| News from Dale and Robin... |
To our friends and faithful supporters,
We will be closing Second Chance Thoroughbred Adoption Agency in order to work for and with the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation retraining off track Thoroughbreds.
With this move, we will be able to do more to help Thoroughbreds across the country rather than being limited to helping the horses just in our state.
We will be based at Longbranch in Millwood, Virginia in the heart of horse country. You can visit Longbranch at www.historiclongbranch.com and you can visit the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation at www.trfinc.org
Sincerely,
Dale and Robin Berryhill
If you need help with your
Thoroughbred or if you need any other information please contact
us at brryhlls@aol.com.
Bringing a Horse Home From the Track
About Dale and Robin: Dale Berryhill was born and raised in Michigan and moved back after living away for 14 years. During that time Dale ran quarter horses for a short time before switching to thoroughbreds. He was a Steeple Chase jockey for over 5 years and evented. While living on the east coast, Dale began a new career as a farrier where he shod racehorses, polo horses and event horses as well as pleasure horses. He continued to train thoroughbred racehorses and moved to Louisiana, there he met Robin Hysell-Berryhill who also trained and ran horses at the New Orleans Fairgrounds Racetrack.
Robin Hysell-Berryhill was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama and began her career training Quarter Horses for the show ring and then for the track. She too switched to running thoroughbreds and showing them as well. With a strong medical background, Robin was able to rehabilitate horses that others had given up on so that they could continue to compete on the track.
Together Dale and Robin make a great team and with their well rounded backgrounds are able to help horses few others can.
Bringing a Horse Home from the Track
Things You Should Know
This information is designed to help you in the rehabilitation and retraining when purchasing a Thoroughbred directly off of the track.
The first thing that you will notice leading your new horse to the barn is that it will seem more like having a balloon on the end of a string than a horse on the end of a lead shank. Often this is the case. When bringing a former racehorse home, the surroundings are new and your horse is still feeling in peak condition from the effects of his conditioning and training received at the track.
Listed below are some of the areas that we feel are important to discuss:
- Weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Loss of condition and hair
- Aggressive behavior
- Physical problems
- Limited training
- Foot problems
Weight Loss
Weight loss and loss of appetite may or may not go hand in hand. The sudden change in diet and surroundings can cause any horse to lose weight. The high maintenance Thoroughbreds receive in training can result in weight loss. Their high strung disposition is the result of this conditioning and continuing on the same programs would be counter productive in settling a Thoroughbred down.
The weight loss should be mild and for a short period of time usually no longer than this, the following factors should be considered:
1.) Rule out normal factors such as worms or teeth problems
2.) Anabolic steroids - The use of anabolic steroids is to enhance
the performance when racing. The problem lies in the amount used
and varies from trainer to trainer and with a sudden stop horses
go through a withdrawal period. Consult your veterinarian about
administering low doses to help get through this withdrawal.
3.) Phenylbutizol - Long term or heavy doses of "bute"
can cause weight loss. Bute can cause damage to a horse's stomach
and esophagus in the form of ulcers, but while these horses are
receiving bute they don't feel the pain and discomfort the ulcers
are causing and continue to eat and feel good. When the horse
leaves the track and is turned out they usually don't receive
bute any longer, thus they begin to go off their feed. Consult
your veterinarian on ways to manage this problem.
Loss of Condition and Hair
Hair loss and loss of over all appearance usually are from changes in diet and exercise. When leaving the track ex-racehorses will have a change of metabolsm. The factors which can cause this are listed under weight loss.
Aggressive Behavior
Aggressive behavior usually can come from one of three things. The first being the obvious, if the horse is a stallion or just an aggressive individual. The second is anabolic steroids which can cause stallion-like behavior even if the horse is a mare. The third is encouraging aggressive behavioral patterns so that the horse will feel good about themselves and think that they are "king of the hill." These patterns are easily broken with proper training techniques.
Physical Problems
Horses who have physical problems can come in a wide range of major and minor injuries. It is best to do a veterinarian check before you purchase a horse off the track, if you have this option. If you do not, a vet check is a good idea immediately after bringing the horse home to eliminate "the guess work."
Limited Training
An ex-racehorse leads somewhat of a sheltered life. They live in a stall roughly 23 hours a day, only getting out for a short period of exercise. The barn, the racetrack, and anything that lies between the barn and the track is all they usually see. Most horses just get the basics when they are being broke to ride. The main concern is not to buck and to go around the track. When they learn to come out of a set of starting gates and run down the track, their training is over for the most part. The rest is just conditioning.
Foot Problems
Thoroughbreds in general have very thin walled feet. When a Thoroughbred runs on the track they wear a very lightweight aluminum shoe that usually has an extended steel toe-grab. The combination of the thin walls, a light non-supportive shoe and a large animal leads to several problems. The first is a thin shelly that makes it very tough to hold a shoe, which is a big problem because if you lose a shoe usually a good portion of the wall goes with it and there is nothing left to nail to. Next is the problem of run down heels. Because of the stress of running, and old theories of shoeing on the track, you often end up with a horse with no heels. This can lead to leg and gait problems in the future. After you get a horse from the track you should have a qualified farrier inspect the feet and tell you if they see these problems or any other problems. If the horse still has race plates on, they should be pulled immediately and trimmed or re-shod with flat shoes. A horse turned out with toe-grabs can cause severe injuries to themselves or another horse that they might be out with.
In conclusion, Throroughbreds make wonderful sensitive and loyal show and riding horses. Even though some have huge obstacles to overcome, in the end you will find they are worth the extra effort it takes to rehabilitate and re-train them. It is our hope that this information will help the future of many Thoroughbred and their owners.
(Information provided by Rerun, Inc. of Kentucky & Second Chance Thoroughbred Adoption Agency of Michigan).
Thank You Sponsors!
Special thanks to Vita-Flex for their support and sponsorship. Check out their website!
| Equitana Press Release |
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For those attending Equitana this June 15-18, you are invited to see Robin Hysell-Berryhill and her off the track Thoroughbred Wicked Playboy. Robin is a professional trainer, clinician, consultant, judge and instructor. She is co-founder and Director of the Second Chance Thoroughbred Adoption Agency. She is co-founder and serving on the Board of Directors for the American Thoroughbred Horse Registry. Robin is a former trainer of racehorses for over 13 years, racing both Quarter Horses and Thoroughbreds. Robin and her husband Dale own and operate Stoney Lake Equestrian Center, a boarding, training and instructional facility in Augusta, Michigan. Robin and Playboy will do a daily demonstration and presentation on the retraining of the off track Thoroughbred. Playboy will show his versatile training by performing a medley of Western Pleasure, Reining, Dressage and Side-saddle Jumping. Throughout the day, Robin will be present at the Vita-Flex Nutrition booth to answer question on health issues and retraining. Also, you will have the opportunity to meet Playboy and receive an autographed Photo of Robin and Playboy. Playboy is an ex-racehorse, that has not only won races, but has been retrained in a variety of disciplines. He is the epitome of how versatile an off the track Thoroughbred can be. Playboy is the ideal example of how an ex-racehorse can make a complete turn-around to become a perfect gentleman.
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