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Stable Staff Week

So this week in racing we are promoting stable staff week, to thank all of the people who work in the industry and often go without thanks or praise. Obviously it absolutely imperative that we look after our staff and having been through hell over the last two years with one thing and another staff related, I have not lost sight that those who do a good job should be rewarded and thanked.

Finally the last few weeks have been brilliant for me with regards to staff, I seem to have found a great team who are efficient and more importantly work really well together, instead of the odd bad egg moaning and causing conflict. I do not hear a bad work about any of them from any of them and that is music to my ears, so for that alone thank you!! I love that they love the horses, think for themselves when they see something that needs doing and live the ups and the downs with me.

This week I have had a very good friend's daughter come here for work experience, she won't mind me saying that she came with a typical "f_ck you" attitude we are seeing all the time with this generation. However after a few Jo bollockings and Frankie mentoring her, Maizie has been brilliant, trying hard and listening, more importantly learning something every day.

FInally what I really am thankful for is that none of them has an ego and they are happy and want to learn - a rare thing these days. Andy is brilliant in the yard, doing jobs efficiently and properly, making riding out easy and the day to day running of the yard so much smoother - we finish on time with no angst.

Ash is riding really well and doing a great job with the youngsters, she has some good ideas and is happy to offer suggestions and genuinely takes an interest in the horse's well being and mental/physical balance.

Frankie is trying so hard to get her riding right and we are breaking it down to a very basic level to see what is causing her to be one sided and twisted in the saddle. I have learnt a great deal doing this and it has made me realise even more how the rider's seat and weight distribution contributes to the horse's correctness and straightness. Not something most people care about with racehorses, however I think it proves working on these issues helps the horses massively in all disciplines. Below is a pic I took of Franks conformation, it shows that she is using one leg more (by the creases on her boot) and how at rest her ankle falls in and she puts more weight through the inside of the foot, with her right leg. so when she's riding it leads to her right knee dropping, hip moving forwards, right shoulder up and forwards, back twisting and her weight in the stirrup on the inside of the foot which pushes the toe out and twists the leg up.

Frankie legs

So then we moved on to some squats..., these small exercises showed me where her weakness is and what we can do to improve everything, thus improving the horses she rides and I have no doubt that she will straighten out - already she is a very good, gutsy rider.

Franks first go at squatting!

I love teaching kids that want to learn and as a trainer it is vitally important that my staff ride how I want, each to their own and Im sure there will be many people who think that it makes no difference to the horse's ability. Yes, the ability the horse is born with is either there or its not but bad habits that horses form, when the rider is crooked and or if that horse is developing a problem, need to be caught early to avoid them losing their form. There are any number of trainers like me who do not have owners queuing up to send them horses, so when one goes wrong we need to do everything in our power to get it right!

We got the last of the satanic spawn in this week (Bright Spangle's offspring), he is a lovely horse who is going beautifully. Garry, Asleigh's boyfriend is riding him everyday, Garry works for my partner Greg building but rides Jack every morning for me. I am delighted with the horse's

progress and looking forwards to him running in a bumper.

So all in all its a very big thank you from me to my guys who help me to run a happy yard with healthy horses and make being a mother and a trainer a much easier job!

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