Race horses, on the whole, tend to be thoroughbreds and they compete at speed on the flat. There are no jumps or obstacles in their way.

The training of racehorses usually takes place in large thoroughbred farms. The farms quite often carry out numerous operations which will include breeding and training. Usually when the horse attains a certain age it will be relocated from the breeding side of the farm and training will commence.

When the racehorse is about 18 months old its training programme usually begins. There are some trainers that will start earlier but not very often as the horses’ legs have not developed and fused properly until the horse reaches 4 years old. These horses are worth a lot of money from day one and neither owner nor trainer will want to take any risks.

Training and racing horses is a very organised and competitive business and therefore the horses are trained with an almost military precision. The owners investment will be high and there is no room for error. The young horses will be introduced to the lunge line first. This encourages them to respond to verbal commands and also learn to trust and respect their trainer.

Racehorses unlike other horses do not need to know how to delicately trot, canter or even stop. They are trained to run and one of the first things the trainer will be assessing is whether or not the horse is a sprinter or a distance runner.