Harness racing - things that annoy you most

[mightymo]

i know buyers want big. Im just saying big doesnt mean best.

Arctic Fire , another buyback of mine, is also only 15 to 15.1

from now on, Im buying small fillies only!

[mango]

i know buyers want big. Im just saying big doesnt mean best.

Arctic Fire , another buyback of mine, is also only 15 to 15.1

from now on, Im buying small fillies only!

I think buyer's are to wrapped up in the big horses but hopefully thing's will change, Your filly and mare are doing a great job so it prove's size doesn't matter. When in Christchurch in early april i was lucky enough to go out to Dancingonmoolight Farm and we got to see Carabella and at that stage she wasn't even 15h and what a great job she has done.

[smithy]

LOC... the bias will never go away but i see no problem with a smaller horse, only have to look at some top stallions, bettors delight, western terror and mach three aren't big horses.

i wouldnt worry too much about size unless your trying to sell... just remember those big horses have to carry their own weight and it puts alot of pressure on immature legs

[Flashing Red]

The smaller the horse technically the less distance they carry per stride. Think about it. Think about a horse in a 56 inch hobble compared to a 62 inch hobble and the difference in ground they could carry in each stride. Then think of how many strides they take per race. This is only a rule of thumb, which is why small horses can still turn out to be champions. Then I find the humongous ones have back problems and then general soundness problems at a much earlier age. There are always pros and cons. I certainly wouldn't be bagging people who caution size, because one would silly to think that it doesn't make some sort of difference. It just goes to show how much talent really small horses do have. I also agree with Triple V, I do think its more stride rather than height related. I trained one horse once, was lucky to reach 15h (was probably 14.3) yet he had a 58.5 inch hobble which is quite decent for a horse that size. Didn't stop him from running 1:56 for 2100m either on a 1000m track. That's raw ability!! Has anyone seen a Brisbane horse called Destreos? The smallest standardbred I've ever seen. And he wins FFAs (gee I'd love to own him!!) He may be small, but he's beautifully put together, like a little bull dog.

[Love Of Courage]

Hello All !

Thanks for the great replies !

Loved the story VVV as it tickles my sense of humour to see how this bias can end up costing you a champion.

Congratulations Mightymo ! Must make the win even sweeter when it is from a horse that you bred that others did not think as highly of.

Thanks for your replies Mango, Smithy & Flashing Red. Your posts and comments are appreciated and enjoyed.

Every mare I purchase is first bred to Courage, so as a result i have had a few foals on the smaller side. I do tend to get frustrated with comments like "Lovely foal, pity it wasnt bigger !". Courage traces back to Robin Dundee and I believe that she was small for the era that she raced. This did not stop her from being a champion mare and having the super son of hers Ghengis Khan.

I have a mare whos dam is a 3/4 sister to Courages dam " Advance Debra". The Courage family are all on the smaller side as a rule. My mare has an Artsplace yearling colt who is naturally enough on the smaller side. Once again I hear "Too small to be a good racehorse". I bite my tongue but the word "CRAP !" pops into my mind.

I understand the length of stride is an important issue, but it still makes it hard to sell smaller yearlings with this bias. It's hard enough to breed to sell, without this costing you $$$ every time.

[smithy]

but wouldn't having smaller legs mean having a higher cadence and a higher blood circulation ??...joking

but seriously i can't take the length of stride argument, so much much much more going on inside a horse to determine ability

[David Summers]

In many instances it's what goes on in a horse's head that can make a big difference. Although so many other variables are extremely important as mentioned above, but if something is not "just right" between their ears , you start with a big disadvantage.

[triplev123]

Hey LOC,

That bloke has the same coloured limbs as Mightymo.

[Blue]

this day in age all tacks should give sectional times in the country tracks

[David Summers]

They can't even get the timing system working the way it should at their premier track , Menangle. I hear that may change soon, THEN lets look at the country track timing thing.