Richard Schibell Racing

In order to properly condition your equine athlete, you must first consider the event the horse will participate in along with the experience and abilities of competing horses.  The amount of time available to complete the training also matters a great deal.  Even the animal’s condition following the previous race plays a part in conditioning for the next competition. The Purpose of Conditioning Your Horse The aim of equine condition programs is to improve the animals’ physical and psychological responses to physical activity.  Examples of physical responses include improved endurance, strength and skills including reining and jumping.  Reduced soreness and susceptibility to injury are added benefits.  In terms of psychological responses to conditioning, the horse experiences heightened confidence and more of an inclination to perform.  Furthermore, the animal feels more intellectually stimulated. Let’s take a closer look at the physical changes that re...

The world’s best racehorses are pushed to the brink when pitted against one another in a competitive environment.  In total, approximately four tonnes or 8,000 thousand pounds of aggregate force is placed on the animal’s joints at the lower limbs with every single stride.  This repetitive pressure can lead to joint, bone and tendon problems.  Racehorse injures tend to occur in the areas where the most loads are applied.  This means the animal’s flexor tendon, ankle joints and knee joints are especially vulnerable. How Trainers Prevent Horse Injuries The pressure applied to the horse’s joints increases that much more as the animal picks up speed.  Horses that run at an especially high rate of speed with regularity are that much more vulnerable to injury.  This is precisely why so many horse trainers like Richard D Schibell lament the fact that their fastest horses tend to endure injuries at a higher clip than the comparably slow animals. Bone and Tendon...

No two horse forages are the same.  Horse owners and trainers who are aware of the merits and shortcomings of the different types of forage on the market are empowered to make a truly informed decision in full confidence.  Those lacking such information will struggle to select the ideal product for their horse(s).  This is not to say horse owners and trainers should completely rule out forage replacements as some such products have their own unique merits.  Richard Schibell of Richard Schibell Racing has experimented with every forage combination on the market to keep his horses strong and healthy. Let’s take a look at some of the different types of horse forage on the market as of early 2019. Straw Straw serves as an effective partial replacement when providing sustenance to horses over their targeted weight as well as those that qualify as good-doers.  Straw can replace upwards of 30 percent of traditional feed.  The barley and oat varieties of straw...

Retired racehorses have plenty of life to live following their days on the track.  From dressage to jumping, pleasure riding, eventing and beyond, these animals still have a purpose in life.  Thoroughbreds have become quite popular lately, partially because of heightened awareness stemming from organizations such as New Vocations and the Retired Racehorse Challenge.  Prior to thoroughbreds’ spike in popularity, warmbloods dominated the scene. How Horse Aftercare is Changing The conventional approach to horse retirement is undergoing some changes.  The horse enthusiasts at Mosaic Racing Stable, located by Saratoga NY and founded by Monica Driver, are no longer waiting for horse retirement to commence to start the retraining process.  The horses at Mosaic enjoy a seamless segue into their second career.  Driver’s team uses an array of schooling exercises in race training, creating a comprehensive before-care regimen. Mosaic’s ethos is doing right by horse...

Evolution has empowered horses to lose weight in the winter months while most other animals gain weight when the temperature drops.   Horses have a long history of losing weight in the winter as food has been hard to come by in these frigid months.  These animals have packed on the pounds in the spring and summer in preparation for the winter.  Modern day management prevents horses from losing the weight they used to shed when the seasons change. Today’s horses are well-fed throughout the entirety of the winter. Unfortunately, plenty of horses pack on the pounds in the summer and ultimately prove that much more susceptible to an array of health problems.  “Horse owners are encouraged to take advantage of their horses’ natural need to burn calories in order to stay warm, maintain a healthy weight and prove ready for the spring” says owner Richard Schibell .  Let’s take a look at some important advice that will help you keep the weight off your horse amidst...

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