CF Equine

01/01/2025

[From 2020]
"Turning a horse out until its third birthday and then beginning race training will adapt the skeleton to turnout for a year, but not to training or racing. The bone modeling system will largely atrophy. The horse is then introduced to training and will have to recreate the vascular supply and cell population devoted to remodeling. By contrast, the horse who trained at two only had to repurpose the vasculature and cells already present for growth.

This can be complicated by the fact that the heart and lungs, which are oft-used indicators of a horse’s fitness, don’t respond to training exactly the same way as bone. Horses have such relatively large heart and lungs that they respond faster than the skeleton to training, especially when a previously sedentary horse begins training. Dr. Larry Bramlage believes the horse who went through a year of turnout and began training at three is at greater risk of skeletal injury down the road because its skeleton may be less able to keep up the pace. Thanks to heart and lung conditioning, the rested horse may appear to be getting fit just as quickly (or even moreso) than his stablemate who trained at two, which could fool a trainer into increasing his workload too quickly for the skeleton.

The data bears this out. Year after year, the Equine Injury Database has shown that 2-year-old runners had a significantly lower fatality rate than 3- and 4-year-olds. Preliminary data released earlier this year showed that older horses who had raced as 2-year-olds had a decreased risk of career-ending injury to those who had not."

https://bit.ly/4iVCrVP

31/12/2024

ISO for a friend- looking for projects, yearling to about 5 years old. Must be sound, can be unhandled or minimally handled. Preference for big mares, they’re quite tall. Must be $2000 or less. Excellent home with the best care. Willing to be flexible on any of the above requirements for a perfect fit and willing to ship from anywhere in AB or surrounding provinces.

31/12/2024

Some 2025 changes-

If I have talked to you within the last 8 months or so, this does not apply to you, nobody panic, you’re all good and nothing is changing for you.

First off- colt starting and problem horse rates are going up. Those already booked in will have the price we discussed honoured and nothing will change for you. This is for new people, if I take any more on. I carry an excellent workers compensation policy, however it is high for a reason, people get hurt doing this and often. I’ve been very lucky the last few years, and have a program that works, but the reality is that sh*t happens, and the young ones and the problem horses are a lot riskier for me and take a lot more of my time and energy.

Second- there will be zero tolerance for dumping horses, this happens usually about once a year. I need notice before horses come in, space is limited and so is my time and patience. If a horse comes in and it hasn’t been cleared with me, it’ll be back on a trailer headed right back to where it came from within 48 hours and you’ll be billed double normal hauling rate, as well as day rate with an additional care fee. We board, I do not own land, and I have to provide notice for all horses coming in and out- we don’t do surprise drop ins.

Third- horses brought in that are very underweight and needing beyond what I normally feed, and those that are in need of deworming, vet care, wound care, or farrier work will have whatever this is added to your bill and additional charges may apply to cover extra grain and hay hauling, time spent holding for the vet or farrier or doing farrier work myself, and the additional work this creates. If your horse is not foot broke, you will be billed for the time it takes to get it foot broke. I am always happy to take on rehab cases, but not out of my own pocket and only as I am able to. I do an excellent job turning around horses that come in in rough shape, but I am a trainer, not a rescue.

And last- if you have horses with me, or have had horses with me, I am always happy to answer questions, and always will make the time to talk. If you do not have horses with me, I’m also happy to help and answer questions within reason. When it gets problematic is when people who do not have horses with me expect me to donate hours of my time and effort, and to be at their beck and call at all hours of the day and night, to do behaviour consults when they need to be consistently working with a trainer. This time will be billable and kept track of if it gets excessive, this will be well communicated well ahead of time and options laid out for how to proceed. I am always happy to look at options like written or video resources for those needing them, or meeting through zoom or FaceTime to discuss issues you may be having or walk you through something, but my time is valuable and I also have a life, a career on top of training, and horses to look after.

Thank you to all who have trusted me with your horses this year, and to those who will be sending me horses or whose horses will be returning in the new year- I appreciate you all, and I’m thankful to have such a great group of clients and friends!

Wishing everyone a happy new year and all the success and fast horses in 2025!

31/12/2024

It’s funny how I never seem to see the people who like to tell me ‘it must be nice’ around to get on fresh two year olds at 5am before putting in a full work day 🤔

31/12/2024

Feels strange to be putting the miles on my cross country skis out on the trail instead of a horse. Been so lucky with perfect conditions, the river’s frozen enough to ski on now and the views are unreal. The way I can’t wait to get some fast horses out training on these trails come spring, and get to building some sound, happy, well schooled horses here way up north 🏇🏻

25/12/2024

Proud to be a part of this, and to be able to put some good out into our little corner of the horse industry. Huge thank you to Lindsay for all your hard work that you have and continue to put into this!

From all of us at After the Wire, wishing you all the merriest of Christmas’s and wonderful, peaceful holiday to all our followers and the horse/human partnerships we feel such joy in being able to facilitate.

The last four years have been an incredible experience and have brought so many wonderful connections both human and equine. We can’t wait to see where you and your horses take you all in the future, and are excited to be finalizing the next stages of our activities. 2025 is going to be the start of something bigger than we ever imagined when we started this service, and we are excited for the next steps in helping grow this community that loves and celebrates these wonderful horses!

Merry Christmas and best wishes for the new year to all you and your OTTBs, whether they were found on After the wire or via other avenues!

23/12/2024

For what it's worth...
written by Genie Lynch

I was in town yesterday and I came to the conclusion that there are an awful lot of people in this world who aren't living life to its potential. They are softly going, masking and gloving, and avoiding contact physically as well as emotionally. No heart speak there, just eyes on the screen and settled into pulling the weight the world has assigned them.

I can't see any great love in the future for most of these sorrowful souls. I can't imagine life long romances, heart shattering losses, battles of honor and dishonor, good and evil...in fact, I don't feel there is much belief held in any of that, as if honor is a thing of imagination. As if good and evil only exist in video games.

I feel for the next generation, and each after that.The color is being sucked out of their lives by the great, ponderous machine that society has become.

I wish I could breathe some 'hooah' into the youth of today. Tell them that life is better with challenges, with ups and downs, and messy things like emotions and bruises and days off lived to the max. Staying up until it's time to go to work...after all, who needs sleep when you're young? you can sleep when you're dead.

Life is better when you've got balls... metaphorically speaking, of course! 😉

Don't let the big world of today make you live small.

Speak up.

Have expectations...of yourself and everyone around you.

Don't settle for anything but what you want.

Can you think it? Dream it? Then go for it.

Who cares if you fail? Winning and losing equals learning.

For what it's worth (if I was ever asked) this would be the best advice I could offer on a horse trainer's salary.

Have a good day folks. 😊

21/12/2024

14/12/2024

One day we’ll get a nice family photo of all three of us where nobody is biting each other or me 🤣