Page 28 - April 2005 The Game

28 The Game, April 2005 Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper
BackingYoungsters her Specialty
Trainer of Trainers, Chris Irwin at Woodbine
Any seasoned horseperson knows the importance of starting off young horses. If it is done correctly a horse can advance to a successful racing career. Alternatively, if it is done incorrectly, the bad habits or hang-ups that horses can develop can seriously hinder any chance of a successful career.
When Barbara Hutcheson
talks about her freelance business she says that she specializes in the backing and training of young racehorses
and show horses. She uses the
term ‘backing’ rather than ‘breaking’ when working with the young horses, “Backing them is not as harsh of a term,” Barbara explains “You want to get the best out of them. You don’t want to break their will or their spirit.”
Her technique, which basically demands a lot of patience, has proven to be both effective and successful and Barbara has many long term clients who call on her every year to back and train their young horses.
“They are happy with the work I do.” says Barbara, who travels to the various farms of her clients, “I provide personal care and I have integrity with my work.”
Barbara believes that every horse is an individual and treats them as such stating that some horses are better suited to certain aspects of learning than others. Barbara explains that it usually takes a couple of weeks to know exactly what is best for an individual horse and it is during that time that she can determine a training and nutritional program which is best suited to that particular youngster.
Her knowledge and her ability with horses was developed over many years of training with some of the best in the business.
Barbara completed the Equine Studies Management course at Humber College and then ventured West to put her studies to use.
Working mainly with show horses, Barbara started in the process of backing horses at the Fohlenhof Equestrian Academy in British Columbia. Her patience and sen- sitivity helped her to advance and she soon found her backing skills were in demand in the industry.
Barbara expanded her experience in Europe, where she taught and trained at the Mark Phillips
Barbara Hutcheson with 14-year-old thoroughbred mare, Erin’s Book, at her training farm in Campbellville.
Equestrian Centre at Glanagles in Scotland as well as the highly regarded Paul Schockemohle stable in Germany.
While in the South of England Barbara was given the task of re-training a Nijinsky II thoroughbred to be a show jumper. While working with the spirited individual, Barbara admits that she couldn’t resist the temptation to go out onto the gallops with the horse. “I just had to try.” said Barbara, recalling the experience, “It was such an adrenaline rush. I was hooked.”
That was when she decided that she wanted to focus on backing and training thoroughbreds for racing and the show ring. She also wanted to relive the adrenaline rush and learn more about raceriding and soon found her way to Picov Downs where she spent a season as a freelance rider while continuing to back and train horses. The following year in 1997 is when she started Hutcheson Training, her freelance backing and training business which has flourish into a successful venture for the now 35 year-old.
Barbara and her husband Jim and their 6-year-old son, Brandon, now live in the Campbellville area on their quiet 10.5 acre farm which they purchased and moved into last October.
Barbara plans to expand the current 6 stall barn to accommodate 15 or 20 stalls, a number which she feels will allow her to remain hands on and personal which each horse.
Her new farm allows her to back and train on the property while continuing her freelance business at clients’ farms in the area.
“I want to stay small to provide personal care.” says Barbara, “I don’t want to lose that personal touch.”
Visit www.hutchesontraining.ca
Touted as the Dr. Phil for horse owners and riders, the highly acclaimed horse trainer, Chris Irwin, will be coming to Woodbine Racetrack on Wednesday, May 25 for three clinics aimed at advancing the knowledge of people working with horses.
The “Day at Woodbine with Chris Irwin” is sponsored by both Woodbine Entertainment Group and the HBPA and is scheduled to include:
10am to noon - Chris will
work exclusively with
interested backstretch workers
- in stalls, in the barn, improv-
ing their overall handling skills
with the thoroughbreds in their daily routines.
2-2:30pm - Demonstration on “Retraining the Retired Racehorse”
4-6:30pm - Chris will work exclusively with the Starting Gate team on the race- track.
Chris has gained a reputation as “the guy who could turn around last-chance horses” and his clinics are aimed at resolving “behavior problems”, as well as inspiring horsemen to harness their “inner horsepower”.
Chris brings with him more than 25 years of wisdom through his dedication to the well-being of the horse.
He began his career with horses at age 19 when he worked with thoroughbreds at Longacres Racetrack in Seattle.
From there he began training and driving draft team horses and by his early thirties Chris had also achieved 18 U.S. National Championships in both riding and driving events with Nevada’s Wild
Mustangs - arguably the most difficult horses to train in any capacity.
Chris is also a published bestselling author and columnist and has been high- lighted on television shows such as Canada A.M., The Discovery Channel, Mustang America’s Wild Horse, and the PBS show HorseN’Around.
He has produced a series of instructional videos and has taught at a variety of Universities as well as making presentations at Keeneland Race Course, The Royal Winter Fair, Spruce Meadows, and many more top notch venues.
Chris is an internationally renowned equestrian coach and offers a highly successful Trainer Certificate Program available at six North American training locations: Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Kentucky and California.
For more information on Chris Irwin and his upcoming visit to Woodbine go to www.chrisirwin.com
Trainer Chris Irwin and his wife Kathryn Kincannon-Irwin, seen here at the recent Can-Am Equine Show in March, will bring their Horsepower Productions to Woodbine on May 25.
Mike and Kevin Hoffman; swear they can contribute
By Kelly MacKay
How do you stop a barn full of employees from swearing? Introduce a cussing jar and make anyone caught using profanities contribute twenty-five cents to the jar.
Trainer Jim Day’s new assistant: Mike Hoffman, says “Jim is the one that started it; he contributed the first quarter.” Jim implemented the cursing remedy because there was a lot of it going on in the barn, and it was rubbing off on his new out- standing help: Kevin and Mike Hoffman. Mike is Jim’s Assistant, and Kevin is the head galloper.
A pair of Jim Day’s trainees make their way around the sand ring at Woodbine. (outside) Exercise Rider Kevin Hoffman is aboard Master Michael and (inside) Jockey Kelly MacKay is aboard Divorsky
Kevin came to Ontario from Saskatoon last April and took a job working for Jim breaking the babies on Day-by-Day farm. However, being away from the racetrack he missed the lifestyle and found himself later in the year back at Woodbine as the main galloper for Jim’s outfit.
Last fall Kevin approached Jim saying that his younger brother Mike, would be coming east, and he may be interested in some work.
Jim says with a smile, “so I put him into
action.”
Mike and Kevin were introduced to the
racetrack in the late 1980’s by their dad, trainer Jim Hoffman who trains in Saskatoon.
Mike said, “Our uncle Dennis, and our dad bought a horse. Dad had retired from his former job and the track was a way to relax, make some money and have fun.”
Mike, who has trained on his own since 1999 says, “as soon as we were old enough to go to the track, we were old enough to clean stalls; CONTINUED PAGE 36
Did You Know...
That the Ken Ramsey owned, Roses in May (Devil His Due), was the winner of the $6 million Gr1 Dubai World Cup at Nad al Sheba Racecourse for trainer Dale Romans on March 26.
Elvstroem (AUS) (Danehill) was
the winner of the Gr1 Dubai Duty Free S. and became the first Australian horse to win in Dubai.
Phoenix Reach (IRE) (Alhaarth{IRE}), winner of the 2003 Gr1 Canadian International at Woodbine, was the winner of the Gr1 Dubai Sheema Classic on March 26, 2005 in Dubai.