Like athletes, racehorses too need to be looked after and taken care of well. They need to be fed well and get the sleep and rest they need for performance. Racehorses have been a constant source of entertainment for both men and women since time immemorial. If you look at a successful racehorse today, you will find that many people are behind them. These professionals take good care of these horses both before and after the race.
Care before the race
The professional that takes care of a horse before the race is a licensed horse trainer. He or she ensures that the racehorse is looked after well. Before the race, the horse is given both heat and ice therapy to deal with aches and pains. There is a feeding schedule that contains all the right nutrition for the horse to consume before the race. Like humans, horses too suffer from inflammation of the ligament and other joint issues. That is why trainers place the legs of horses in ice baths daily so that they can reduce the heat and the swelling of the joints. Trainers also use infrared blankets to help horses increase the flow of blood to the sore areas so that the pain is reduced.
People love to watch tournaments like TVG horse racing and the like however little is known about the daily routine of horse races. When it comes to their daily routines, they are exercised every day so that they are active and ready for the next race. The trainer and the horse grooms ensure that a schedule is fixed and the horse is fed every day at the same time to stay and remain in shape just before the race starts.
After the race ends
Once the race ends, the job of the horse groom and trainer does not stop. They need to take care of the horse to ensure that everything is okay and normal. The health and the well-being of the horse should be the same just before it entered the race. The horse should be free from any injury and pain. Once the race ends, the horse is taken to the barn. There is a phase that is called “cooled out.” This period refers to the time when the horse is taken out for walks so that its heart rate returns to normal. Once the horse has been cooled out, it returns to the stable and kept in a stall. It is the place it stays in when it is not walking or exercising.
Once the horse is in its stall, it drinks water. However, it is not allowed to eat grain and hay soon after the race ends or else it may end up choking.
It is in the above way that horses stay fit before and after the race. They are taken care of well so that on the final day of the competition, they can perform well to their optimal levels without any pain or hassles at all!