Various factors determine which athlete emerges the winner in horse racing, ranging from the racer’s skill to adequate preparation. There’s no undermining the usefulness of proper preparation in the success of any sport or life adventure. That’s why this article addresses one of the significant ways of getting ready for the race day – preparing the racehorse.
While the athletes ought to adequately prepare themselves, they must also prepare the horse for the race day. Adequately preparing the horse is undoubtedly one of the best preparation steps, bearing in mind that horses essentially make a horse race. Many jockeys and fans of the sport also enjoy casino games. Suppose you patronize online casinos in the United States, you should check out this website for the best selection of online casinos for US players.
Moreover, it’s best to do most of the helpful tips for preparing for your race day you’ll find in the lines below regularly: daily, regardless of whether or not there’s a race ahead of you. That way, your racehorse will remain strong and healthy always, which is vital. Following are five helpful tips for preparing your horse for race day.
1. Good Horse Nutrition
Adequately feeding your horse with a balanced diet allows your horse to be race-ready. Meanwhile, a race-ready horse means that the horse is strong, healthy, and able to race its best on race day. One of the ways to know what nutrition is best for the horse is to speak with a veterinary doctor. Your vet could supply you with appropriate nutrition plans, if necessary, or suggest meals if you’re short of food ideas.
A well-balanced and nutritional diet keeps your horse in the right body mass range. An overweight or underweight health status can adversely affect the horse’s ability to race appropriately on race day. Good horse nutrition includes specially-formulated competition feeds scientifically designed to supply your horse with sustained energy. Appropriate nutrition would also help rebuild the horse’s muscle build-up and repair after training sessions.
2. Groom the Horse Daily
Grooming the horse daily not only ensures that your horse’s coat is clean and neat. It allows you to bond with the racehorse. Daily grooming assists in removing dirt or any loose hair from their mane and cleaning their hoofs.
Monitor the horse’s eyes too to ensure they’re always hygienic. That said, it might help to consult several online tutorials showing how to groom a horse appropriately or speak with a vet for further advice.
3. Bathe the Horse Ahead of the Race Day
Experts recommend bathing your horse a few days before the race instead of the night before the race day. That way, the horse stays clean with much time left. Doing so would also help de-stress the horse, making them remain as calm as possible.
When bathing the horse, it’s best to brush its mane and tail and possibly trim a little. Suppose you couldn’t get the horse to stay still. Consider hiring a vet or groomer to assist. Additionally, bathing the horse ahead of time gives it enough time to relax, as the process can be stressful for them.
4. Practice
While you take out time to practice your best moves and tricks, you want to allow your horse to practice ahead of the race day. Consider taking a local track or practice area to ensure their muscles move appropriately. A cycle of galloping, canter, and trotting along the local racetrack or practice area will keep the horse moving without exhausting its strength before the big event.
You don’t want the horse to show up exhausted, right? Also, keep it away from mud or dirt during practice, so you don’t have to bathe the horse again after practice. Consult with a professional about planning a training schedule in the build-up to races if you aren’t sure how to go about it. Lastly, listen to horses to know when they’re too tired or unwell to train. Doing that would help to prioritize their health and keep them in shape.
5. Wrap the Horse’s Legs to Avoid Injury
Wrapping the horse’s legs with a polo wrap or bondage can help it avoid unwanted injuries or scrapes before or on race day. Getting injured could reduce the horse’s chances of effectively performing at the big event.
Polo wraps or other leg wraps are available in horse supply stores to keep your horse safe as you prepare it to compete with other racehorses.
Conclusion
Without proper preparation, racers risk performing poorly on race day. However, an adequately prepared racer has a higher chance of better performance.
That said, it’s noteworthy that starting preparations early, either for your horse or yourself, is always the best. Otherwise, you risk not having enough time to do all the necessary or making some errors before or during the racing event.
