Career Opportunities

Horse Racing

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A Visit to Santa Anita Racetrack

A Special “Thank You”

to Darrell Vienna of Silver Fox Farms

• Groom– Is responsible for 2 – 4 horses– In the morning (4:00 am):

• removes leg wraps• takes horse’s temperature• checks for any problems

– tacks up the horse for morning workout– gets the horse back after it is walked– mucks out stall twice a day– feeds horse three times a day according to

directions

• Hot Walker– Walks each horse after a workout until cool– About 45 minutes per horse– Match horse’s personality to walker’s– Provides fresh water in a clean bucket for each

horse

The best way to walk a horse to cool it

The lazy way to walk horses

• Exercise Rider– checks the workout schedule in the morning– gets horse already tacked up– takes horse through the workout

• walk or jog

• light gallop (1/8 mile in more than 15 seconds)

• gallop (1/8 mile in 14 – 15 seconds)

• work (1/8 mile in 13 seconds or less)

– hands horse over to Hot Walker and gets another

– can ride as many as 16 horses a morning

• How can I become an exercise rider?– a background in formal show training– English riding (hunter/jumper) preferably– ability to adapt to the trainer’s style– control the horse by technique not force

• Assistant Trainer– has taken the “Trainer’s Test” thus can legally

do anything the trainer does– can use his/her judgment to lower the level of

work but not raise it– is accountable for his/her decisions– arranges the workout “sets”

• times, riders, grooms, walkers, etc.

– enters the horse in the race– contracts the jockeys– keeps veterinary records (esp. medications)

• Trainer– Is the legally responsible party– stalls at the racetrack are free but trainer must

run horses in races• horse owners pay for care & feeding, labor,

insurance, etc. (~$120/day at Silver Fox)

– sets workout schedule for each horse– determines what races a horse will run in

• Jockey– starts at a young age– usually has little education– represented by an agent– earns a fixed fee of about $100 per ride– in Stakes races – earns 10% if 1st, 2nd, or 3rd

– agent gets 25% usually– weight very important especially in

“handicapped” races

• Other employees of a training stable:– Night/Day Watchman

• responsible for watching the horses in the barn– water, health, safety, etc.

– Assistants

Race Track Employees

• Board of Stewards– enforce rules and settle disputes

• Horse Identifier– keeps a notebook of all horses running that day

• horse name, color markings, lip tattoo, hair swirls

– determines that it is the correct horse

• Track Veterinarian– tracks medications given to horses– pulls pre and post race samples (blood and

urine)– checks each horse before the race for soundness– carries a euthanasia kit in case of an accident

The veterinarian or the jockey can pull a horse from a race if the horse is not right (lame, crashes into the gate, etc.)

The Day of the Race

Horse entered in a race is quarantined

“Vote”

4 yr. old dark bay gelding by Valid Expectations - Rayofsunshine

entered in the 6th race