I have been doing some deep thinking recently about racing injuries, brought to the fore by the problems I have with my best dog, Matty. You often hear a horse described as fragile, or difficult to keep sound, and I often wondered just why. I understand that not all will be of the same ability – just like human athletes in that respect – yet why will one animal thrive and remain unscathed with lots of racing and another struggle to remain sound 3 races in a row? It can't be genetic surely, as such “fragile” horses can go on to produce non-fragile offspring. Could it be training methods – I don't know if there is a database showing which trainers have a higher percentage of injury prone animals, or if it is a conditioning from their yearling days …... ? I have heard some horses described as being not very brave – especially when introduced to fences, and to be fair I can understand that as it will be a mental attitude scenario, or maybe it was hurt once and is wary of getting hurt again. Which brings me to Matty. My sport is whippet racing, which I have been involved with for 30 years, and it is an old adage, that “it is usually the fast dogs that get injured”. Well, Matty is proving that to me – the fastest dog I have ever had, and arguably one of the fastest in the sport – if I can keep him injury free! His first was a cracked stifle (knee bone) as he came around the last bend in the lead to win his third championship. 12 months off and a very gentle reintroduction by way of solo runs, hand slipped rather than traps. Then his first time in a trap since his knee break resulted in a torn graccillis muscle in the same leg (the big drive muscle at the back of the thigh) Another 3 months off and came back to contest the final of another championships, finishing a head second (after the best part of 15 months off, not bad I thought) then 4 weeks later he tore the graccillis on the other leg. Rested pretty much most of the winter so far, he then tore the original gracillis for a second time on Sunday from a hand slip. I'm despairing of him ever fulfilling his potential but all I can do is persevere. The problem is he is an absolute headcase! He goes berserk at the traps he quite literally sees red, with devils eyes! He has NO idea about looking after himself, being so completely focused on the lure and although it's a cliché, I'm sure he WOULD run through a brick wall if required to. So to return to horses – I know they have riders, who hold them up, or urge them on accordingly, but are SOME horses just too brave for their own good? A trainer just this Saturday said that his charge (sorry can't remember who) was just a clumsy so-and-so. I can relate to that – so am I, but we have seen many really good horses retired too early, were they subject to this ability to go faster than the body was able to stand? Or are early training methods too much, too soon …... ? As for Matty – or Radar, to quote his race name – his next championship date is in April … far enough away for his latest injury to heal, but for how long? Answers on a postcard Thanks for reading (assuming you did!)
I'm no veterinary expert Reebs and my daughter (and wife) know more than I about such things. But I do know that in show jumping big breeders train their horses very early and in order to sell them they impress the potential buyers by showing how big they can jump. I remember at one sales they were free schooling these youngsters and if the bidding slowed down they would raise the pole(s). The bigger they jumped the higher the bidding went. Some of these horses become brilliant 6 and 7 year olds and fetch a lot of money only to disappear from the scene, whereas a properly (patiently) reared good horse will be successfully competing until well into their teens and even beyond. The problem is the time it takes for the joints to properly fuse. Over exertion before this is completed will place too much stress on the joints which is not good for the horse. If you can imagine the weight of a horse thundering down on the ground before these joints are properly fused you can almost feel the impact yourself and it can easily be understood why too much at an early age will only result in subsequent injury. Another common problem is that the horses' backs are not checked regularly enough and they will continue to perform even if there is pain. Sometimes this won't be apparent until the horse's jumping isn't so impressive as it has been. Problem is here, the horse will compensate by trying to jump higher or some other way and this puts extra strain somewhere else, again likely to result in injury. In short I would say that, although some fragilities are definitely hereditary many are caused by over training at an early age. Also, following an injury they are sometimes brought back to the track too early. They might appear recovered in training but the ultimate test of a full recovery is when they are subjected to the stress of a hard race. Unfortunately that may be too late to find out.
Did Radar beat Why Me, Gem Rock Nugget and Duncton Spirit Of The North at the National Championships of 2016 in the 26lb Group Reebs?
My gosh, I found you and Matty on Youtube Reebs, but won't post it unless you give it the thumbs up mate.. Amazing.
Nice piece teens, in my experience dogs and horses are just like humans some with a good constitution good doers, eaters take as much work as you like and some very talented but weak and sickly.dressage is my wife's thing. Everyone wants Dutch and German worm bloods. Very talented but very fragile and bit mad my choice would be an Irish sport horse. What they lack in talent they make up for with heart and tend to have a better constitution. My brother keeps greyhounds he had a dog who was very talented who beat the three top dogs of his generation, the only one to do so but never fulfilled his potential due to injuries and later retired.
cheers reebs for this , thought provoking , and yes , two year old horses are sometimes run mercilessly by some yards , i've noticed that some who win first time out never win again , seem to recalll jack berry specialised in winnng with babies , but the fate of many after i don't know . The pipe operation also was quite attritional on the health of the young horses they 'trained ' , that's one of the issues with animal welfare , there are no boundaries for how often they run , but it's noticeable that some yards are much more patient , and don't over race their young horses , the dividend is they have longer careers , if that's the right term for an animal that has no choice in its life really . funny business ....
It's ok to post Cyc. I assume that was when Transworld Sport paid us a visit? And yes that was Matty. The owner of Spirit of the North claimed that her dog fell. That caused no end of merriment as no one else on the track saw it! Some people just don't like losing - who does - but there is losing with dignity and there is making an arse out of yourself lol
Didn't see that Cyc so will await your post with the video Found this though Whippet racing in France
Dunno who you mean Cyc And no - I hadn't been drinking - I always look that rough At 5 minutes you can see my older boy, Billy Raffles, winning the Veteran event - black dog, white jacket. This was filmed in June 2016 on the day that Matty broke his knee bone, obviously before the accident, as afterwards I was pretty much unapproachable
Apologies for bumping an old thread, but there is a conclusion to the bit about Matty (Radar) He final won his right to the title Whippet Club Racing Champion, after his 3rd attempt this year. His long lay-offs have had an effect on his trapping ability, and either because he's forgotten how to trap, or because he is too wound up (more likely) his first two finals earlier this season saw him with two second places. He made no mistakes in the third Championships though, hitting the lid perfectly and winning with ease. There is a clip attached, and a photo of him in his velvet jacket, with an extremely stressed Reebs. There was a lot of congratulating going on, someone rammed my cap on backwards, and I still couldn't quite believe he had finally done it Couldn't attach the clip as it is in MP4 format not supported by this forum but it is here ---> https://www.thewhippetclub.com/3rd-wcra-championships-2018-veteran-crowns-full-writeup-results/ Scroll down the page until you see "28lb final" A happy Reebs
Congratulations Reebs. Matty obviously has a big heart and great temperament, as well as exceptional talent. Great story.
Very nice Reebs. You've had a bit of a wait with his injuries and all, so the win is all the more sweeter. Congrats mate.
Thanks guys .... I always had faith in his ability, but was beginning to despair as his best years are slipping away. Tears may have been shed, but obviously I can't confirm that! That's their method of stopping at speed Stick ... slide in balls to the floor - I grease his stopper pads on his forelegs, but I draw the line at greasing his knackers!
