Horse Racing Tips

Do Heart Murmurs Affect Performance?

To understand the workings of a heart murmur, it is important to know how the heart operates in horses. The average sized horse has a heart that is the size of a basketball and it is the centre of the cardiovascular system. There is approximately forty-five liters of blood in the body of a horse that needs to be pumped by the heart. The heart pumps at an estimated rate of forty beats a minute and the valves that allow the blood to flood in and out of the heart causes the “lub-dub” sound that is heard through a stethoscope.

Purchasing a Racehorse through Public Auction

The most important part of getting into the horse racing industry is purchasing a good racehorse. Most of the big stable yards send their bloodstock agents to the various sales to make a purchase on their behalf. Oftentimes smaller yards, or people just starting up, don’t have the finances available to have a permanently employed agent, and have to attend the sale themselves.

Insuring your Racehorse

Just as a home or a vehicle is seen as an insurable item for everyday members of the public, the horse racing industry sees horses as high value assets, and therefore owners and breeders are able to purchase insurance for their horses. Before choosing an insurance option for a racehorse, owners are advised to consult a professional equine insurance broker, who will be able to advise on the ideal coverage options.

The Important Role of a Bloodstock Agent in Your Team

The horse racing industry is a fast paced world, and for serious owners to prosper they need the best staff available to them. From trainers to stable assistants, all play an important role. When it comes to the buying of new horses or finding the right stallion for breeding purposes, bloodstock agents are the people to turn to. Most racing stables have a bloodstock agent who is retained by the stables, not only to purchase and sell horses, but to provide information in regard to changes within the racing industry.

Conformation of a Racehorse

Prospective horse owners need to look at characteristics and conformation so as to determine if a horse has the potential to become a spectacular athlete. Differences between individual racehorses can be very subtle, as most thoroughbred horses are bred for running. Thus, it takes an experienced eye to notice the small details that could make huge impacts on the racecourse.

Heart Monitors Assist Training

As with human athletes, horses need to build up fitness and strength over a period of time before running in any racing events. Once a satisfactory fitness level has been achieved, it is crucial for trainers to maintain the horses in that condition and to ensure that they remain free of injury or illness. As technology has improved, so have the methods of assisting trainers and horse owners to keep their horses conditioned. Heart monitors have become an invaluable device for everyone in the horse racing industry, and a friend to the health and well-being of horses.

African Horse Sickness Prevention

African Horse Sickness, or AHS, is a phrase that every horse owner, trainer and exporter fears the most in South Africa and other African countries. It is a fatal disease that affects all breeds of horses, donkeys and mules, and has a very low recovery rate. The disease is not contagious and cannot be spread directly from one horse to another, but is spread by midges that carry the infection after biting an infected horse. Steps to prevent the spread of the disease have been put in place, and infected animals are isolated so as to save others from running the risk of getting African Horse Sickness.

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