“I could be a professional student. I love it. Just go down another road and see what else you can learn” - Leah Gyarmati
It was fitting that as I was planning out this blog today, I ran across the above quote by trainer Lea Gyarmati. If you know me, you know that I'd be the cat killed by curiosity because I am a "need to know" type when it comes to learning. No matter what I'm doing in the racing industry, I want to learn the hows and the whys of why I'm doing it.
That is why the one day a week farm job I've been working has been so fun and informative. I've made it my mission every day I'm there to ask at least one question that will farther my knowledge about why the barn and overall industry does the things it does. I do get a few weird looks when I ask questions with answers that seem pretty simple but there is a method to my madness.
For example, while I know why I use shavings to bed my horses when they are stalled, I wanted to learn the whys of the hay vs. shavings bedding that the farm uses. I noticed that some yearlings had shavings while others had hay for bedding in their stalls and a quick question to CB gave me the answer as to why that is. The farm uses hay bedding for those who don't need to lose weight while those who are built a little heftier and need a little more help to look a little more like a racehorse get the straw bedding because it helps them lose the final few pounds they need to shed. In addition, I also learned that grain builds a horse's top line and hay "builds" the belly (to put it simply), something I've already put into use on my own horses.
Working on the farm has been a dream come true for me both on the learning front and the satisfaction front. It's nice to be doing actual farm work again, even if it is different than the work I did on the family farm growing up. It is also nice to actually feel like I'm doing something productive with the actual animals that I write about. Don't get me wrong, I love writing about racehorses but as a horse person something is always missing when I can't actually spend time working with them. And yes, I have my own horses, but again it is different than handling (future) racehorses so this gives me my "fix".
One thing that I've learned about myself while working on the farm is that I LOVE seeing how the horses develop. I've been working there long enough now that I've seen how the yearlings have changed from when they first enter sales prep to the final weeks when they are more confident in themselves. It is fun knowing that I have had a small hand in that and while it makes them a bit hard to handle at times, it is fun to see how proud of themselves they are after they've spent time on the walker or swimming.
I've always enjoyed watching the development of young horses of all breeds but haven't had a real active hand in it outside of my own youngster so I never knew how much I loved it. I'm hoping to spend some time in the breeding division of a farm (hopefully the same one) this winter to experience that part since Thoroughbred breeding and pedigrees are my passion.
But to be honest, anywhere I go from here is just a cherry on the top. I never really imagined I'd find someone who would give me the opportunity to get the hands-on experience I've wanted ever since I was hired in the Thoroughbred industry, especially with my crazy schedule. To say I'm grateful for the opportunity is the understatement of the century, but there really aren't enough words to express just how lucky I feel.
Until next time,
Mel
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