RACE NOT WANT NOT

Germany’s initiative to impose a ban on racing animals less than thirty months of age has been met with a range of reaction from disdain to abhorrence. As a group, horsemen, like any other cohort of experienced professionals are loath to embrace either change, or innovation; at least until their neighbour starts tasting success with a different method, feed, gallop etc, which often provokes a mass epiphany!

There are a number of convincing and rational reasons to oppose this initiative, but since it has brought the subject into open forum, it would be sensible not to credit every flailing objection with rational merit.

The most valuable and convincing objection has nothing to do with racing, or indeed horses; it is not the job of a government to impose the will of a fanatical focus group on the freedom of a passionate minority and a disinterested majority. Particularly so when the invigilators will certainly have minimal expert knowledge compared to those being scrutinised. Since expert practitioners have markedly varying methods, but can reach the same summits, how does anybody think that there could be a code that could be applicable to all. The joy of racing (and life?) is the triumph of individualism over homogeneity. Any inspector who can profile a horse in a brief inspection and identify their emotional needs would certainly not need a job funded by the public purse!

There is a deal of evidence to prove that training and racing young horses leads to greater bone density and sounder mature animals, but we should not endorse this carte blanche. No doubt sympathetic training is beneficial, but the figures are plastic when one considers that a horse who has raced regularly as a juvenile and remained functional for multiple seasons is at least as likely to have survived juvenile stress because of an inherent durability, as to have profited in longevity by early exposure to severe effort on challenging going. There are an awful lot of two years olds tried and found wanting for speed and soundness.

I have no doubt that training a young horse is beneficial, but I do not believe that it necessarily follows all horses prosper from the progression to arduous racing at this stage.

What are connections to do if they are in charge of an animal who, due to physical limitations has a brief window of opportunity?

My overriding concern is that far too great a percentage of the breeding pool is conceived with that crucible in mind and by breeders who have been hornswaggled by aggressive marketing and lazy reporting. The impression given to breeders, thence to potential owners is that horses bred from precocious stock is more likely to provide the big day out at Royal Ascot that so many dreams are made of and sales driven through on.

Is that really so?