This message is from: "Pat Holland" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
There's an article in The Chronicle this week, it regards the training of
"Smarty Jones" - how his trainer John Servis didn't even breeze "Smarty
Jones" since his win at the Kentucky Derby - contrary to the usual method to
make a race horse sharp. And how the trainer of "Imperialism" - Kristin
Mulhall (whom is only 21) gallops her horses herself and makes then work
their backs and hindquarters, just like she learned to do in the show horse
world. ("Imerialism" came in 3rd at Kentucky and I think 4th or 5th in
Maryland)......
The article goes on that training horses - for any discipline isn't a
science, its an art. There's no absolutely right way, although there are
certainly better ways. The question is always when to push, when to try to
expand the envelope, and when to reassure, when to be happy with steady or
quiet, or - and this can be the toughest - when to do nothing at all.
All good trainers have a system or program that addresses the questions we
face without horses.
Servis knew how "Smarty Jones" works....that he puts so much effort into
every one of his gallops that he didn't need sharpening with fast works -
and as we all saw in Maryland - his "feel" was right.
This is sometimes what bothers me with all the books and "guru" training
techniques - there is simply so much feel with training - and that FEEL
cannot be taught. It comes form years and years of working with many- MANY
horses and that feel is developed over a long time. Its described as "it"
...having "it"....and just like some people have the skills to be nurses,
doctors or accountants - some people do not have "it"....when working with
horses. It's an instinct ...you can't put it into words or for that matter
in an article or book 1,000 pages thick. .....
Phillis Anderson and I had a conversation about music and training horses -
a good musican - has to develop a "feel" - and does so in a way none of us
non musicians can understand.....its the same when training horses.....
Just a few thoughts
Pat Holland
