Page 75 - August 2015

“. . . a new owner can benefit greatly from the expertise and experience of a good trainer.”
the successful bidder and they have paid for the horse, we receive all the transportation and registration information on the horse.
“We have a number of insurance representatives at the sale, and most of the insurance companies do provide fall of the hammer coverage,” Kidney added, “so horses are covered immediately as soon as they buy a horse. I encourage buyers to visit with insurance representatives, and as I would advise
in finding a trainer, make sure to find one you
like and want to work with and visit with them about what to do after buying a horse. In the big scheme of things, it’s relatively inexpensive to insure a purchase. All sales are final, and that’s why it’s especially important for buyers to do all of their homework up front.”
Harris makes the administrative tasks and post-sale arrangements of buying a horse easy on his owners. Harris’ stable of owners don’t have to do much beyond enjoying the experience
of short-listing (narrowing down prospective purchases in a sale to a workable number).
“Most of my owners like to come in and look at the horses,” Harris said. “What I like to do is make things a team effort. I’ll go through and pick out 10 horses. They will do the same. We’ll put those 20 together and go around and look at each one. I will tell them what I like
and what I dislike about each of the horses they picked out. They will do the same with the horses I picked, and then we’ll get down to about five that crossover and look like they will work.
“When it comes to the sale, they will go home, and everything else will be up to me,” he added. “The transportation, health certificates, insurance, where they go, getting them broke and trained. Most of the owners I train for want to come and have fun and enjoy the experience. They don’t want to get involved in the other things. They enjoy going to the races and bringing their friends.”
Harris says that most trainers will handle all of the peripheral responsibilities that come along with buying a horse at auction on behalf of the owners they represent.
Once purchased, horses are shipped out as soon possible after they leave the ring, typically the same day or within a day after the sale.
“I don’t have an owner who has to worry about shipping or obtaining health certificates or insurance exams,” Harris said. “We take
care of everything for them. Some of the
bigger ranches like to do some of those things themselves, but most of the time the trainer takes care of all the arrangements. And then, we work closely with the owners to figure out where their horses will be running and in what type
of races they will be running. We also go over whether we will shoot for races early in the year or point them to races in the later part of the year. Depending what the goals are, we schedule their training program accordingly.”
Once purchased, horses are shipped out as soon possible after they leave the ring.
“Customarily, horses will ship out within a day after the sale,” Kidney said. “A lot of trainers, if they are local, will try to ship yearlings out the same day that they sell so that they don’t have to stay confined any longer. Those horses are used to exercising a lot every day, so they like to get them out as soon as possible.”
To prevent setbacks, securing the services of a trainer you can trust is crucial, according to Harris. After all, the trainer will be responsible for the conditioning and the health of the horses in his or her care. Selecting the right trainer is not a decision to be taken lightly.
“If I were going to a sale, I would look up three or four trainers I was interested in and call them up to see if I can see them at their barn,” Harris said. “I would recommend they call the trainers to schedule a visit to their barn, so they can see what the operation looks like. Do they have a clean barn with a healthy environment? You will see right away if it’s a professional environment or not and whether or not they have enough help.
“I don’t know of a trainer who wouldn’t welcome spending 30 minutes to an hour with
a new owner, showing them around the barn and talking to them about their program. After you’ve done that with three or four trainers, then ask them if they would look at a few horses with you at the sale. By the time you’ve visited with them at the barn, you will know whether you hit it off with them or not and you’ll be able to pick one out that will fit you the best.”
The success of any racing operation is largely dependent on the people responsible for the day-to- day care of the equine athletes, which is why Harris recommends that new owners seek an experienced trainer who has an owner’s best interest at heart.
“Our barn is open anytime to owners,” Harris said. “They never have to call us and let us know they are coming. We have an open barn. They can show up anytime they want to seven days a week. I prefer it that way.”
SPEEDHORSE, August 2015 73