Lawrence Horse Racing Stables

12/13/2024

Post training bath for Bo!

12/06/2024

A little bit of reminiscing today!

Check out Lawrace’s video.

11/30/2024

A wreck avoided is a good one. Nice save guys!

10/13/2024

"Why do you use Thoroughbreds for ranch work?"

We get this question a lot--from neighbors, reporters, fellow riders. In most people's minds, a Thoroughbred just doesn't "belong" on a ranch, working cattle. A Thoroughbred is "supposed" to be at the track, or maybe in the hunter ring, or galloping across the eventing cross country course. Many people seem to treat a Thoroughbred wearing a western saddle like a circus sideshow.

But to be a great ranch horse, a horse needs to like to work. He has to be game for long days, difficult country and the worst of weather conditions. He needs to be that horse that waits by the gate to get saddled up even when he knows he might not be back until 14 hours and 20 miles have passed.

A great ranch horse will never say no. He doesn't balk at a rushing creek or a steep ravine. He doesn't back down from an angry momma cow. When you've spent 10 hours searching the brush for a stray steer, he still says "heck yes" when you ask him to run it down.

A great ranch horse needs to be part independent problem solver, part patient trail buddy and part trigger-happy gunslinger. He might go from walking on a loose rein to full gallop and then back to a standstill in all of 150 feet. He needs to pay attention and understand the job at hand and be able to do his part without full time direction from his rider. His brain and his body must be in constant synch with the situation at hand. Ranch work is no place for daydreamers.

Great ranch horses are not just beloved friends, but working partners. They are one of the few horses left that truly have a "real job" to do. There are no blue ribbons for riding eight miles in the cold, pouring rain and wind to go doctor that sick calf. There is no trophy waiting at home when you bring the herd home in a blizzard. There is just the appreciation of a job well done by both horse and man.

If you have ever ridden a Thoroughbred for any reason, you know they possess all of the above attributes. They are all heart, all try and all grit. When you add that to the fact they have been bred for hundreds of years to be the greatest athletes the world has ever seen, you cannot find a better animal to set your saddle on.

So maybe the real question should be "Why would you use anything BUT a Thoroughbred for ranch work?"

10/12/2024

If you have babies you plan on sending to get started, one you are wanting miles on before winter, or young ones just needing handled, let’s do it while the weather is good!

Brooke 509-851-5054
Bob 509-727-7132

Located in Burbank Wa

10/03/2024

A lot to think about here

I don’t know how many ways to say horse trainers don’t make any money… but horse trainers don’t make any money. 🤣

I think sometimes the clients do not understand this. Yes, you may write your horse trainer a check for $1200 or $1500 a month, but I assure you, once you figure out the costs, there is no money….

You have to:
➡️Feed the horse. (Hay/Grain)
➡️House the horse. (Whether you rent or you have a mortgage, there is cost here.)
➡️You have to physically feed the horse.
➡️Clean stalls
➡️Fill waters
➡️Turn out the horse and bring them in.
➡️Groom/bathe the horse.
➡️Maybe you have labor costs.
➡️You have to ride said horse.
➡️Likely you aren’t billing for all you should.

Let’s say you charge $1250 a month.
Let’s say you feed a bag a week at $20 bucks ($80)

8 bales of hay a month at $15 ($120) I feed way more than this; and to keep weight you need to. Clients don’t pay for you to buy in bulk to save money.

Clean stalls 2x day and clean or fill water everyday 15 min at $15 hr. ($225)

Shavings??? 🙃

That leaves you with $825 left over. Whether you own or rent; you need to factor that in, and if you ride every day, you have to pay yourself your time.

If you train horses you need:
➡️A facility (an average facility is usually around $2500+ a month to rent, but if you have a mortgage and run a business, you need to factor that in.)
➡️A truck ($50,000 truck is around $750 on average, most of us are driving $100,000 trucks.)
➡️A trailer. (Cheap would be $25,000)
➡️Saddles ($2,000 each)
➡️Bits ($100-$250 each)
➡️ Splint boots, girths, bridles, breastcollars, saddle pads, reins, training tack, etc.
➡️Tires, oil changes, fuel, wear and tear
All of these things wear out and need to be replaced.

I say all of this to tell you that as a trainer, we are greatly invested, sometimes YEARS, hoping that we either make money in the arena, or make money on the sale of the horse (commission.)

When your horse does poorly, I assure you, NONE OF US WANTED THAT. We are trying our best because we have endless hours invested in fluffy.

That being said, fluffy doesn’t always (let’s get real… RARELY) have/has the same plans we do.

Fluffy doesn’t know you invested $15k in training and he isn’t in the 1D.

Fluffy doesn’t know he won’t be good enough for your kid.

Fluffy likely doesn’t know he is a major pain in the a**.

Fluffy doesn’t know he is going to take 9 million man hours to make a Futurity horse.

So have some grace for your trainers. They are not paid enough to deal with your bulls*** too.

Training horses is a horrible business model. It’s based solely on what you can produce in a day and your client doesn’t want an intern training their horse. The more horses, the higher the overhead. There aren’t many trainers that are *making* money.

If you get hurt, who pays your bills?

This is not directed at anyone. Rather an industry wide thing I see ALL THE TIME!

09/17/2024

Sold

Mouse
2021 ottb gelding
15.2hh

Mouse is a 3 yr old gelding retiring from racing with limited career starts and clean legs. He has seen the sights and is a well traveled, well mannered boy. He is uncomplicated, kind, and wants to be your pal. Mouse has some filling out to do still as he matures. He’s known for being the happiest when people are playing with him, he will stand tied to be brushed for hours. There is not a mean bone in his body, he’s level headed and looking for any person who has some attention to spare. Leads, loads, hauls, ties nicely. He currently has front shoes on only, and I found him getting his pedicure standing ground tied in the middle of the barn with dogs around and completely unconcerned. Talk about a cool guy! He travels sound, jog videos are in comments. He has not yet been restarted but I can’t imagine it will be a difficult transition with how quiet he is. He’s been at the farm for the past few weeks just being a horse and enjoying rolling in the round pen. He’s quiet in a stall and is a good eater and drinker. No known vices, should be an excellent option for anyone wanting a buddy.

Located in Burbank Wa
Shipping available to Az or anywhere along the way in the next couple weeks

PPE always welcome at buyer’s expense

09/10/2024

Mouse!❤️

He requests his next home have kids to feed him treats, give hugs, and love on

09/09/2024

Just a reminder that people need to learn to walk before they can run. Horses need to do the same. They need a confident foundation of fundamentals before you can install any fancy “buttons”. You cannot skip the beginning, and if you do, you’ll wish you didn’t and be stuck spending 3 times as long fixing. Get broke before you get fancy.

09/05/2024

𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭 ❌

The quickest way to take effort out of your horse is not knowing when to quit.

Think about this scenario:

A football coach tells his players to run up-and-backs down the field as fast as they can. The players respond, put out their best effort, and run the sprints to the best of their ability. Then, the coach says "Great job! As your reward, let's do that again."

Now, apply the same scenario to your horse:

You ask your horse for a specific response. The horse responds correctly and gives you the 'feel' you were looking for. You say, "Great job! As your reward, let's do that again."

In both scenarios, the players and the horses put forth maximum effort thinking that their reward would be to rest once they completed the task at hand. But instead, their reward was more work. That has to be frustrating, right?

I know that when you finally get the 'feel' you are looking for, it is tempting to keep repeating that feel over and over again to make sure that your horse has that skill mastered―but, you have to remember to 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 their effort first, then 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 the skill later. 𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤.

08/14/2024

Sold

Mouse is looking for his forever home! Newly available 3 year old gelding with a great personality. This young and athletic horse is ready to go in any direction. Clean legs and a bright future ahead of him. Mouse is beyond his years in experience and has traveled across the country. PM for more information!