Driving the scenic roads of the Bluegrass Region, thoroughbred horse farms flank both sides. With field upon field housing the mainstay of Kentucky’s breeding operations, you start to notice a disparity between the number of mares and foals; the weaning process has begun. Weaning is the separation of a foal from its dam, which can… Read more »

At Stonestreet, our horses spend most of their time in fields and paddocks, enjoying the fresh air. This time outside is important for fitness as well as nutrition. The time spent grazing is essential to the health of every horse on the farm and making sure that they are receiving the best grass possible begins… Read more »

Standing on the rail at any racetrack paddock will give you a view of horses preparing for their race. Walking into the paddock, the horse will be wearing only a bridle. In the saddling area, which can either be in a designated walking area or in a stall, the valet arrives with the tack which… Read more »

During the first 90 days of a foal’s life, the colostrum received when nursing provides protection. As we learned in a previous blog, antibodies are transferred from the dam via the colostrum and offer immunity from disease, but what happens when this protection begins to dissipate? Once he or she is 90 days of age, a… Read more »

The fastest workout a horse will accomplish prior to race day is a “breeze”, when a horse will travel approximately 1 furlong in 12 seconds. It is the final step for the two-year-olds at Stonestreet Training Center before they move to various trainers at the racetrack. As we learned in the blog “Race Track Training”,… Read more »

Earlier in our series, we joined our Broodmare Farm Manager and Rood & Riddle’s Dr. Riddle to learn about palpating barren and maiden mares in preparation for breeding season. The process of determining the best time to breed a broodmare has been completed and now we have the anticipation of checking for pregnant broodmares! Broodmares,… Read more »

A “Barrier Trial” is a training race that is organized by the Principle Racing Authority in Australia. Barrier Trials are conducted several times a month at various tracks. On the day, there are multiple heats with broad conditions that are supervised by Stewards. Official entries are submitted and results are recorded, but the race has… Read more »

Broodmares have been keeping everyone at the farm very busy since January, but new foals are not the only concern at this time of year. Over at our yearling division in Versailles, the new yearlings are ready for Spring Surveys and to perform them, our Yearling Farm Manager calls on the experienced veterinarians of Rood… Read more »

It is 9:40 PM, and Class On Class’ water breaks. Her new filly arrives at 10:00 PM, stands up at 10:38 PM, and nurses for the first time at 11:18 PM. After a normal delivery and an exciting, successful attempt to stand, the one hour and eighteen minute old filly receives the most important milk… Read more »

Excitement envelops the farm every time a new foal arrives. Immediately, thoughts of this new born flourishing into a future racehorse enter the mind with “Look at those legs!” and “What a pedigree!” While the future is still unknown, the multiple years of training that go into each horse begin on day one. We begin… Read more »