Hosing down a horse before the race?

[JBmadera]

flipped past the feed from AP and it looked like they were hosing down the 1 horse in the enclosure before she went out to the walking ring. is this a common practice - don't think I have ever seen it before.

thx,

jb

[Greyfox]

Was she the hot tip of the day?;)

Just kidding. I've never seen that done either. I suppose if a horse was too warm you might do it. Or, alternatively, if you wanted the Paddock visitors to think that it was already "sweating out" that might be a way to give that false impression.

[JBmadera]

she certainly was hot....:) , but she ran 2nd at even money. perhaps it's just really humid in chicagoland today.

[fmolf]

she certainly was hot....:) , but she ran 2nd at even money. perhaps it's just really humid in chicagoland today.
i have seen grooms sponge bath horses before they enter the walking ring at belmont and aqueduct never with the hose though!

[fmhealth]

Very common practice before & after a race at AP. Actually makes a lot of sense. Horses have a host of difficulties in warm humid weather.

[ManeMediaMogul]

It is a very common practice in warm locales like California, Arizona and Texas but when the weather gets hot anywhere it is a wise move. Anything you can do to keep your horse cool is a plus.

[46zilzal]

flipped past the feed from AP and it looked like they were hosing down the 1 horse in the enclosure before she went out to the walking ring. is this a common practice - don't think I have ever seen it before.

thx,

jb
Hot, they want to hide stains/smell for liniment, but mostly to cool them down....All the foam scares some bettors

[rastajenk]

I'm sure that all those people in the paddock getting their horses ready for the race are worried about the bettors. :rolleyes:

[onefast99]

A common practice on humid hot days nothing to worry about as a bettor.

[Tom]

Some tracks hose the bettors.:rolleyes:

[eastie]

don't underestimate the scaring the bettors part. to the untrained eye it can look like these horses are all washed out. I bet half of you guys don't know where a horse will start to sweat first. This is important to know, because sometimes a horse is just starting to wash out in the paddock. By the time they get to the gate he could be dripping wet. The kidneys never lie.

[jotb]

don't underestimate the scaring the bettors part. to the untrained eye it can look like these horses are all washed out. I bet half of you guys don't know where a horse will start to sweat first. This is important to know, because sometimes a horse is just starting to wash out in the paddock. By the time they get to the gate he could be dripping wet. The kidneys never lie.

A racehorse will first show signs of sweat prior to reaching the paddock. Just the walk from the detention or receiving barn to the passock can get a horse to show signs of kidney sweat. Happens all the time.

Joe

[Brogan]

At Monmouth Park there's a few hoses by the outside fence just past the finish line. At Monmouth you enter the track on the outside fence at approximately the start of the clubhouse turn to get to the paddock. After you race you walk the "right" way to a gap approximately halfway on the clubhouse turn.

Primarily the hoses are used on horses after they race. A few people also spray down their horses as they are approaching the paddock.

Personal choice based on the weather and their horse.

[fmhealth]

Just to take this one step further, TUP actually has misters in the paddock. What a clever idea to keep the horses as cool as possible here in the desert.

[louisianawoman]

I've used that approach even with quarter horses after a long haul in very hot weather before competition. It's a method of bring their body temperature as close to normal as possible before stressful activity (racing, jumping, etc.).

[onefast99]

At Monmouth Park there's a few hoses by the outside fence just past the finish line. At Monmouth you enter the track on the outside fence at approximately the start of the clubhouse turn to get to the paddock. After you race you walk the "right" way to a gap approximately halfway on the clubhouse turn.

Primarily the hoses are used on horses after they race. A few people also spray down their horses as they are approaching the paddock.

Personal choice based on the weather and their horse.
I always thought they entered the track just below the shoot for 6f races and came onto the track clockwise to the paddock tunnel and then to the walking ring for ID, did this change since Sunday? The hoses are right in front of the track before the paddock tunnel. Last year when we had a few very hot days many horses were hosed down before and after the race.

[Brogan]

There's a path outside the track around the clubhouse turn where you walk up to the track. When you first approach the track from the barn area, you do enter near the 6F chute, but you don't actually step on the track until you are right by the end of the clubhouse. (This was temporarily eliminated during the Breeders' Cup races to install temporary seating).

The hoses are exactly where you say, and was what I was trying to say.

[thelyingthief]

I know I feel hosed after many races. And sometimes, before. Really, really hosed.

tlt-

[NY BRED]

June 20th race 8 at hol.

Christine Olivares questions Gary Mandella several minutes before race 8 on the hosing of
Talktoomuch and he confirms she has a habit of being wound
up before a race, and mentions she may need the race as she
is coming back after a layoff (5/6/09)


Result: she wins at 7.60-1


TVG finally is at the right place right time!;)

[CryingForTheHorses]

There is nothing wrong with hosing down you horse before a race..Here in Miami where it is 97+ degrees,It cools them off,I even take a bucket of ice to the paddock to make icewater and wet them again before they race.Heat stroke is common and you need to take every precaution you can.