Track Surfaces Used for Ridden Workouts and Alternatives to Ridden Exercise for Thoroughbred Horses in Race Training.
Authors: Morrice-West Ashleigh V, Hitchens Peta L, Walmsley Elizabeth A, Whitton R Chris
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Track Surfaces and Alternative Exercise in Thoroughbred Race Training Surface selection during training appears poorly matched to racing demands, according to a 2018 Australian survey of 66 registered Thoroughbred trainers. Researchers documented which training surfaces and supplementary exercise methods were used in typical race-training programmes, finding that whilst 97% of trainers used sand and 82% used turf for their workouts, only 34% of gallop training on turf facilities actually occurred on turf itself—a considerable mismatch with the turf racing surface most horses would encounter on race day. Nearly 90% of trainers incorporated alternatives to ridden exercise, including mechanical walkers, swimming, and treadmills, yet substantial variation existed in both surface types and alternative methodologies across the cohort, with synthetic surfaces featuring in 36% of slow-work routines and 58% of galloping programmes. The practical significance lies in the potential disconnect between training-surface exposure and the specific musculoskeletal demands horses face during competition; trainers may be inadvertently limiting the tissue adaptation necessary for optimal performance and injury prevention on race-day surfaces. This research highlights an evidence gap worth addressing: establishing whether training-surface specificity correlates with injury rates and performance outcomes would help standardise practice and justify investment in facilities that better prepare horses for their actual racing environment.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Most trainers use sand and synthetic surfaces for slow-work but underutilize turf for galloping despite it being the primary racing surface—consider increasing turf-specific training to improve musculoskeletal adaptation to race-day conditions
- •Nearly all trainers employ alternatives to ridden exercise; document which methods (e.g., swimming, treadmills, lunging) are most effective for injury prevention and fitness maintenance in your training program
- •Current training practices show limited alignment between training surface exposure and actual racing surfaces, suggesting a potential gap in injury prevention strategy that warrants investigation
Key Findings
- •Sand and synthetic surfaces were used by 97% and 36% of trainers respectively for slow-workouts in Thoroughbred race training
- •Only 34% of gallop training was completed on turf despite turf being the predominant racing surface in 82% of trainers' regimens
- •Almost 90% of trainers used alternative exercise methods in addition to or instead of ridden overground track-work
- •Substantial variation exists in training surface types and alternative exercise methods used by Victorian Thoroughbred trainers