The Next Steps to Becoming a Racehorse

It’s sales season at Newmarket and many owners will be looking to purchase a young horse with the dream that it will turn out to be a world-beater. The sales are an intense environment for any horse due to constant daily work to showcase their ability to prospective buyers. After many purchases, breaking a horse is what comes next. Young horses are still developing and each comes with its own quirks. Breaking a horse helps them learn about what is expected from them, learn about the equipment that they will use during their training, and how to interact with humans – I call it teaching the ABC’s. A well broken in horse has the best chance of progressing and developing both physically and mentally but, just like humans, every horse is different and must be treated as an individual. Some horses already have experience of life in a yard and may only need a short stay with us, while others may need a longer time to develop and progress.

Over the years, I have gained knowledge and experience handling young horses, and the setup I have created at Streame is a perfect environment for them to thrive and develop. In the past, I have worked with horses coming directly from the sales and also those coming from a farm or stud environment, sympathetically aiding them to progress at their own pace safely and practically.

The facilities here at Streame have been established so the horse always comes first – I offer several resources for them to thrive including spacious airy stables, a rubber floored and lined walker and lunge arena, and a confined grass area that we call the ‘playground’. Each resource allows the horse to learn and gain confidence in itself and with its handler before moving on to the roads, tracks, and gallops around the farm. The process of breaking a horse takes time as it can also highlight some potential physical or mental issues that a horse may need additional help with in the future.

My aim is always to give each horse a platform that allows it the best possible opportunity to develop to the next stage of its career. I do this through our happy and healthy environment that benefits the horse in both the short and the long term.