Welcome Lisselan Amazon

We have mentioned Amazon (Maisey) in passing but thought she deserved a post all of her own.  Amazon is the second horse to be owned by EPDS Racing and is our racing club horse, she is also in training with Simon Earle and will in time transition to barefoot racing.


So why did we buy her?  Well the short answer is that I was persuaded to go to Ascot Sales with JTB as a bit of a day out (as we are local) and I have to confess I lost control of him.  The longer answer is that we had been discussing the idea of a racing club and also how exciting it would be to take something from the flat and school it on for jumping.  I can think of no trainer better than Simon for teaching a horse to jump so it seemed like a good plan.  Amazon fitted the bill perfectly, she is by Golan so nicely bred, is a four year old with a strong stamp and has previously been trained (and won) in France.  The trainer had 12 horses at the sale who had all travelled from France overnight, even though she had had a long and tiring journey her nice nature and movement really stood out to us.  Temperament is very important to us, a trainer once told us that the nice natured horses get most care and attention on a yard and from my experience with my own horses they respond best when they know they are loved and appreciated.  Simon's team are all really positive about both girls and how they are to do, what is even nicer is that they are now next door to each other, go out in the paddock together and get on really well.


Simon reports that Amazon is quick and bold and we are hoping that she will carry this on to her career over jumps.  We would like to see her run in the new year but time will tell.


A picture of Amazon:

Membership of the racing club starts from £20 per month, more information can be found here:  http://www.epds-racing.co.uk/racing_club.html

Shilpa On The Gallops

We had a great visit to see Shilpa and Maisey yesterday, my friend Ginette had kindly agreed to give both horses a Photon Therapy session which is a bit like acupuncture but it uses red light instead of needles.  Both girls enjoyed their sessions and found them very relaxing which was the aim of the morning.  The girls enjoy their spa sessions and we enjoy spending some quality time with them so it was great all round.


As if the morning couldn't have been better Simon invited us to go and see Shilpa work on the gallops, they were taking two horses up that morning and Shilpa was going to be ridden by Luke Kilgarriff who  is Simon's Apprentice Jockey and a really nice rider.  They boxed over to the gallops and Shilpa loaded and travelled well.  Ginette and I had a bit of gallop envy when we saw the facilities and even I would have loved to have had a good blast up the hill and I am not known for getting out of working canter.  The gallops feature a tower with comfy seats, a heater(!!), binoculars, stop watches and Ginette reckoned a megaphone although I am not sure bellowing out of the tower would have been that constructive seeing as Simon and Luke know what they are doing and we don't.


Shilpa worked really well, Simon and Luke were both very happy at the end of the session and we managed to get some great photos.


Hacking Up To The Bowl


Luke on Shilpa on the right hand side.

The Bowl

Used for warm up by going once round the bowl in walk, trot and canter, the track goes around the edge of the large field, you can just see it behind the far white rail.  Also notice how steep the sides of the bowl are as that leads on to the next photo The Hill!

The Hill

This was taken from the viewing tower looking up the hill, Shilpa went up the hill three times.

Luke and Shilpa going up the hill.

  

The hill again taken from a bit nearer the top, even this photo doesn't show how steep it is.  Shilpa seemed less concerned about it than we were and we drove up (a bit hairy in places!).

Bit nearer to the top again.

Hacking back down the hill, nice to see her relaxed and Luke riding on the buckle.

 Luke walking Shilpa around to cool off before loading up to go home.

We had a great day again and many thanks to all at Simon Earle Racing for their hospitality.  We are really pleased with how the horses are looking and going.

Faithful Servants

We went to Ascot sales this week and I saw a side of racing that I really don't like.  Church Island an Irish trained horse who has won around £300K in his career was entered for the sale sold as he stands.  For non auction goers this means he is not being sold open to the vet, if a horse fails a vet then the sale doesn't have to go through, eg you pay your money and you take your chance on him.


I really wanted to see him as as he is a 'name' in our house and it isn't often you get to see a horse that successful up close and personal.  As a horse owner I was desperate to get my hands on him and I have to confess a small part of my romantic soul hoped that we could buy him for a useful job running for us and then retire him with dignity.


Well, what can I say, I don't want to tar everyone with the same brush but often the Irish horses in the sales are shown a bit in the rough.  Personally I don't mind this as I like to see a horse that has been out in the paddock and generally living like a horse, however a horse person can see a horse that is healthy with a bloom to the coat even if it's dirty and hairy, a bright eye and a general bit of sparkle about it, compared to something that looks a bit dull and uninterested in life.  Church Island unfortunately to me fell in to the later category.  He was a real gentleman in the stable but he reminded me a bit of a favourite old teddy bear, fluffy and a bit battered around the edges.  For a 12 year old I would have put him as late teens easily.  Their demeanour can be a lot to do with where they are, and the journey they have had over here, and I'm not saying he was being badly treated as the lad with him clearly had a very soft spot for him.  What annoys me and makes me really sad is that he was there in the first place.  To me a horse that has won his owners £300K in prize money owes them nothing, he deserves the best spot in the nearest paddock where he gets the most carrots from the people walking past.  The retirement in the home for ex-race horses where he parades on the open days and people come up and feed him polos and tell him that they once won £50 on him and took their girlfriend out to dinner and now they are married with two kids.  Or the housewife who used to scream him home on the TV while the kids rode him over the last on the back of the sofa.


He categorically does not deserve to be at Ascot racehorse sales being sold for £3,000 as he stands.  I know who bought him but I don't know who he is if that makes sense.  I just hope it was one of his former connections who will give him the retirement he deserves, or someone who wants a nice horse to explore the countryside on where they both can look at the hedges and dream of the days when they were flying over them.  


I wish you luck Church Island.

Shilpa Visit Today

John, Natalie and myself visited Shilpa this morning, as always we were made really welcome by Simon and Katie even though it was a very busy morning at the yard.  


It was fantastic to see Shilpa and I was very pleased to see she had settled in really well and looked very happy. She is now turned out with a gelding called Prince and they are getting on really well, she is going to be moving in to the stable next door to him shortly.


We watched Simon ride her first schooling session in the outdoor, over jumps.  Simon likes to school over jumps and teach the horse to sort themselves out, Shilpa was a bit 'oOo' at the sight of the jumps but settled down to work really well.  It's a lovely set up, the outdoor school is a few minutes hack away up a quiet country lane, Shilpa left the yard happily on her own and wasn't bothered by cars, she does however have a bit of a dislike of cows but I'm sure she will get used to them.


A couple of pictures from this morning:

Shilpa Working

Simon Earle has put up a very nice blog entry about Shilpa on his blog here http://simonearleracing.blogspot.com/2011/10/shilpa.html 


I have shamelessly stolen the photo he took of her working on the lunge.  Luckily for me Simon agrees that her feet look very nice and it bodes well for her to successfully transition to barefoot.  For the non-barefoot readers there are many benefits to having a horse unshod, not least because the lack of concussion caused by shoes means that shock is absorbed more effectively by the whole horse, leading to increased soundness particularly over harder ground.  I have several customers in the Endurance world where horses are trained for 50Km competitions, barefoot or shoe-less has really taken off in this environment because the horses are sounder and their heart rates are lower.  Horses are the same as human athletes, a fit horse generally has a lower heart rate and their recovery times are quicker.  The endurance riders know that barefoot gives them an advantage over the competition which has to be good, their horses are often awarded best condition which is a prize awarded to the horse in the best shape at the end of the ride.


Shilpa currently is still wearing shoes so it will be interesting to see the difference in her movement once they are removed.  JTB and I are visiting her on Wednesday and I am taking my high speed camera with me that allows you to make a gait analysis, we will do the same once the shoes come off.

Starting Work

Simon reports that he has started a little bit of work with Shilpa, just walk and trot while he awaits the resultrys of her blood test and she has the dentist and physio.  So far she has had a schooling session which went very well, a bit of a hack around the hills and also spent some time on the horse walker.


All being well she will be introduced to her new pals this weekend.  Simon says she is proving to be a real hit on the yard and he is excited about working with her.  We are due to visit next week and we will get some more photos then.

Shilpa Settling In Well

Simon reported that Shilpa travelled well and was enjoying some time out in a little 'new girl' paddock they have at the yard.  Plan for this week is to take bloods, get her a good going over by the physio and get her teeth looked at by the EDT dentist.  Once all that is done she will be introduced to the girls in her herd.  She's going to have a busy week, luckily she is the type that likes a lot of fuss and attention.  Once she has got her MOT out of the way she will start some schooling.  She is actually fit as she was due to race a week or so ago so fitness wise she is ok, she just needs some schooling and introducing to Simon's methods.


Simon spoke to both the previous trainer and jockey for some of her races, both said very positive things about her and Simon is pleased that she has joined the yard.  He thinks we have made a good purchase and is looking forward to getting on with her.


So, exciting times ahead, all the members of the Partnership are very pleased.

Exhausting Day - Welcome Shilpa

Had a long and exhausting, but ultimately fruitful day today.  First time I have ever been to Cheltenham Racecourse, boy is it big and what a different atmosphere to Wincanton yesterday, and this was a quiet day.  We spent the morning going around all the lots marked in our catalogue, and the afternoon not picking any winners at the races, I hoped this was a sign that we would get our good fortune at the sales rather than at the expense of the bookies.


I am pleased to say my wish came true and we bought a horse.  Shilpa was the last lot of the day and a wildcard entry.  JTB had previously pointed her out to me saying she was a syndicate horse being sold to settle a debt, we joked how funny it would be if we ended up buying her .....


There were some really lovely horses at the sales, prices were probably not as high as they could have been, nothing went for six figures as in previous sales, but some horses were getting up to quite scary amounts (eg more than I paid for my house).  We were not sure therefore that we would be going home with anything.  Luckily for us, Shilpa the horse that we had previously looked at and both liked, was to be our horse.


Because of the late finish (and because we had not tempted fate by driving to Cheltenham in a horse box) Shilpa is spending the night at Cheltenham, she seemed quite happy about this and was busy munching through a mountain of hay when we left.  Spending this time with her, taking her plaits out, checking her over and generally settling her down for the night, has shown her to be a lovely mare with good manners in the stable and easy to do.  I think she will soon become a firm favourite in the yard, her previous trainer and her lad were certainly very sorry to loose her.


No photos at the moment, we will take some in the morning in daylight.  So exciting, we can't wait to get started with her.

Scrap Heap Ex Racehorses

This is Let Her On:


ERR Let Her On


Let Her On has been rescued as part of the excellent work that Equine Rescue and Rehoming do.  ERR is a not for profit organisation that this year has rehomed many horses from Ireland, several of which have been ex-racehorses.


Let Her On is a 6 year old bay mare, 16hh, by Dushyantor (USA), Dam Fontaine Lodge, Dam's sire Lafontaine (USA).  She has never raced, considered by her connections to be too slow.  As a yearling she went through Tattersalls in Ireland for 7,500 euros, she was sold again in August 2009 for 1,700 euros.


I don't know anything about her connections, I do know however that the economic crisis in Ireland means that many horse breeders are struggling, at Ascot Racehorse Sales last week there were many that had made the journey, none were in the condition that this mare is in however.


Let Her On (Heron) is one of the lucky ones, ERR will always make sure she is in a good home, she is young, in a few weeks time she will be unrecognisable from her picture above, I expect she already is.  


Many racehorses in this country go out of racing to an uncertain future, unfortunately not everyone who owns a racehorse appreciates that they are living animals and not commodities and that ownership brings responsibility for the welfare of the horse, not just during it's racing career but afterwards as well.


EPDS is a racehorse partnership that takes it's responsibility to the horse seriously, we are currently looking for our first horse in training but we absolutely guarantee that whatever we end up with, it won't become a scrap heap horse.


If you are interested in supporting the work that ERR does, you can find them here http://www.equinerescueandrehoming.info/

Sales Catalogues

The Cheltenham sales catalogue is online, I was very disappointed when I downloaded the spreadsheet as it looked like there was only around 30 horses in the sale.  Was a bit surprised therefore when I was about to sneakily print the whole thing off at work and it was around 200 pages long!!  I am hoping they sort the spreadsheet out because I much prefer to look at that first.


JTB I think is going through it page by page, last time we took two different approaches we both pretty much ended up with the same horses on them, obviously my way is much quicker however ;)


The agent who bought 'our' horse at Ascot has still not returned my call about others they have for sale, shame really as they seem to like the same stamp of horse as us and are not too far away.

Getting A Bit Excited

Getting a bit excited about tomorrow, although it is 'only' Ascot sales, it is our local sales so a good chance to see a number of horses all in one place.  Some good horses have gone through the sales and it will be a chance to see what our money can buy.


I don't have a good history at sales, once famously went to Reading to sell three saddles and came back with five saddles and an ex-racehorse.  I'm hoping John The Boss (JTB) will keep me in check, as a horse owner myself they are pretty much all lovely.  Who knows though we may just spot something really special and come home with it.


JTB has two he likes the look of on paper and me one, have bought the other half (a lifelong techno-phobe) a mobile that does MMS so I can take loads of photos and text them to him for his thoughts.

Welcome!!

Welcome to EPDS Racing.  We are a newly formed syndicate currently looking for our first horse.  Our aim is to have some fun and also to prove that it is possible to have a racehorse that is healthy and happy whilst also being trained to race.


We are looking forward to our journey and we hope you enjoy hearing about it, if you would like to join in please contact us.