!
So anyway we donned our Massie Lodge shirts and caps and posed with all the current residents and of course the new boys that have arrived since Thursday - Telbon Lotto and Ring Cycle who has come to semi retire, move on.
Ringo (pictured above - well, I thought the name suited him!) is up for sale as a equestrian prospect. He is 9 years old and has a great racing record, 61:13/14/3 and has amassed over $90,000 in his career. Nothing wrong with this fellow.
I have to ask the question, when is enough racing enough? Is it fair to keep pushing these equines at that age? Let's look at Bomber Bill for example. He is a 10 year old that has amassed over $1.8 Million dollars for his owner. His racing record is outstanding: 89: 23/7/4 which includes Group races as well. But when is enough, enough? Do you keep pushing them until they have to retire injured or even worse, break down on the track and have to be humanely put down?
The answer to these questions if someone asked me would be NO! If we listen to our horses they will tell us when they have had enough. And just in case we are not listening to them and their small calls for help, they start to whinge about this a bit louder and start to perform badly and then everyone stands around at the mounting enclosure shrugging their shoulders and acting surprised as if they had no idea.
AArgh! Trainers should be aware of the emotional states of their charges and move them out of their stables quick smart when they can see that they're not putting in or just "dont want to be there". I have to say that some of the trainers that I know myself are pretty good and tell you when they think their charges have had enough however, there are some who are in it for the ongoing monthly paycheck.
Through Gallopers, I have seen it too many times when people are determined to push their equines past the point of no return - and when they are injured and can no longer keep their owners in a racing lifestyle that they have become accustomed to, they are discarded on the scrap heap and sent to the dogger.
Shame, shame, shame people!
Because of this, I guess thats why we offer a Retirement home here for the "oldies" who can no longer "bring home the bacon". The thought of these oldies who have given their all for their owners being sent to the dogger because its an easy out, makes my stomach roll and heave. What price does your equine have to pay for just "one more race?".
We have in the past moved some of our race retirees who are not quite at retirement stage as riding horses to people who we know will be good to them. Three of our charges come to mind who have gone on to a wonderful life outside of racing and breeding; Tatra Avenue, Diomedes and Summerino.
I dont know what the answer is to this problem in our industry. I guess we have to hope that common sense will prevail and owners will look after their horses and make the decision of when enough is enough.
On that note my friends, I will get off my soapbox and retire to bed.
Goodnight!
Helen.
Saturday was not a good day with a chronic bout of sinus to make me feel all cheery and happy - ah, not! Not to forget that it was my mum's eight anniversary of her passing. If you want to know the truth, I felt like hiding under the doona all day and thought the better of passing on my doom and gloom mood to all my happy and cheery readers.
Today has been spent updating Gallopers website and taking photos for the update of the Massie Lodge website (which took me a good half a day) that is about to take place in the very near future. After an AGM meeting of Gallopers (at the local Italian Restaurant in Warwick on Friday night), it was decided to make the Massie Lodge website much more interactive and live with both Evan and I contributing articles of interest about the industry; what's happening, who is doing what (and to whom? lol). Evan will begin tipping again on the site (he gave it up last year after his picks were becoming too short!) and there is even talk of a subscription area to Evan's best tip of the day. Very exciting!
So anyway we donned our Massie Lodge shirts and caps and posed with all the current residents and of course the new boys that have arrived since Thursday - Telbon Lotto and Ring Cycle who has come to semi retire, move on.
Ringo (pictured above - well, I thought the name suited him!) is up for sale as a equestrian prospect. He is 9 years old and has a great racing record, 61:13/14/3 and has amassed over $90,000 in his career. Nothing wrong with this fellow.
I have to ask the question, when is enough racing enough? Is it fair to keep pushing these equines at that age? Let's look at Bomber Bill for example. He is a 10 year old that has amassed over $1.8 Million dollars for his owner. His racing record is outstanding: 89: 23/7/4 which includes Group races as well. But when is enough, enough? Do you keep pushing them until they have to retire injured or even worse, break down on the track and have to be humanely put down?
The answer to these questions if someone asked me would be NO! If we listen to our horses they will tell us when they have had enough. And just in case we are not listening to them and their small calls for help, they start to whinge about this a bit louder and start to perform badly and then everyone stands around at the mounting enclosure shrugging their shoulders and acting surprised as if they had no idea.
AArgh! Trainers should be aware of the emotional states of their charges and move them out of their stables quick smart when they can see that they're not putting in or just "dont want to be there". I have to say that some of the trainers that I know myself are pretty good and tell you when they think their charges have had enough however, there are some who are in it for the ongoing monthly paycheck.
Through Gallopers, I have seen it too many times when people are determined to push their equines past the point of no return - and when they are injured and can no longer keep their owners in a racing lifestyle that they have become accustomed to, they are discarded on the scrap heap and sent to the dogger.
Shame, shame, shame people!
Because of this, I guess thats why we offer a Retirement home here for the "oldies" who can no longer "bring home the bacon". The thought of these oldies who have given their all for their owners being sent to the dogger because its an easy out, makes my stomach roll and heave. What price does your equine have to pay for just "one more race?".
We have in the past moved some of our race retirees who are not quite at retirement stage as riding horses to people who we know will be good to them. Three of our charges come to mind who have gone on to a wonderful life outside of racing and breeding; Tatra Avenue, Diomedes and Summerino.
I dont know what the answer is to this problem in our industry. I guess we have to hope that common sense will prevail and owners will look after their horses and make the decision of when enough is enough.
On that note my friends, I will get off my soapbox and retire to bed.
Goodnight!
Helen.
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