Part 5: Officially an owner.. What’s next?
By Emily Schulz
Being a first-time racehorse owner is a lot of fun where one can dream of all the possibilities and potential for future success on the racetrack with their new shiny purchase. You’re thinking ‘Ok what’s next?’ If you’re a bit green in this department, read on.
So it was love at first sight and you purchased either a share in a yearling, ready-to-run two-year-old or a tried horse. The next part of the process will take a bit of time depending on how old your newly acquired Ferrari (hopefully!) is and what level they’re already at.
Yearlings
Once your little baby has gone through the ring at the sales, they’ll go back to their box and the purchaser (generally the trainer or syndicator) will arrange for the horse to be transferred to a spelling facility of their choice. Yearlings need time to further develop as they are only young and depending on which trainer or syndicator you get your horse through; they will have their own way of going about things. Horses at yearling sales can be anywhere from 12 to 18 months old despite being classified as a one-year-old. Racehorses don’t start racing until they are two years old, which happens on the first of August every year in the Southern Hemisphere. Before they hit the track, they need to be educated.
Depending on which sale your yearling is purchased at they may have a few more months in the paddock before coming in to be broken in which is a term used to describe the first education process a horse goes through. They have already gone through a yearling preparation which involves daily education, grooming, hand walking and athletic conditioning prior to the yearling sales so that they can be paraded and either look fit or muscular like a racehorse should. The breaker will further develop these ground skills as a foundation whilst teaching your yearling new skills like how to accept pressure and have a rider on their back. It’s important that your horse learns the basics properly so that they can progress through the stages easily for your trainer to then train them to become a racehorse.
The breaking in process generally takes around six to ten weeks depending on the horse and breaker. Every horse is different and if they are being broken in by a decent breaker, they will take the time your horse needs to get the best education possible. While your horse is at the breakers, they will be involved in tasks that they will encounter as a racehorse. Groundwork includes, but is not limited to, being taught to stand tied up, being washed, handling of legs to make the farrier's job easier, being rugged, float training as well as learning to respect personal space. Once the horse is accustomed to the bridle with a bit in their mouth and a saddle or roller strapped to their back, they may do some flexing, lunging and driving exercises to further their skills. The day that your horse first has a rider on their back is the start of the rest of their life. Once your yearling has advanced through the ridden stage working on the farm, they may be taken to the racetrack to learn the ropes of what stable life is all about. The yearling will learn to be ridden in company with either a pony or stable mates, learn about barriers and even be taught to swim. The aim of the game isn’t to get them up and going quickly, they’re learning so much at such a young age, they’ll need time to process it all. Depending on the stable you have purchased through, you may or may not receive updates of this process, but if you do, it’s great insight!
Depending on your trainer or your horses breeding, unless they are a mature early two-year-old type, your horse will likely spend some time in the paddock maturing until they are ready to race as a late two-year-old or even older if you’ve bought into a staying type. Some trainers and syndicators will have an open day at their stable, this is to showcase your recent purchase but also any other yearlings they have available. It’s a great opportunity to go and check out your horse and where they will live, meet the staff looking after them and check out the facilities your horse will have access to. It’s very exciting to meet your fellow owners and be able to ask your trainer questions first-hand about anything horse related. Bring the kids along, some of the stables provide pony rides, coffee vans and morning tea!
“When you get involved with a yearling, it is an exciting journey that begins well before you get to the races and one that we encourage our owners to be part of. Open Days provide a great opportunity to see your horse during its development, meet other owners and like-minded enthusiasts, as well as meeting the staff and other horses in the stable.”
Two-year-olds and older
You can buy into a two-year-old that has been broken in, may have had an educational preparation at the racetrack involving a soft jump out. You can also buy into a ready to run two-year-old which as we’ve spoken about previously is a horse that has been taught to gallop and is essentially ready to head to the races. This is sometimes not always the case and these horses can take a while to get to the races, but they are closer than a yearling is!
Around their second birthday, it’s time to name your pride and joy. If you’ve had kids, you may know how difficult this process can be, at least you won’t know anyone with that name to turn you off though. Instead of using a name book, you’ve come to the right place! Getting a horse to the races is a major job in itself so it’s great to give your horse every opportunity to succeed on the racetrack by giving them a well thought out name to start off with. Naming a horse is quite a complex process unless you’re boring and unimaginative, we’re looking at you Dubawi Meeznah by sire Dubawi out of the dam Meeznah!
There are a few rules that you do have to abide by when choosing name options for your horse:
It can’t be named the same or sound like another racehorse in Australia unless it has been 17 years since that horse was named and 20 years if it’s a breeding horse.
In saying that, there are permanently restricted names such as Phar Lap and Winx for horses that have made an impact on the sport to keep those names sacred.
The name can’t be any longer than 18 characters including spaces and punctuation.
You can’t include any offensive language even in other languages, the research team will look into it and if they find out after the horse has been named, they will make you change it!
Be kind to the race caller, pick a name they can pronounce or it will be rejected! Sally Sells Shells or other tongue twisters are cruel.
The name can’t be the full name of a person, celebrity or brand.
You should choose a name that suits your horse, many people look into the breeding and try to think of creative names or they can be more serious with some sentimental value. Some of our favourites include Tina Turban (Helmet x Simply The Best) and Fish N Snitz (Snitzel x Whiting). You also want to choose a great name that you’ll be hearing over the loudspeaker when your horse hits the front and comes thundering down that straight! If you have only bought a small share, you will be able to throw in your suggestions (make sure they’re available here before submitting) and the stable or syndicator will then have a vote or pick out three good names and send them off. Your horse will need to be named before it can have an official trial and race so get thinking!
Tried horses
As we have spoken about previously, a tried horse is a horse that has previously raced and has moved onto another stable, most likely with a new set of owners. These horses are already broken in, named and are ready to race on unless they have any niggling issues which prompted the sale. Horses can be sold on from their original owners for many other reasons such as to dissolve a partnership or it may not meet the standards of the current stable and be better suited to a country level trainer. There’s not much waiting required when buying into a tried horse and can also sometimes find an absolute bargain that is well bred so those sales are worth checking out.
On-going costs
Once you have committed to buying a share in a racehorse, you will then be invoiced monthly as per what percentage you bought into. Depending on the stable, if you think that buying a racehorse closer to the time it races is smart to save money, think again! The costs involved in raising and training this racehorse will most likely be added into the purchase price because somebody needs to pay for it during the time before you came along! The costs will vary month to month unless you’re with a syndicator that has a flat fee no matter if your horse is in the paddock or in full training, this may suit your circumstances better. Racehorse ownership in Australia is super affordable no matter what your income so it’s a good idea not to think about the money and just think about how much fun the journey of getting a horse to the races will be!
So there you have it, we’re so proud of you for taking the leap into racehorse ownership and we hope that we’ve been able to hold your hand through this process. Think of yourself as a yearling taking the steps to learn all about this new world and language, you’ll be a pro in no time! We’ll be sharing our tips on how to be a great owner and get the most out of your ownership experience in our next instalment.
