Here are answers to some of the questions you may have about horses:
How long does it take to breed a thoroughbred horse?
A thoroughbred horse's pregnancy (or gestation period) averages 11 months and ten days from conception, but it can vary by up to 30 days either side of that date.
Do thoroughbred horses have twins?
It is possible for a horse to have twins but in thoroughbreds this is highly undesirable because twins don't usually make good racehorses. However, the dams (= mothers) of some outstanding horses have been twins, for example Chequer's Stud's mare Anna's Choice, the dam of 1999 New Zealand Derby winner Hades; and Windsor Park Stud's Field Nymph, dam of Group One winners Field Dancer and Just A Dancer.
If I had a horse what would I feed it?
Horses do well on good pasture (and we have plenty of that in New Zealand!) but racehorses need more energy than grass alone will give them, so they are fed on combinations of grains such as oats and barley. These days most racing stables use grain-based feeds that are processed for maximum food value and easy digestion. Oils, salt, mineral and vitamin supplements may also be added to a racehorse's feed.
When do horses start to eat grass?
A foal will begin nibbling grass in the first few months of its life and on most stud farms will be introduced to small amounts of grain feed in the month or so before weaning. Weaning (= separation from the mare) usually takes place four to six months after the foal is born.
How big do thoroughbred horses grow?
Thoroughbreds vary in size from about 15.0 hands high to 17.0 hands high. A hand = four inches or just over 10 cm and the measurement is taken from the ground to the wither ( = top point of the horse's shoulder). 15 hands = 60 inches = 5 feet = 1.52 metres; 17 hands = 68 inches = 5 feet eight inches = 1.72 metres.
Is it hard to breed a really good racehorse?
Yes it is! But breeders keep trying every year and sometimes their luck, skill, knowledge, investment and hard work combine to produce a very special racehorse.
How long does it take to train a thoroughbred to be a racehorse?
There are three stages to a thoroughbred’s early life: rearing, education and training.
Rearing
Thoroughbred foals usually stay with their mothers until they are about six months old. They are then weaned and, if they are not prepared for a yearling sale will run with other weaned foals (= weanlings) until they are about 18 months old. They will be handled regularly, taught to lead, have their feet trimmed and hard-fed during this period. Of special importance during this stage is the development of strong, sound and correct legs.
Horses prepared for yearling sales in New Zealand are usually boxed for part of every day from about November after they turn one year-old until the yearling sales which are held in late January-February. After the sales, these horses are either sent straight to horse-breakers or given a short spell at a stud or agistment farm (= a property which specialises in grazing broodmares, foals, young horses, and/or racehorses) before resuming their education.
Education
The yearling goes to a horse-breaker (= skilled horse educator or teacher) to be broken in, or educated. This means teaching the young horse to accept the bit, bridle and saddle, the weight of a rider and the rider’s commands. This process may take six weeks at first; the horse will then spell (= take a short holiday in a paddock or field, usually at an agistment farm) before returning to the breaker for further education or going to a trainer or pre-trainer.
Training
The young horse is now almost two years old and ready to go to a pre-trainer (= a horseman or horsewoman who continues the horse’s education and introduces him or her to stable life and daily exercise at a training track). The horse may spell again before transferring to the stable of a licensed trainer.
When is a thoroughbred horse ready to race?
Some horses are strong and mature enough to trial (= compete in a preparatory race without prizemoney to qualify for a prizemoney event on an official raceday) and/or race when they are officially two years old. This is the earliest age at which thoroughbreds can race. Even if a horse is still weak and growing at this stage, it’s good for him or her to learn about racing during this period. Most thoroughbreds these days will get to the races before they turn four years old, but immaturity, illness, injury or an owner’s lack of money means that some horses don’t race until they are four or five.
How many races can a horse start in during its racing career?
There’s no official limit on how many starts a thoroughbred can have during its racing career. In New Zealand the average number of starts a horse has during a season is currently about six. A sound and successful New Zealand racehorse that competes over say, three seasons, will commonly have around 20 to thirty starts, perhaps more if it is very good, very sound or is a gelding (= a castrated male horse that cannot be used for breeding). The careers of some older horses cover fifty or more starts but this is not common, and even less common in countries like England and Ireland.
Among recent New Zealand-bred champions: Octagonal had 28 starts, Might And Power 33, Horlicks 40, Bonecrusher 44 and Super Impose 74. New Zealand's current champion Sunline has had 41 starts to 10 February 2002.
Does a foal get its colour from its mother or father?
The genetics of coat colour is a fascinating study and it’s not always easy to work out. However, there are some rules. The gene for the colour grey is dominant and at least one parent of a grey horse must also be grey. A mating between two chestnut horses should not produce any bay, black, or brown horses. The most common coat colour in thoroughbreds is bay. So the answer to this question is: it varies. A foal inherits coat colour genes from both parents, but the colour it ends up with can come from either or both parents.
How long can thoroughbred horses live?
Most sound, successful horses race until they are four or five; some race on as six and seven-year-olds; and a small number (mainly jumpers) will race on as 8, 9 or ten-year-olds. By the time a horse is 12 or 13 it is entering middle age; and at 19 or 20 it is considered old. However, horses can live to be 30 or more. It depends on their individual make-up and constitution and, of course, how well they are cared for.
Several outstanding New Zealand-bred horses have won major races as older horses. Great Sensation won the Wellington Cup as an eight, nine and ten-year-old in 1961, 1962 and 1963.
Magistrate won the Perth Cup in 1981 and 1982 at the ages of ten and eleven.
And in England the great jumper Red Rum won the Aintree Grand National Steeplechase for a record third time as a 12-year-old in 1977.
How big are thoroughbred foals when they are born?
A foal can weigh anything between 40 and 60 kg; 45 to 50 kg would be average. A fully-grown thoroughbred weighs around 500 kg.
How fast do racehorses run?
At full gallop a racehorse runs at around 55-60 kilometres per hour and can maintain this speed for distances from 800 metres to 3200 metres.