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littledog said:
Maybe Ginger recognizes it as a racehorse training facility and she's harking back to her youth as a racehorse? Thinking she might get to race and hoping she's still fast, or more likely, just enjoying the more open landscape at her new place.
LOL, honestly every picture you post of Ginger she looks better and better! Shining coat, more muscular, happier demeanor.
I bet she'll grow to love her new place - go Ginger!
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Aw thank you! She actually has settled in and done very well now, it just took a few days. :) And we do wonder if maybe one time she was at this facility! Just a wild guess, but who knows. Ginger doesn't have a tattoo but this facility doesn't require horses to have tattoos to train.

We are technically allowed to ride on the track in the evening when the jockeys/trainers are done, I really would love to ride her on it and see what she thinks! 😅 We have to pass the track to get to the trails, and she wouldn't stop staring at the track and stopping to look at it lol.
 
Skye'sDucks said:
Aw thank you! She actually has settled in and done very well now, it just took a few days. :) And we do wonder if maybe one time she was at this facility! Just a wild guess, but who knows. Ginger doesn't have a tattoo but this facility doesn't require horses to have tattoos to train.

We are technically allowed to ride on the track in the evening when the jockeys/trainers are done, I really would love to ride her on it and see what she thinks! 😅 We have to pass the track to get to the trails, and she wouldn't stop staring at the track and stopping to look at it lol.
Click to expand...
If you do could you tell us what she does?
 
Skye'sDucks said:
Ginger doesn't have a tattoo but this facility doesn't require horses to have tattoos to train.

We are technically allowed to ride on the track in the evening when the jockeys/trainers are done, I really would love to ride her on it and see what she thinks! 😅 We have to pass the track to get to the trails, and she wouldn't stop staring at the track and stopping to look at it lol.
Click to expand...
TBs only have to be tattooed if they're entered in a race or train at an actual official racetrack. Lots of breeding and training facilities have training tracks, it's likely Ginger trained on one of those in her youth.

I'm so jealous you moved to such a nice facility to ride in, with such nice trails as well as a track! I wish I had a track to ride on after training hours, it's so great for fitness. We used to have one nearby, we had to trailer to it, but it's closed now, unfortunately. It was so nice to trot or gallop, knowing exactly how much distance you're going, plus the footing is smooth and they're not going to step in a hole or trip on a rock and injure themselves.
You should definitely ride Ginger on the track! Since Ginger's an older girl but as long as she stays sound, take her around the track once or twice a week after hours, at a steady, balanced but forward trot and keep track of your time, don't make her exert herself so much that she sweats excessively or comes back breathing heavily. Keep yourself balanced but off her back as much as possible.
You'll notice after a few weeks, she'll trot around still steadily, but not be sweating at all. And the time she takes will be slightly faster. At this point you can add a bit of slow canter every other furlong, trot transitions in between.
Do your normal schooling in between 1 or 2x week track rides, and you will be amazed at her fitness - not only at how stronger her muscles get, but how enthusiastic she becomes about working with you on her arena work, and how much easier it becomes for her to learn new things, since she will find them easier physically.
I guess you can tell, I'm a big fan of you and Ginger!
 
Farmgirl283420 said:
If you do could you tell us what she does?
Click to expand...
Of course!
littledog said:
TBs only have to be tattooed if they're entered in a race or train at an actual official racetrack. Lots of breeding and training facilities have training tracks, it's likely Ginger trained on one of those in her youth.

I'm so jealous you moved to such a nice facility to ride in, with such nice trails as well as a track! I wish I had a track to ride on after training hours, it's so great for fitness. We used to have one nearby, we had to trailer to it, but it's closed now, unfortunately. It was so nice to trot or gallop, knowing exactly how much distance you're going, plus the footing is smooth and they're not going to step in a hole or trip on a rock and injure themselves.
You should definitely ride Ginger on the track! Since Ginger's an older girl but as long as she stays sound, take her around the track once or twice a week after hours, at a steady, balanced but forward trot and keep track of your time, don't make her exert herself so much that she sweats excessively or comes back breathing heavily. Keep yourself balanced but off her back as much as possible.
You'll notice after a few weeks, she'll trot around still steadily, but not be sweating at all. And the time she takes will be slightly faster. At this point you can add a bit of slow canter every other furlong, trot transitions in between.
Do your normal schooling in between 1 or 2x week track rides, and you will be amazed at her fitness - not only at how stronger her muscles get, but how enthusiastic she becomes about working with you on her arena work, and how much easier it becomes for her to learn new things, since she will find them easier physically.
I guess you can tell, I'm a big fan of you and Ginger!
Click to expand...
Aw thank you! I always appreciate your tips and insight, they're so helpful. :)

It would be amazing to know Ginger's whole history, but I doubt I'll ever learn it, only bits and pieces. From the stories I hear and the scars on her body it looks like she didn't have a very good life before she came to us, unfortunately.

I should definitely try that out and work on getting her fit using the track -- thank you for the advice! It is a great perk to have the track now. Ginger isn't horribly out of shape right now, but definitely has gained a little weight and isn't where I'd like her to be personally. One of the last shoeings she had the shoe didn't sit right and was actually making her lame on her good front foot, so we had to pull it, and with the craziness of us moving she was out for like 2-3 weeks and didn't work much because I didn't want to work her much or at all without a shoe.

Gin should stay sound for some track exercising as long as we manage her, like you mentioned. I am actually graduating college this week, too, and while I am going to try to fill most my time with either work at the barn and/or another part time job for now, I should have plenty of extra time, at least at this moment, to dedicate to her schooling/exercise!

I'm curious, since you mentioned staying up off her back, should I switch to an english saddle when trying your methods or doing any kind of long distance exercising on the track? I ride her western. My saddle is on the lighter side at 35lbs, but still.
 

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