Alison NorthropPrécis New Zealand Report

Farmers Club Charitable Trust Bursary

Précis New Zealand August 2008

Successful racehorse training is maintaining optimum fitness whilst minimising the risks to the horse.

Racehorse welfare is a priority for trainers and track managers alike; but there is still much to learn about the way that horses are trained and the risk factors involved. It is now well accepted that more injuries occur during training rather than on the racetrack and it is for this reason that I investigated the training of racehorses. The way the horse is trained and the type of track it trains on are both likely to affect the longevity of a horse’s career and although there is research identifying risks, it is unclear as to whether outcomes from academic research are successfully disseminated to practitioners such as trainers and track managers.

I was prompted to apply for the Farmers Club Charitable Trust bursary following a discussion at the Seventh International Conference on Equine Exercise Physiology (ICEEP 7) in 2006. Injury to the horse in training often comes from not being able to monitor workload and fitness. The topic of discussion was about the practicality of using technical methods such as heart rate monitors (HRM) and global positioning systems (GPS) to assess these factors in racehorses within the UK, New Zealand and Australia. It was suggested that technical methods to assess fitness could also allow greater accuracy in measuring speed and distance.

I have had previous experience in the racehorse industry in New Zealand and I was keen to discuss academic findings with trainers and track managers and understand their experiences and opinions of training methods and track surfaces. The timing was apt because New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing aims to lay their first synthetic fibre tracks in the next few years. The UK and New Zealand commonly race on turf however much of the training is conducted on non-turf surfaces (i.e. sand, dirt, woodchip or synthetic fibres).

Locations within New Zealand

Initially I contacted the CEOs (Chief Executive Officers) at a variety of racetracks throughout New Zealand, selecting those that had training facilities because it was the trainers and training tracks that I was most interested in. The response from the CEOs at most of the racetracks was encouraging and the support that I got from them and the track managers allowed me to gain a comprehensive understanding of the training tracks and training facilities. New Zealand racetracks generally provide training facilities and tracks on-site and for this reason, trainers set up near or at the race track. This meant that it was straightforward to set up meetings with them following my introduction to the CEOs and track managers.

Alison NorthropPrécis New Zealand Report

Farmers Club Charitable Trust Bursary

I started my trip in the South Island at Riccarton Park, Christchurch. Figure 1 identifies the location of Riccarton Park and all the other training and race tracks I visited in New Zealand. Tim Mills the CEO of Riccarton Park was very supportive and introduced me to a number of trainers at the track. My first impression of Riccarton Park was of a beautiful setting with snow capped mountains on the horizon and a frosty covering to the ground disappearing as the sun rose. Riccarton Park dates back to 1855, being one of the oldest racecourses in New Zealand. It holds the prestigious New Zealand Cup Week including nine Group and listed races. The enthusiasm and interest from the trainers and

track personnel in Christchurch was the first of many similar encounters throughout the country. Some of the most memorable include my first morning (4:30am) at Matamata where up to 750 horses train every morning. There was so much going on however it was evident that the Course Manager, Graeme Styles was clearly well respected and ran extremely well managed training tracks. He gave me much of his time despite being so busy. My last interview took place with Graeme Sanders, a successful trainer who had only returned from England the day before meeting me, having raced one of his horses at Newmarket. He welcomed me into his home and we discussed training and tracks in considerable detail.

Survey technique

I conducted structured interviews using two questionnaires, one for the trainers and one for the track managers to gain as much accurate and unbiased information as possible. I carried out thirty interviews with trainers and six interviews with track managers.

Figure 1: Racecourse locations visited during 2008 visit

Alison NorthropPrécis New Zealand Report

Farmers Club Charitable Trust Bursary

Training methods

There were three main sections of the trainer questionnaire and these were speed and frequency, training techniques and track surface preference.

No trainers in the study in New Zealand used HRM or GPS to assist in training programmes and endoscopy was only used to assess a horse if performance was reduced. Some trainers had used GPS and HRM for some trial work from Massey University but it was no longer being used. It was interesting that several trainers at interview discussed the difficulties of training horses using track riders that do not possess English as a first language, it was suggested that instructions given to the track rider were not always fully understood. Use of an accurate tool to assess work would benefit these trainers. Trainers commented on the financial and time implications required to use such tools and that an experienced trainer can assess a horse better than a measurement that considers one aspect of the horse. There were however some trainers keen to embrace new ideas and these trainers were all successful.

Plate 1: Interview of a trainer at Awapuni

Plate 2: Horses returning after training at Matamata

Alison NorthropPrécis New Zealand Report

Farmers Club Charitable Trust Bursary

Racing in New Zealand takes place solely on turf however there is limited availability to train on turf. Most training tracks allowed trainers to train a quota on turf according to the number they have in training as in the UK, meaning that the rest of their horses were trained on a different surface.

Non turf training tracks include sand, plough and cinders in New Zealand. Trainers had a variety of preferred training surfaces, preferences varied according to individual horses and the season. The ideal track was one that remained as consistent as possible. A number of recent studies consider risk factors according to surface condition and it is widely accepted that risk of musculoskeletal injury increases as turf becomes harder or ground becomes inconsistent. Trainers in this study preferred a surface that had a good degree of give that was consistent. There were a number of trainers who were keen to use an all weather synthetic surface partly due to bad weather preventing training at times. There are plans to develop a synthetic track at a number of tracks in New Zealand however this has been put on hold for the time being due to costs and negative experiences at a number of tracks in other countries. Track surface was discussed more thoroughly with the track managers.

Track surfaces and track management

There were two main sections of the track manager questionnaire; surface, maintenance and their understanding of track sustainability.

Track surfaces were influenced by fluctuations in the environment as well as the number of horses working on it and the way it was maintained. Consequently the task involved in maintaining tracks is by no means an easy one, made more difficult by the trainers who, understandably focus on their horses. The track managers I met were all keen to develop their tracks and kept in frequent communication with each other as well as developing their knowledge through attending conferences and external training. The track managers were also responsible for the racecourses and these needed to be their priority from a financial perspective. This may have been why the general perspective of sustainability was that of economic rather than environmental or social concern. There was considerable discussion about the development of synthetic racetracks amongst the track managers and the trainers. The track managers were keen to understand more about the results in the UK and the trainers provided an almost 50-50 divide between those embracing this new type of surface and those that either viewed concerns or were only keen on turf racing. I spent time with the head of training tracks at Newmarket, England as part of the project and he believes that the most

Alison NorthropPrécis New Zealand Report

Farmers Club Charitable Trust Bursary

important part of managing tracks is the way that they are maintained and treated and this involves skill and care as seen in all the track managers in New Zealand.

Concluding remarks

Trainers were keen to discuss ideas and learn more about other methods of training however tools will need to become more accessible before they are commonplace. The results identified that maintaining an appropriate track is the greatest priority for a track manager. The concepts of sustainability (social/ethical, economic and environmental) are still in their infancy in NZ racing. Priority is still given to the economic aspects. It is however likely that environmental concerns such as watering, surface run-off constituents and disposal will be of greater importance in the coming years. If synthetic tracks are eventually implemented, due consideration of the track’s full life-cycle should be made.

Plate 3: A non-turf training track (sand) demonstrating the effect on the surface following a morning of training