Thoroughbred Logic, Presented by Kentucky Performance Products: Brains and Timelines
“I expect that most Thoroughbreds can develop good brains. Far more often than not, they are kind, intelligent, love to work, and are bred to have the heart that makes them want to get the answers right.”
Welcome to the next installment of Thoroughbred Logic. In this weekly series, Anthropologist and trainer Aubrey Graham, of Kivu Sport Horses, offers insight and training experience when it comes to working with Thoroughbreds (although much will apply to all breeds). This week ride along as Aubrey shares her logic on horses that have good brains and building horses with good brains.
The value of a good brain is tough to quantify.
Some horses just have it. They’re the old soul type who you know you can trust from the first time you swing a leg over. They’re the ones that it is a no-brainer to take outside and onto the trails, to seek small adventures because why not?
Neumann (Bubba Bob) always had a stellar brain. For his third post track ride, he hauled to Ashland and trail rode solo, adding a small xc school in at the end. Photo from his tenth month of retraining by Allen Graham.
The good-brained horse will make equally good decisions for both them and you. They’ll try like hell to save your ass when the consequences of too fast on wet terrain kicks in, or merely flick an ear at the herd of deer in the woods. They’ll read the warmup and know that that’s not a place to competitively show off feats of above-ground athleticism. Tie to the trailer? Cool. And the try will be there all day — steady, even, authentic try. With the good-brained horse, you can tick through the training and start climbing the levels in a smooth upward-oriented fashion.
Many, though, must develop that brain. They’re not born with four thoughtful legs, or a space between their ears that doesn’t seek distraction. Nope, those horses stand on a different timeline. The good thing is that sometimes, even the most fractious, goofy colts and fillies nonetheless make the best-brained horses (read: there’s hope folks). And these kids draw progress charts that show the peaks and valleys of training, needed time, experience, and exposure.
No one expected that this hothead (Forrest – Don’t Noc It) would turn into the steadiest Eddy in the barn. Photo by Christina Marie.
And OK OK OK, some we may love, but the steady brain may never be their strong suit. That’s possible, too. That doesn’t mean they can’t also go show and do all the things. It just might be a bit more of an … adventure… each go round.
Timelines are never fixed for these horses. Some are ready to go from the time you bring them home from the track, and others have bodies who may be sore, or need maintenance or a strengthening program to start to feel well enough to make progress. And like their bodies, their brains influence the training schedule.
I expect that most Thoroughbreds can develop good brains. Far more often than not, they are kind, intelligent, love to work, and are bred to have the heart that makes them want to get the answers right. That combination of traits crafts a foundation from which courage, curiosity, and a good brain can grow.
Smart, curious foals at Winchester Place Thoroughbreds in Paris, KY. Photo by author.
Datesfreedom recently provided a good example.
Dates finished running at Finger Lakes at the end of the meet this past November. His career capped with 53 races and $225, 040 in earnings.
With winter approaching and the need to stable horses elsewhere (the track closes for the season and horses must vacate), Dates was sold for a paltry sum to a man who also picked up two other horses that day. They all shipped supposedly to a boarding barn in New Jersey, and then after a very short time, sold for even less to a trader’s barn known to ship to auctions that sell to kill buyers.
In short, Dates bounced from being a New York class race horse to the auction pipeline in weeks. So much of this makes no financial sense and plain befuddles me.
Datesfreedom on arrival from the KY trader. Photo by author.
With the help of Finger Lakes Finest Thoroughbreds as well as friends and connections of his from the track, our non-profit wing, Stall 13, was able to pull him from that facility and get him shipped here. Dates spent a month in our winter quarantine shed before re-entering the barn, knocking everyone’s socks off, and starting his path to the Makeover.
Dates settling into quarantine turnout at Stall 13 Thoroughbreds (the non-profit wing of Kivu Sporthorses). Photo by author.
Until last Friday, Dates had had a handful of post track rides. Lost shoes and general terrible weather in this area of New York has made the process slow going. But every time I swung a leg over, he tried harder than the time before — asked to learn more. Pat that horse and tell him he’s good and his whole expression shows that he gets it.
Date’s first post track ride:
The fun thing is that there are a lot of people up here who know him. Many saw him run, others viewed him when considering end-of-season purchases at the track. And then there is the subset of the students from Morrisville College who remember him. And that’s where I start laughing. Dates needed to rehab a tendon injury during his early days on the track — I believe as a two year old. Morrisville has a rehab program and there he earned quite the reputation. Still a colt, Dates apparently spent more time leaping, walking on his hind legs, and generally being just a memorably difficult young Thoroughbred.
Gelding and a few more years experience sure gave the good brain a chance to develop. Because that’s exactly what Dates has.
Dates looking goofy but being smart on day one of turnout. Photo by author.
Things get going slowly up here, much to my annoyance. Had I been in Georgia, this horse would have already hauled to Ashland Farm, hacked the trails, and popped some xc fences. Instead, the first time the big arena door stood open, Dates walked himself outside into the snow and happily learned how to step over logs and small xc obstacles.
Dates in exploration mode. Photo by author.
And when a spot opened up in the trailer for the first show of the season, I decided, hey — why not? Dates can go … but I should probably teach him to jump first.
So last week, I set a small grid and course and swung a leg over. On Friday, Dates figured out how to pick up his legs over cross rails and small verticals, and on Saturday we hauled out in the snow (why, NY, why???) to let him get a few courses under his belt.
That brain didn’t disappoint. He hauled like a champ, tacked easily, and walked to the warmup arena in wind and feel-like temps in the teens as if he had been doing it his whole life. Dates splashed through puddles, trotted and cantered circles, and then headed to the indoor to stand and wait his turn to try the cross rails.
Dates being perfect despite the elements at Leg Up Stables. Photo by the Kivu Team.
Nothing fazed him. He bopped over the flower boxes and made the turns, figuring out how to land in canter and, eventually, how to carry on to the next fence in that same rhythmic canter. Good kid. I let him try his hand at the two-foot and he figured it out just as quickly.
Good Dates! Photo by Lily Drew.
That, folks, is a good brain.
Would I do that — jump train for the first time on Friday and show the next day — with most horses? No.
That timeline could easily over-face them. But when they are smart, kind, steady, and bored of going in circles in my indoor… sure. Why not? The important thing to keep in mind is just not to over do it — not to seriously raise the fences or the spread until they have all the confidence that comes with understanding the ask. But by keeping the bar low, literally and figuratively, there’s ample room for that horse to prove just how outstanding they can be, and how good that brain simply is.
Yeah… he’ll make a heck of an eventer. Photo by the Kivu Team.
And with that brain and a body that spent the winter letting down, Dates is now poised to start progressing into his second career. I’ll be honest — this horse is pretty damn exciting. And I cannot wait to get him out fox hunting and on the cross country course and then on to the Makeover in October.
So go ride, folks. And pat your pony for the good brain they either arrived with or earned over time.
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