The horses receive plenty of work with a lengthy build up, that is varied work tailored to each horse.  We are lucky enough to have access to over 1,000 acres of farmland that has a variety of grassland banks, valleys, steep banks and lovely downland turf gallops.  The varied routine also stimulates them mentally so they are not doing the same thing day in day out.  I like to have the horses fit to enable them to win races but I am conscious on not having them unnecessarily ‘light’.  Muscle tone, strength and stamina are equally important and the varied routine gives them the best of both worlds.  I like all the horses to be trained in a French bungee, allowing a low head carriage therefore developing strong back muscles and hindquarters.  We try to get horses used to changing diagonals when trotting and have an even use of leads when cantering.  Being fluid in their bodies is important and knowing what their bodies can do.  When working on the local all-weather, I always time my horses and keep records.

All horses are isolated on arrival and fully assessed to make sure they have no underlying problems before entering the main racing yard and being ridden.  This is a perfect chance to check their blood for any ailments, take a worm egg count and worm if necessary; and given a general ‘health check’ be it by the dentist, chiropractor etc.  Many of a horse’s problems are found at this initial screening and addressed before being ridden and having their bodies put under added pressure.  As soon as they have the all clear, they move into the main racing yard.  I like to turn out the horses as much as possible so I’m not just aiming for a healthy body but a healthy mind as well.  Ad-lib forage is fed whilst in the stable to maintain a healthy gut function.  The stabling is also incredibly airy and well ventilated.  We use Baileys horse feed and I speak to the nutritionalists there very often to get the balance right for each horse.

A varied routine seems to keep most horses happy and access to the paddocks helps too.  The horses are generally turned out in two herds: all the geldings together and all the fillies together.  I like the herd mentality and giving them an opportunity to socialise together.  Coupled with this, horses are stabled in a large American style barn where every horse can see the whole yard; helping them settle very well.  None of the doors have anti-weave grills and I’m sure it is due to the layout of the barn.  The staff are encouraged to congratulate the horses in their work when they have done well.

I like all the National Hunt horses to receive plenty of grid work when schooling which allows them to make the mistakes at home and improve at home.  Learning to fiddle and get themselves out of trouble at home can only help them when under pressure in a race.  Nearly all horses get their eye in before they run.  To date we have had over 60 runners without a faller over jumps .

Gerard Tumelty doing grid work on Red Not Blue