stress | Horse Racing Free Tips

A Spotlight on Stress in the Era of COVID: Craig Bandoroff

Working in racing has always been a stressful occupation; a roller-coaster of emotions, triumphs and tragedies, long hours and travel. Add a global pandemic and unprecedented economic worry, with many participants fearing for their health, livelihoods and businesses, and the stress can become almost overwhelming. It’s the sort of topic many people don’t like to talk about, but we asked several industry participants to open about what particular stresses they were feeling during these very concerning times, and how they were dealing with them.

CRAIG BANDOROFF, Denali Stud

This business is stressful ALL the time. Nobody reading this needs me to go into the specifics or myriad ways. But above all else, the thing I have found in my career that really makes this business so hard is that the percentage of success is so small. Racing, breeding, mares, stallions, pinhooking, whichever facet you look at, the percentage of good outcomes is very small. The opportunities to give good news is infrequent. So often when you call someone, it’s a hard call to make.

With COVID, we’re sitting here as the yearling sales approach with no idea what the market is going to be like. All indicators say it will be down and that it will be tough. The big question is are foreigners going to be allowed to attend. And if so, will they attend even if we find a way to get them here? It just adds to what already is a difficult business and environment. Fortunately, there’s people who love it and want to do it despite how hard it is.

I have the advantage of being an elder statesman now. I’ve been through lots of things from caterpillars to recessions and down cycles before. I feel like there is very little that could happen that I haven’t seen. Obviously this is a very different situation, but we’ve been doing this a long time and have managed to get through difficult years before. Because of that, I have the confidence that we will get through this one.

I think the main thing that helps me sleep at night is recognizing what’s important. How much your horse brings at the sale, although it’s significant, in the scheme of things we are just selling horses, not saving lives. As long as we and our loved ones have our health and safety, and we are surrounded by people who love us, those are the things that are truly important. So we need to remind ourselves of what’s important and keep things in perspective.

I find I have to read the news less and enjoy a good book more. I remind myself, Conrad and our team: We can only control what we can control. Finally, remember what our grandmothers told us: This too shall pass.

Would you like to share your thoughts on stress during this particularly difficult time? Email the TDN’s Sue Finley at suefinley@thetdn.com or Katie Ritz at katieritz@thetdn.com.

The post A Spotlight on Stress in the Era of COVID: Craig Bandoroff appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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A Spotlight on Stress in the Era of COVID: Graham Motion

GRAHAM MOTION

It is a stressful sport to be involved in, but at the end of the day, it’s still a sport. We represent an important industry, but I think you have to keep things in perspective. I was listening to an interview recently by Chris Martin from Coldplay, and he said, “Every time somebody interviews me they always say, ‘Oh, you must be so stressed, or so tired from traveling.’ And I always think to myself, ‘I’m playing music. It’s what I enjoy. It’s what I do.'” So in the same way, we’re so lucky to do what we do, and we have to keep that in perspective.

Having said that, of course it’s stressful. Horses are unpredictable. People often look at me and tell me that I look stressed. I am stressed, but a lot of that is intensity. You’re always thinking of the next thing that could go wrong or trying to prevent it. Because with horses, things go wrong. You can’t control that. I have to be able to explain that to an owner, and that can be stressful. Stress at the races occurs because you want the horses to perform well, and you have to be able to explain to their owners when they don’t.

I’m constantly worried about horses getting injured. I feel a tremendous responsibility to my horses, that they stay healthy. The same goes for my riders and my employees. I have a huge payroll, close to 100 employees. I obviously have a responsibility to them and appreciate that they depend on me. When you mix that into the era of COVID and dealing with this present situation, that adds a whole new level of concern. Of course I don’t want my help to get sick. I think that was my biggest worry when this all came about– making sure that we were taking the best precautions to keep everyone healthy.

Sending Alice [Clapham, Assistant Trainer] to England with Sharing was a worry for me, partly because it involved a great deal of traveling for Alice. Of course none of us wanted her to get sick. It was an added responsibility that you feel for your employees.

There was also the stress of not knowing where we were going in terms of racing. There was a payroll to meet and there was a period where we really didn’t know what would happen. But again, you had to put it into perspective. We’re training horses. We’re outdoors. I had extremely supportive owners who never questioned anything when racing was shut down. I’m very fortunate that I play at the level that I do. I’m sure it was not that way for everyone across the board. For someone that might have only six or seven horses, I appreciate that it might have been very different for them.

I’m extremely fortunate because of the support group I have in my family. My wife is incredibly supportive. I think it would be very difficult for me to do what I do without that. When I come home on a Monday morning, after a weekend like I just had where nothing goes right, I’m scratching my head wondering if I know anything about this sport. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing it, it sometimes feels like you’re starting over. You have to rise above it, because you know things can and will turn around. We had an amazing run the month after racing started where everything seemed to click, and then a few weeks later you feel like you can’t get anything right. That’s just part of the game, and I’ve been in it long enough to know that.

Throw into that the responsibility you have to the owners, and that you want them to be successful with their investment along with a staff that depends on you success. To come home to a family and staff that supports you, doesn’t question you, and understands the mood swings that you’re going to have is so important. I have a staff that never questions my decisions (perhaps they do to themselves!), but they’re always extremely supportive. In that respect, I’m very fortunate and wouldn’t have it any other way. I can’t imagine doing this on a daily basis and not having a team that supports you because you’re constantly making gut decisions. You’re making decisions a hundred times a day and hoping you are doing the best thing for the horse and your owner’s investment. Surrounding yourself with people who support you is incredibly important.

For people just getting in the game, self-doubt can be tough. So you want people behind you that don’t question you, because you’ll already be questioning yourself enough. You have to make your own gut decisions and stick by them. At the end of the day, you love being around the horses and that’s what you enjoy. We’re so lucky to be doing what we’re doing.

I also have concerns for the jockeys who are put under a huge amount of stress. Not just through riding and wanting to perform well, but also there’s the worry of injury and presently, sickness.

We’re so quick to be critical of jockeys in our sport, and these guys are expected to perform at the top level day in and day out. What they deal with on a day-to-day basis, I don’t think any of us can get our heads around. They are competing and at the same time trying to keep their weight down, keep the owners and trainers happy, all while trying to stay positive. We find it difficult to monitor our weight just going about our daily lives, and then you take these athletes that are on a strict diet trying to stay healthy and perform in an incredibly dangerous sport.

Add to that the recent concerns of the Coronavirus, they are not making a living if they are not riding. I realize that they have a choice and that the rewards can be huge, but so can the risks. I think it’s a shame in our sport that we don’t do more to help these guys because we couldn’t operate without them. We should be doing everything we can to keep them healthy and at the very least, provide them with regular COVID testing. These are complicated times and as an industry, we should be going out of our way to support the participants.

Would you like to share your thoughts on stress during this particularly difficult time? Email the TDN’s Katie Ritz at katieritz@thetdn.com or Sue Finley at suefinley@thetdn.com.

The post A Spotlight on Stress in the Era of COVID: Graham Motion appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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A Spotlight on Stress in the Era of COVID: Eric Hamelback

ERIC HAMELBACK, CEO of the National HBPA

To say this year has been rough would certainly be the understatement of 2020 (so far). What we have all experienced personally and as an industry can undoubtedly be defined by one of the more commonly used words this year—unprecedented. We have seen events canceled amid health concerns even while implementing social distancing guidelines, experienced resource insecurity and much more.

All of that combined can affect our mental health and well-being. I feel that the topic of mental health, in particular, is not being discussed as much as it should be. With the issues our industry has had this year, we should all pay more attention to mental stress, which continues to burden many within our industry as well as those around us. Many of you reading this may not know that May was Mental Health Awareness Month. But we can still let it serve as a reminder to us all that self-care is critically important in addressing the stresses and disappointments stemming not only from the COVID-19 pandemic but also those being felt in our industry.

Rarely would I make my CEO letter personal, but this letter will be just that—personal. Stress on one’s mental health can affect us all—including you and me. Within the racing and breeding industry, I know mental health conditions can affect trainers, assistants, farm managers, jockeys, grooms and hot walkers, who all work in high-pressure environments. The lack of conversation about the subject can lead to crippling anxiety and depression, and in some extreme circumstances, it can lead to suicide. The suicide rates within the horse racing industry and within agriculture as a whole are alarming.

This topic strikes me to the core and has significantly affected me as well as my family. I know because I have experienced these conditions. This letter, while personal in nature, is meant to strike a chord in everyone, and I urge you to please take the effort to look around and help when help is needed. Many of you know my history, and I am able to talk at length about my fight with anxiety and severe depression, which I dealt with while under the extreme pressure of working for two major operations in the industry.

I read a post on Facebook recently from a friend who shared the thoughts of someone who posted their personal struggles with mental stress, and seeing this post inspired me to openly discuss this topic in my CEO letter. This very private post forced me to recall times in my life and in my career when the mental burdens of my positions became almost unsurmountable. I learned how much stress can take a toll on your physical and mental health, and I recognized I needed help. Unfortunately, many do not. Now, I understand how important it is to give assistance to those in need, and it is just as important for those of us suffering from stress to recognize the problem and then reach out for support.

The consequences of not getting support are becoming a staggering statistic. According to the National Institute of Mental Health Disorders, each year one in four people suffer from a mental health problem, which is why I hope to become more progressively involved in making sure this topic is more openly discussed and that assistance is made available in our industry. Organizations such as the National HBPA and the Race Track Chaplaincy of America need to put forth better efforts toward mental health recognition, aid in the promotion and adoption of good mental health practices, promote positive public health messages and be a resource to help horsemen find mental health care providers.

The occurrence of stress and mental well-being issues within our industry is indicative of the need for all of us to do a better job of recognizing the signs and offering assistance and support. We should be taking action on the most basic of levels, simply by opening up mental health discussions within our operations. Talking openly to one another about how we are feeling and leaning on one another for support could influence those who need help to take steps in the direction of professional support.

If more and more of us open up about the struggles we have experienced personally, it will lead to others jumping onboard to support those in need or to ask for help. We must eradicate the stigma many have about mental health issues and work harder toward recognition, treatment and recovery.

I ask that you please join me—a survivor—in working toward lowering the disturbing trend that is growing in our culture and in our industry. “Horsemen Helping Horsemen” is the motto of the National HBPA, and that has never been more important than right now. If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask. If you think someone else needs help, don’t be afraid to offer. We can all make a positive difference in the lives of others in our industry.

Would you like to share your thoughts on stress during this particularly difficult time? Email the TDN’s Katie Ritz at katieritz@thetdn.com or Sue Finley at suefinley@thetdn.com.

The post A Spotlight on Stress in the Era of COVID: Eric Hamelback appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Weaning Woes: Is Artificial Weaning Hard On Horses?

Weaning, where a foal is removed from his dam, can be heartwrenching for both the humans and the animals involved. During traditional weaning, foals are forcibly separated from their dams at six months of age. However, left to their own devices, a foal will eventually separate from his mother on his own accord; this is considered “natural weaning.” Little research has been done on natural weaning.

The relationship between a mare and her foal focuses not only on providing sustenance to the youngster, but on the imparting of social skills that will allow the foal to become a well-adjusted part of an equine herd. Researchers in France studied natural weaning to determine if it could offer benefits to the mare and foal.
Drs. Séverine Henry, Hrefna Sigurjónsdóttir, Aziliz Klapper, Julie Joubert, Gabrielle Montier and Martine Hausberger studied three groups of semi-feral Icelandic horses: 16 mares with their foals, all owned by a riding school. The researchers discovered that the weaning age of foals varied greatly, but that foals were on average nine months old when they willingly stopped nursing from their mother.

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Surprisingly, the foal didn't gradually taper off his suckling before weaning nor did the mare become more aggressive with her foal before weaning; it seems the foal simply stopped nursing. Immediately after weaning, the foals spent about as much time with and stayed as close to their mothers as before weaning, indicating that they still needed social contact with their mothers.
None of the mares lost any body condition even though they were in foal and had a nursing foal on their side, though their breeding may have something to do with this: Icelandic horses are notoriously hardy.

Artificial weaning generally causes high levels of stress in foals and this is often the time when stereotypies like cribbing or weaving begin. The scientists hope that this data will assist in providing a better understanding of what happens in the mare-foal relationship, specifically from a social point of view, and how artificial weaning can affect foals.