Work Riding Racehorses in Africa

Hello all :)
So I've had a pretty interesting week so far. I've finally begun riding. And if you know me at all, the happiest place on earth you will find me is on the back of a horse. Summerhill is primarily a stud farm, meaning they deal mostly with breeding. However, they also have a pre-training division that breaks in the young horses and trains them for Summerhill's own Ready to Run Sale. These horses are two year olds that are ready to begin their racing career. Summerhill only puts the beginning stages of training on them and then sells them to outside trainers and owners. Summerhill usually keeps shares in most of their horses, but rarely actually races fully owned Summerhill horses. Most of the race training happens outside of Summerhill once the horses are sold. That means if I want to ride while I'm here I have to ride the babies! Yay! If you're familiar with young horses, especially young Thoroughbred racehorses, they have quite the reputation for being "hot"(and not the kind of "hot" that you would want to buy a drink for at a bar). They're nervous and excited most of the... no, pretty much all the time.  Anyway, I'll get to the story of my first few days riding 2 year olds-

The first day I was dropped off a bit too early because they aren't currently riding the sales horses anymore because they're too dangerous and too hot (don't want to risk injury right before the sale). Instead, they hand walk the horses and ride the "in-training" horses in the afternoon. Unfortunately, I showed up in the morning while they were hand walking the sales horses. I literally stepped out of the truck and was handed a lead attached to one of the craziest fillies I've even seen in my entire life. She was probably already about 16 hands and very strong. All we were doing was walking up the lane and then back down to the barn. That sounds so easy, but it proved to be one of the biggest battles I've ever had in my life. The horse was quite calm as we walked up the hill (there is a group of about 10 horses and I was second in line). A few spooks here and there at the horse eating tractors and birds, but nothing too terrible. Thennnn, we turn around to head back to the barn and I hear a little squeal (never ever a good sign) and my horse jumps up probably 4 feet in the air (this is not an exaggeration!!). I attempt to get her under control which only makes her rear and try to run off and drag me along. I ended up using every ounce or strength and body weight (which isn't much) to keep this horse from getting away. The guys seemed like it was no big deal as I am sure their horses were doing the exact same things (I was just too focused on my own horse to notice). The guy walking in front of me had a very calm horse so he asked me if I wanted to switch. I had survived almost the entire way back, so I thought why give up now? I felt like I still had a little fight left in me. So, I made it back to the barn in one piece and sighed a sigh of relief and thanked God I was still alive! I walked two more horses that weren't quite so phsyco and decided I was done with that job for the day. Luckily, they were still riding but later in the afternoon. When I got back to the office, one of the managers that used to work in pre-training told me that he couldn't believe I had volunteered to hand walk the sales horses. I frowned at him and informed him that I had no idea what I was getting myself into. He told me its the worst job on the entire farm. They have a fun little saying that puts the whole thing into perspective. He says everyone refers to it as "flying kites". I have provided you with a little example to further explain this saying:

Exactly my feeling after hand walking three of the most dangerous horses I've ever seen. (This lady is extraordinarily calm too. I need to channel her next time) Then I realized that I had also volunteered to RIDE these horses. AHHHH!! Thankfully however, the horses I rode on the first day were "in-training", meaning they've already been sold and have been trained much more than the sales horses (thank goodness). They are just about to make their debut on the racetrack. But (there's always a but!) they're still 2 year olds. The trainer told the other jockeys to (this is word for word what she said) give me "a horse that won't kill her". Gee, thanks. Another stroke of luck for me was that this entire week is a "trot exercise only" week. Meaning they trot the horses a mile down the straight track and a mile back. Just trotting. I was so relieved! It was the perfect way for me to get accustomed to riding babies without being completely overwhelmed. Another thank goodness moment happened when I realized that the month previous to coming to Summerhill that I spent working out hard core in the gym had really paid off. I struggled a bit at first saddling up the racing tack, but once I was shown how to do it properly I got it from then on out. Its like a puzzle, seriously! The first filly I rode was very sweet. She pulled a bit when we first got to the track, but listened when I asked her to come down. I also strategically boxed her in with the other horses, just in case she got away from me but she never did. Amazingly posting for 2 miles (on three horses) was a breeze! I am now convinced that working out is magic and I will now make that a regular part of my lifestyle. It feels so good to be fit! The next horse was a big grey colt named Costal Waltz. I have since fallen in love with him! He is so sweet and gentle. He's built like a tank. He pulled very hard at first, but once he got to the front of the pack he was just fine. I think he'll make a good racehorse! He always has to be in front, which I would think is a great quality in a racehorse. The last horse I rode was a very small chestnut filly who hadn't been ridden in a very long time (they failed to mention that). Thank goodness she was little because she was bad! She kept trying to rip the reins out of my hands and tuck her head so she could buck. Luckily, my 15 years of riding experience clued me in on this right away. As long as I kept her head up I had no problems. After a full day battling the horses on the ground, working in the office, and riding 3 training horses I was beat! I hardly had the energy left to brush my teeth for bed. But one of the amazing things about working in the racing industry is that you've got to get up early the next morning and do it all again!

And thats exactly what I did. Although, common sense told me not to volunteer to do the hand walking. I rode a different bay filly that was the nicest horse I've ridden so far. I actually had to push her to keep her trotting (which I didn't mind at all). Then I rode Costal Waltz again who was very strong heading out, but got tired once we headed back (it was 90 degrees. I know, terrible problem right? ;)). The next part of the story is where it gets interesting... 3 of the other jockeys left after we finished riding the second string and said they were going home. They told me to collect my saddle and bridle because we were going to the next stable to ride 2 other horses. I asked which horses we were going to ride. They informed me we would ride two of the sales horses (remember them? The kites?) Well it was just me and the head jockey and I guess they saw that I actually do know how to ride and trusted me with this sales horse, or none of the other jockeys actually wanted to ride this sales horse (I would like to think its the first one but...). Once we got to the other stable, he pointed the the stall of the horse I was supposed to ride. I walked up and attempted to get a look at this new horse. I was actually too short to see over the stall door. Once I opened the door, I realized that the filly was huge! I thought, CRAP. I saddled her up and jumped on (saying a little prayer). This time I was only with one other horse and jockey. He was riding an impressive black colt (can't remember the name). Heading out both horses were fairly good. I was pretty impressed that the horses were so behaved. There was a little side trotting and prancing, but nothing too crazy. Once we reached the end of the track and turned around, thats when all the fun started. Instantly my filly thought it was time to race. The colt started rearing and bucking. My filly got really strong and started squealing (like I said, never a good sign). I turned her head to the rail in an attempt to settle her, which didn't seem to help. At one point about half way down the track she took off. Have you ever thought to yourself- this could be the end of my life? Thats what I thought as I realized she was completely out of control. I did the only think I could do. Stick like glue and turn her into the rail as hard as I could. It felt like we were out of control for at least five minutes but in reality it was probably more like 4 seconds. Once I got her back under control, I heard the sound of pounding hooves and realized that I was not the only one having a problem. Both horses had bolted. From that point on it was a battle to get back to the barn. The horse was hotter than hot and rearing every time I moved a muscle. With a baby horse, you can't punish bad behavior like you would an adult horse. Punishment will only lead to more problems. I had to sit quietly and remain calm. I relaxed every muscle in my body (except my arms and hands which were straining with all my might to keep the horse from taking off). I also locked my reins which gave me slightly more leverage. (I'm sure at this point both my parents are ready to stick me on the next flight home). But I must say that I felt very accomplished once we made it back to the barn safe and sound. I may not be tall enough to see over the stall doors, but I can ride these horses. The jockey came over to me afterward and told me that I will make a good "work rider". That meant a lot to me because I could tell the first day that all the other riders were a bit unsure about me. He also told me that the horses name meant "be careful" in Zulu (the local language). He said no one wants to ride that horse, its crazy. Very funny. I could appreciate the joke once I had been the butt of it. Although I am sore beyond reason today, I feel accomplished and confident in my ability. I have also learned that no matter what, if you work hard enough, you can accomplish your dreams. Never give up, ever. If you want something bad enough, you can make it happen. It amazes me that I've only been here at Summerhill for a about 2 weeks, but I have learned so much about horses, the racing industry, the lives of others and myself. This opportunity is an incredible and eye opening experience. I will report back later this week and I'm sure I'll have more exciting adventures to tell you about!

Cheers!

P.S. Be sure to check out the "pictures" section of the blog because its been updated with some new photos :)